Acouple problems

[mdc2be]

Ok being new to chickens I am not sure where to start for advice. So far I've gotten good stuff here. I am having two problems, first I have one leghorn hen that, for lack of better terms gurgles or sounds like she has fluid in here air way. Being in the medical field I understand a lot of medical things but this is being lost on me. Not sure if I need to isolate her or if it's something I can treat her and the others for easily. She has no drainage from her eyes or nostrils. And really isn't acting differently.
My second issue is, maybe, a little easier to deal with. I have 3 serama roosters and 2 are beating up on one. The one being picked on is larger than the other two but they harass him so back I moved him into our large bolder in my shop until i could figure out what was up. His comb was bleeding today after the abuse. He doesn't seem to fight back. Not sure if it's a dominance thing or what.

Any advice on either would be great. Thanks so much

 

[sheila3935]

First off sounds like your hen has a respiratory problem, she needs some antibotics. Second sounds like you have too many roos. They will fight sometimes to the death. You need to find a home for one or more of them. Decided which roo you want to keep and rehome one or the others. And yes isolate her she could be contagious

 

[Miss Lydia]

yep and after they get rid of him they'll probably start on each other... I would remove the to bad guys and leave the sub dominante with the hens.. how many hens are in with these roos? and just as sheila said you need to isolate the sick hen, how does her crop look and feel? how does it smell?

 

[mdc2be]

Crop looks normal as far as smell not sure. I'll do a little more investigation tomorrow and get back about that. I only have the 3 serama Roos. They are in with 2serama hens, 5 leghorns, 3 barrel rock, 4 silkie, and a couple mutt chickens. Other than those 3 Roos I only have 1 one other roo and he is a mutt. I say that because he came with the barred rock chicks, which he was suppose to be but is clearly not. So for my sick hen what antibodics should I use? And should I treat the others just incase?

 

[Miss Lydia]

this might help and another post that might be of help.
www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm I am opening a new subject due to the change in information that I have recently received regarding CRD, MG/MS, and quite possibly other diseases, or, my chicken has a cold...mine too. There are links down at the bottom, so if you do not want to read about the letters from the Me.State vet.
My intent is not to cause everyone to go into panic or in an up roar.
As many of you realize I have been questioning through the Maine State Veterinarian about these bacteria/virus', . NPIP does not test for these issues, it only tests for Pullorum/Typhoid and Avian Influenza, once, not each year after having other birds come and go chancing spreading of illness. (Battery hens are carriers)
Enough from me, this is what the correspondence was regarding these health issues:

Subject: RE: MS, NPIP Questions
Kellie,

I wanted to get back to you on this issue. I have checked with one hatchery in Iowa and with the NPIP coordinator, Andy Rhorer on this. Both told me that most of the hatcheries selling exhibition, poultry and game birds to small flock owners are not MG/MS clean. This surprised me very much since I had always assumed they were. Just goes to show you about assuming anything doesn’t it?

In order to change this situation, we would either need to change our import rule on poultry (this is possible but takes time an we will consider doing this in the future) or bring it up as a proposal at the next NPIP meeting in 2010. Sad to say that the 2008 meeting was held in Portland and it would have been a perfect time to discuss it.

In the meantime, I think what I need to do is write an article for the Maine Alternative Poultry Assn. newsletter to alert people about MG/MS and that the birds they order from out of state hatcheries are only certified as pullorum/typhoid and AI clean. For buying birds within state or from your neighbors, the old axiom “let the buyer beware” is a good rule of thumb as well as the all in/all out practice.

Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention.

Don ( Don Hoenig, Me.state vet)

Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2008, 11:55 AM

Don,
No, that is no news to me. I have brought this up on multiple meetings with the small producers and nationally. However this said, most of the blood samples from small flocks are MS/MG positive, except for those from isolated egg-layer or broiler flocks purchased from commercial hatchery raised for their purpose and kept isolated.When we tested small flocks (chicken, turkeys and game birds) in the mid 80's during the HPAI scare, most of the flocks were MG positive and negative for common viral infections. Unless a flock owner maintains mycoplasma -free flocks by avoiding multi-age, multi-breed; multi-species flocks, practices all-in, all-out stocking; screens poultry from wild birds, practices basic biosecurity; and regular serological monitoring; purchasing MG/MS free poultry does not do much good. MG/MS does usually not cause much problems in small flocks except when the flocks are stressed (crowding, poor nutrition, cold, ammonia etc).or infected with primary disease agents (ILTV, MDV, Pasteurella etc)Some fancy birds may be mores resistant than others and stay "clean". But I am not sure whether this is true. Flock owners, whether small or large, who raise poultry primarily for producing eggs or meat and are concerned about the economics (whether pennies or million $s) need to maintain certain standards and these are the ones that need MG/MS stock. The NPIP directories list what the breeding flocks/hatcheries are certified for. We have distributed every year directories to each county office. I don't think there are many, if any, pure breed hatcheries certified to be MS/MG-free. Nevertheless, I agree that small flocks owners should be aware of what they are getting.
Mike (Michael Opitz, prof UMO)

Don is the Maine State Vet and Mike is a professor at the UMaine in Orono.
I just would like you to say what you think, but also contact your own state's veterinarian with some of the same questions that I had answered. At the amount of people coming in on BYC, me included, saying my bird has a cold. We have a poultry club where all their birds have "colds" , they are not colds!!! I welcome your opinion.

Links, my opinions on treatment and awareness, its bigger then we think!

Here are a few links that may interest you:

MS aka Mycoplasma Synoviae infection http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseasein … -synovitis

(My chicken has a Cold) Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseasein … is-turkeys
CRD
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseasein … e-chickens
Newcastle Disease
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseasein … yxovirus-1
Infectious Coryza
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/82/infectious-coryza

Hopefully these will help, all I did was search and gave you these links. Of course nothing can compare to a veterinarian's advice, yet most of us do not have that luxury and are looking for someone with good advice.
Recently I was confronted with the firings of the use of Antibiotics, culling and all of that. Well, to MY knowledge, and I am not a pro or Vet, so please I only speak from my point of view and give you what I would do as in my flock I have untested MG at this point.
For MG, CRD and many other conditions, these bacteria/virus' are permanent, antibiotics will not rid your flock of such recurring disease, so all you would be treating is the secondary infections. SO if my bird is coughing, clear, no odor sinus discharge, then I will let this run its course, even some wheezing. When the bird begins to slow down, act dumpy, shivering (fever/cold), I would treat with Terramycin or its generic Agrimycin Powder.
Separate this bird and treat only the one bird, but, realize that once your birds have been exposed to these conditions, they are now contagious and will infect the remaining flock.
Let me also mention that you can obtain these problems by bringing in new chicks from the hatchery, wild turkeys, hawks, and it can be already in the soil from previous chicken lovers.
When we bring in commercial birds from the local auction, people that buy and sell birds, one bird is all it takes to contaminate your "bio-secure" area.
There are just so many turns and twists in how to do this, that and the other. Some health issues cannot be removed from your property, so your best bet is to have birds inoculated before you bring them in for your own personal use.
From what my Vet mentioned was that with Terramycin or generic equivalent it needs to be 30 days after your last dose for meat birds, and 50 days for selling or personal consumption. (personally from what I gather is that commercial feed is part Terramycin crumbles and how many eggs to they throw away?)
So I do agree with the rule of thumb, do not use antibiotic until you absolutely have to. Place yourself in that birds place, is it uncomfortable enough to medicate?
Some of these health issues you will never no you have them until it rears its ugly head, which is what happened to a fellow chicken lover that took birds to the local show. Brought them home, so proud until a short while later when her birds began to drop. Finding that after taking a bird to a local University to euthanize and necropsy a beloved bird. Mycoplasma Synoviae ran rampage through her show flock, loosing 50%.
Sadly the incubation period for this particular condition went back to one show. Open bars, tight quarters and when there are no symptoms, just contagious...no more needs to be said other then it can be us next.
The National Poultry Improvement Program (NPIP) tested flocks does not mean a thing. False security. This program was designed to eradicate Pullorum and Typhoid. It has not been updated to test for some of these debilitating illness that are in today's world. We need to make changes, we need to relearn basic Bio-Security and write your States Veterinarian, you can find many ways, including your local vet that you have for your other animals, or online.
Lets see if we can't better the poultry in USA, at this point many hatcheries are not testing their own birds for these conditions, spreading it through the ovum to the chick to us and our flocks. Upgrade NPIP, remember that only commercial birds are tested, certified and taken note to if testing positive. (thus we bring a commercial bird into a show...and everything they have had for immunizations is now what we have!)
Thank you for reading this far, protect your flock, BE AWARE.

1-7-09 Update

Well, I received a call from the man that tests poultry in my area, he was given my name by the State Vet Dr. Hoenig. The testers name is Bill Morrison and


and heres another post I found for ya.

 

[mdc2be]

Thanks so much. I thought it just might be a simple cold. It has been unseasonably cold here and, regretfully I didnt get to fixing the coop better before winter set in. So I thought it may just be the exposure to the elements. There is a heater out there, which my wife likes to complain about bc it costs me 90/mth to heat it, so this didnt start until it got unseasonably warm then cold again. I am going to keep a close eye on her and the others for awhile to make sure. I'll update you later today.

thanks

 

[Miss Lydia]

how about the ventilation in your coop? when you use heat you actually need more ventilation because of the humidity the heat and the chickens can make... Hope you can get this resolved. also chickens can't be in drafts either you want your ventilation up high.and lots of it.


also found this like I haven't given you enough to read already

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=1642-VENTILATION

 

[mdc2be]

Between each rafter is a space to the outside. so there should be plenty of air moving. I have tried to keep the drafts down. I had to remove the door due "lead based paint". Thanks to the american government. I am sure you as well as me grew up chewing on lead based paint everything but I have to remove a door on a chicken coop 100 yrds from my house cause my kid may or may not touch it........................ok sorry enough on that. I am about to do a major over haul on this coop when it warms up. I also have a guy I know that has had chickens for years so I am also going to consult him later this afternoon.

 

[mdc2be]

Oh and the more I can read the better. thanks for all the info!!!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

There ya go it's good to talk to the old timers... but I did that here this guy has bantams and works at our feed store I really like him but when I asked him about wormer he said I should use bleach in their water. Thats just not acceptable to me, but thats the way alot of people do things here and every where else too probably.. but good luck and if he has any tid bits of good info please pass it on here.