Antibiotics

[Back2Barefoot]

Hey everyone. I had a chicken who recently I found laying in the run, covered in mud. I think she got spooked because she definitely injured her leg. I carried her and set her on ground level in the coop to be safe. I noticed her waddle and comb started losing their red in the next few days and even though she perked up and seemed fine the next day, she took a turn for the worst and stopped eating 3 days later. I ended up giving antibiotics to the other 5 hens I have when I noticed 2 of them somewhat sneezing. A couple questions: Is the injury and death of the one related to the sneezing of the others? What could they have and how can I treat the other 2 and prevent the remainder from illness? And last but not least, how long until the eggs are safe to eat after administering the antibiotics?
-Thanks in advance

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There is no way to know what killed the bird without sending it to your state poultry lab for a necropsy and lab tests.
There are dozens if not hundreds of things that it could be.
Many people jump to antibiotics but without knowing what the malady is, that is not a good course of action.
Sneezing could be viral, fungal, environmental, parasitic or even nutritional. Antibiotics won't help any of those things.
If it were bacterial, not all antibiotics can treat specific infections and some have no cure at all. Prophylactically giving antibiotics without a diagnosis is how resistant bacteria become even stronger.
What state are you in? I can give you contact info on your poultry lab.

 

[Back2Barefoot]

Florida

 

[Eggcessive]

Are your chickens still sneezing? Here are some links to read about common respiratory diseases such as MG, infectious bronchitis, and others, and another link for state vets for necropsies:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm