My chickens were temporary in a wooded shed temp coop. Despite it being insulated, having an A/C window unit and constant litter changes it became filthy and I believe in hindsight it may have had an ammonia build up.
Anyway one of my broiler chickens died suddenly and had labored breathing (but not panting) and lameness. That chicken had a history of difficulty breathing and I thought it was just the breed. Meat chickens aren't really meant to last and be healthy. It is not the first time I had one suddenly die and the person I bought my first meat chickens from warned me of their usually short lifespan.
Anyway then 2 of my other broiler chickens started acting weird. At this point I realized it might be related to the shed coop and an ammonia build up. I immediately removed them from the situation and when they didn't improve I took them to a vet. I usually don't take birds to the vet but I believe their illness is my fault. My question is what should I do now?
Meat Chicken 1- Jazzy II is having difficulty breathing and her crown is dark red. Her crown turns purple and she has more labored breathing when I handle her or stress her out. She had an X-Ray done that revealed a fluid buildup. About 90% of her lungs are filled with fluid.
Meat Chicken 2- I was giving all the meat chickens a bath and as I was bathing my chicken Blues she extended her butt and it looked like she had a hemorrhoid. After a little bit of it still looking red and swollen I looked up chicken hemorrhoids and ran into an article on collapsed vents which said to gently push it back into place which is what I did. I took her to the vet with Jazzy II just to make sure she was okay but she was not. X-ray revealed a digestion tract problem of too much food in the crop.
So the vet prescribed both chickens with Doxycycline. He also knows I think an ammonia build up caused it. He said it is unlikely they will pull through and they could die any day.
Anyway my question is do you think I am on the right path or is their something more I can do? I wonder if anything can be done to drain the fluid from Jazzy like diuretics (lasix, furosemide) or just draining it with a needle or something. Vet said no to lasix but I am not sure why. Blues (Chicken 2) was given no food restrictions, should food be restricted if she is not properly passing it? Any help/suggestions is appreciated. I feel so so bad about this.
Anyway one of my broiler chickens died suddenly and had labored breathing (but not panting) and lameness. That chicken had a history of difficulty breathing and I thought it was just the breed. Meat chickens aren't really meant to last and be healthy. It is not the first time I had one suddenly die and the person I bought my first meat chickens from warned me of their usually short lifespan.
Anyway then 2 of my other broiler chickens started acting weird. At this point I realized it might be related to the shed coop and an ammonia build up. I immediately removed them from the situation and when they didn't improve I took them to a vet. I usually don't take birds to the vet but I believe their illness is my fault. My question is what should I do now?
Meat Chicken 1- Jazzy II is having difficulty breathing and her crown is dark red. Her crown turns purple and she has more labored breathing when I handle her or stress her out. She had an X-Ray done that revealed a fluid buildup. About 90% of her lungs are filled with fluid.
Meat Chicken 2- I was giving all the meat chickens a bath and as I was bathing my chicken Blues she extended her butt and it looked like she had a hemorrhoid. After a little bit of it still looking red and swollen I looked up chicken hemorrhoids and ran into an article on collapsed vents which said to gently push it back into place which is what I did. I took her to the vet with Jazzy II just to make sure she was okay but she was not. X-ray revealed a digestion tract problem of too much food in the crop.
So the vet prescribed both chickens with Doxycycline. He also knows I think an ammonia build up caused it. He said it is unlikely they will pull through and they could die any day.
Anyway my question is do you think I am on the right path or is their something more I can do? I wonder if anything can be done to drain the fluid from Jazzy like diuretics (lasix, furosemide) or just draining it with a needle or something. Vet said no to lasix but I am not sure why. Blues (Chicken 2) was given no food restrictions, should food be restricted if she is not properly passing it? Any help/suggestions is appreciated. I feel so so bad about this.
