ALABAMA!!

[Tomtommom]

Does anyone else get paranoid when they have a sick bird?

I swear in my mind they're all egg bound, broody, deathly ill, ready to fall over.. Reading way too much into normal behaviour, I think.

My other white rock stayed half the day in the nest box.. making me concerned.
The head hen apparently lost one of her spurs and had a bunch of black dried blood on her leg.. no idea when that happened, didn't find any blood in the coop.
One of my Australorps was panting, but it was 80F here today! Their tree doesn't have it leaf yet, so no shade at all.. she was likely just HOT.
I heard a few sneezes.. I think. Beverly sneezed and shook her head, but I just put new shavings in the coop too and their feeder was almost empty (dust in the bottom).

Things that normally don't make me think twice got me on edge

I have one sick bird. And that's what I need to focus on. Until I have evidence of more ill birds, there's no epidemic.

Keep me sane!

 

[mbfarmer94]

Haven't had a sick one yet, but have one pullet that's quite the bully and has whipped all the others pretty good. Think I'll probably get rid of that one.

 

[Tomtommom]

Guess I am not crazy, got a few more sneezing on the roost. Odd, because the one I separated doesn't sneeze, just cough intermittently... but, none the less.. time to make tough choices

Am I sending someone in for autopsy, and who will it be? Or do I toss Tylan at them and hope for the best? Not really my first choice, but choosing who dies isn't really a pleasant option either, especially since no one is truly suffering. Wait it out? Do chickens get colds?

No evidence of illness in the chicks, so they likely have not been in contact with whatever got the others sick.

They're all eating, drinking, laying eggs etc.

I hate making these kinds of choices.

 

[Cornflake]

Guess I am not crazy, got a few more sneezing on the roost. Odd, because the one I separated doesn't sneeze, just cough intermittently... but, none the less.. time to make tough choices :/ Am I sending someone in for autopsy, and who will it be? Or do I toss Tylan at them and hope for the best? Not really my first choice, but choosing who dies isn't really a pleasant option either, especially since no one is truly suffering. Wait it out? Do chickens get colds?


No evidence of illness in the chicks, so they likely have not been in contact with whatever got the others sick.


They're all eating, drinking, laying eggs etc.





I hate making these kinds of choices.

. I'd wait it out, could be spring allergies !

 

[Tomtommom]

. I'd wait it out, could be spring allergies !

I was thinking so too... considering my red car is yellow right now, the sneezing would make sense to be tree pollen.

Just freaking myself out >_<

The one in my kitchen is sick, that I know. But the others do not share her symptoms at all. Google is evil, it's making me think the worst...

 

[Tomtommom]

Tom, you can ship the bird to the state lab for necropsy for $10 (plus postage.) There is one in Hanceville and one in Auburn. I don't think you have to be NPIP to take advantage of that, but they prefer you send the bird while it is still alive. I had a mystery disease killing off my birds last summer, and I sent them a total of three birds. It is not a quick answer, but they are thorough.

http://www.labs.alabama.gov/

I was thinking.. it seems they can diagnose respiratory diseases per bloodtest (it says 'serum' on their fee schedule, under the various diseases). Our local vet may be able to take blood and send it (or test it in-house), therefore, no need to kill a chicken.

I just want/need to know if it's something Innocent or we're looking at something that really needs to be reported and preventative action taken.

 

[Wisher1000]

Tom,

I'm sorry you are facing this and it is worrying you. I know how you feel. Keep in mind that you are concerned for the health of your flock, not of individual birds. If you do not want to send one in, keep them all and ride it out. Remember, though, that you can not rehome any of them, even after they are well and that any new bird brought in may get sick if one or more are carriers. The lab will not want to test blood, they want to test a live bird, but will take a recently deceased one.
The old timers say the only med you need is a hatchet. There is some merit to that, but it is hard to do. We were talking today about culling all "off" birds for the sake of the flock and the future flocks. I know it is difficult, and I wouldn't blame you for trying, just keep in mind that in the long run, it may cause more problems.

I really am sorry that you are worried about your birds, I wish (there I go again) I could help.

 

[mbfarmer94]

Ok y'all got me thinking one of mine is acting a little weird just a little lethargic, not really sneezing or coughing just slow to get up and feed with the rest, a little red in her eyes and her butt is a little poopy, I'm completely new to chickens so I have no idea if she's sick or not. But she doesn't look as good as the rest.

 

[Orps]

Tom,

I'm sorry you are facing this and it is worrying you. I know how you feel. Keep in mind that you are concerned for the health of your flock, not of individual birds. If you do not want to send one in, keep them all and ride it out. Remember, though, that you can not rehome any of them, even after they are well and that any new bird brought in may get sick if one or more are carriers. The lab will not want to test blood, they want to test a live bird, but will take a recently deceased one.
The old timers say the only med you need is a hatchet. There is some merit to that, but it is hard to do. We were talking today about culling all "off" birds for the sake of the flock and the future flocks. I know it is difficult, and I wouldn't blame you for trying, just keep in mind that in the long run, it may cause more problems.

I really am sorry that you are worried about your birds, I wish (there I go again) I could help.

Trying to understand why she would never be able to rehome any or bring in new birds. I can understand culling sick birds or even a flock when it a epidemic. But if the flock recovered wouldn't it be okay to bring in more birds or even sell birds out?

 

[Tomtommom]

Tom,

I'm sorry you are facing this and it is worrying you. I know how you feel. Keep in mind that you are concerned for the health of your flock, not of individual birds. If you do not want to send one in, keep them all and ride it out. Remember, though, that you can not rehome any of them, even after they are well and that any new bird brought in may get sick if one or more are carriers. The lab will not want to test blood, they want to test a live bird, but will take a recently deceased one.
The old timers say the only med you need is a hatchet. There is some merit to that, but it is hard to do. We were talking today about culling all "off" birds for the sake of the flock and the future flocks. I know it is difficult, and I wouldn't blame you for trying, just keep in mind that in the long run, it may cause more problems.

I really am sorry that you are worried about your birds, I wish (there I go again) I could help.

Yup, I already practiced a fairly strict "incoming" policy. I would never, ever bring home a grown bird and chicks normally stay quarantined in a brooder for 3+ weeks (I made an exception for the three I just got from Cornflake, added them in with the other chicks). I don't go to shows or swaps or auctions, because I don't want to bring home unknown yuckies..... Folks can look at my birds from outside the run, but only me and my family enter the run/coop... so it really sucks to deal with this, after being pretty cautious.

I've only given away one rooster, the rest were eaten. I was planning on selling some birds in a couple of months, but wont now. Even if it goes away on it's own, it could very easily be something that remains contagious. I wont put someone elses flock at risk.

However, I believe everything happens for a reason and perhaps it's better for me to stick with the birds I have, eat the ones that I can't keep (all these darn little rock cockerals) and not get anything new, until the original flock is no more... it reduces my stress level. I get obsessive with everything I do, so even the thought of hatching eggs made me go a little cuckoo for cocoapuffs.. It's likely for the best to limit myself to what I can handle.

If It was one of my birds I am not so fond of, I would've sent them off in a heart beat

Yes, I play favorites... I really like my white rocks. I just can't off the whole flock.. that's too extreme.. all the time/money invested, I've got some favorites (ofcourse those are the ones sneezing

)... and it would take forever to get a new flock of hens, not to mention I wouldn't know how to REALLY sanitize their coop and run, with it being dirt floors.

Big head ache. Big decisions.. something I really could do without right now. Got me awfully distracted, for sure.