Anything else I can try?

[unbaked pegga]

For the over the last year my Orpington hens have had this respiratory issue. They sound like they have a head cold. Their clucks sound coarse and wet. They shake their head, scratch their nose and mouth breathe. No foamy eyes. I have taken them to the vet twice. He has given them antibiotic injections and some I gave them at home and anti inflammatory medication. He gave them a shot for worms about 2-3 months ago. It cost me loads of money, and I just can't afford it anymore. He did not do any tests to diagnose exactly what the problem was. They act like they feel fine they eat well and they're active. Over the last six months I have given them Baytrol and Tylan Also Denaguard in their water for 10 days. The symptoms wax and wane. I just don't want to keep giving them antibiotics because it doesn't seem to make any difference one way or the other. I clean the coop every day, change their water every day and put a tbs of vinegar in it. They have plenty of shade and free range. Can anyone think of anything else I could do?

 

[Eggcessive]

How many do you have? Have you looked at your coop conditions to see if there might be some way to help? Respiratory diseases such as mycoplasma, and others, while contracted from a carrier bird, can become more common when coop conditions are not as good as they can be. Good end to end air circulation overhead, preventing wet, moldy, or dusty conditions, and keeping ammonia odors down by keeping bedding clean and dry can help. Adding windows with fencing over them can help. I would probably not get any new birds or hatch any, and when your present flock is all gone, I would clean the coop and wait several weeks to add new birds. Starting with healthy new birds is best. I don't get birds from other people or breeders, since you never know what they have in their flocks. Hatchery chicks usually are pretty healthy, although wild birds can bring things into a flock. Sorry you are dealing with this--it can be a common problem.

 

[unbaked pegga]

Thank you so much for your input.. I am going to try and post a couple of pictures of the coop. I have 4 big Orpingtons and they all sleep in one nestbox. I tried and tried to get them to roost and after several months and much anxiety on the chickens and me too. I just gave it up. I don't know if they were raised in cages or what but felt like it wasn't healthy for them to confine themselves in that small area but cannot stop it. I ordered some (expensive) tetracycline online last night. I read that it was very good at controlling respiratory issues, I know there isn't a cure. Right now all of them have this in varying degrees. They seemed to have been stressed since the alpha hen died a month ago as pecking order is being established, and it is not easy to sit and watch the interplay. I have sand in the nest box as well as in the run. They are in the run only a very short time in the morning before I let them out to free range. To me they are not chickens but beloved pets and to even think of losing them is too much. They are only 2 years old. I got them from a online hatchery that seemed to have positive reviews here on BYC. And they symptoms didn't start until I had them for a year so I don't know how they contacted it.

 

[Birdinhand]

if I had to venture a guess, I'd say something inside the coop is bugging them. if giving anti biotics doesn't help then it's probably not bacterial. I'd look for a source of air born irritant like cedar, is there any cedar on the inside? Also, very fine silica sand can cause respiratory issues in people, a version of cilicosis. if a very fine cloud of dust forms around them when they dust themselves I'd focus on substrate. if you like sand, maybe a courser grit would be better. the easiest solution may be to just add wood chips to the top. I use a deep litter approach and rarely ever clean out my coop and i have zero respiratory issues. my initial thought when I looked at the pictures is maybe it's "too clean". the micro biome that accompanies chickens needs the right substrate and is best left somewhat alone once it's in balance, IMHO. that is a beautiful coop BTW and it's clear you have taken a very dedicated approach.

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

With all that said and what you have done you ned my
WET MASH PROBIOTIC RECIPE to help their bodies recover from the antibioticas help their respiratory disease.
Do this
WET MASH PROBIOTIC RECIPE FOR CHICKENS WITH ANY HEALTH PROBLEMS
Glenda Heywood

WET MASH PROBIOTIC RECIPE FOR YOUR CHICKENS HEALTH.
Glenda Heywood...
ACV by Bragg's is sold by Amazon and at Walmart. (remember to get Bragg's unpasturized, as it has the "brown mother" in the bottom of the bottle.)

Glenda Heywood
My Daughter JoAnna Mertz feeds this wet mash probiotic several times a week to our 10 hens, 5 buff orpingtons 5 plymouth rocks, and they are eating it up in 30 minutes.

Glenda Heywood To make the WET MASH PROBIOTIC RECIPE HERE IT IS
(A) TAKE 2 CUPS OF DRY CRUMBLES OR PELLETS,
(B) 1 TSP OF DRY FLAX SEED MEAL (THAT IS FOR HUMANS)
(C) PUT 4 CUPS OF MILK ANY KIND SOUR OR FRESH, 1 tbsp of dry flax seed meal,
(D) AND 2 TBSP OF THE BRAGG;S ACV.

(E) ALSO 1 /2CUP OF UNFLAVORED YOUGART.

(D) MIX GOOD. PUT IT IN GLASS CONTAINER, AND KEEP ON THE COUNTER OVER NIGHT.

(E) IF IN THE MORNING YOU CAN ADD ANOTHER CUP OF MILK TO THE MIX TO MAKE IT SOLUBLE, like cookie dough, not soupy,

(F) DO NOT MAKE IT SOUPY AS CHICKENS DO NOT LIKE IT SOUPY.
(G) IF THE MIX IS OKAY IN THE MORNING AND NOT TOO DRY FEED IT IN THE GLASS CONTAINER SO ALL THE CHICKENS CAN GET TO IT.

(H) I USED 2 VERY LARGE GLASS PIE PLATES. AND THEN CLEAN THE PIE PLATES BY BRING THEM BACK TO THE HOUSE.

(I) FEED THIS AMOUNT TO EACH CHICKEN 3 tbsp of mix when wet, so make your recipe to fit all amount of chickens to be fed.
(J) WHEN MIXING FOR 1 CHICKEN DO THISIE: take 3 tbsp of dry feed and add 6 tbsp of milk, 1/4 tsp of dry flax seed meal, 1 tbsp of yougart plain kind, 1 tsp ACV,

(K) NOW IF THE CHICKEN ISSICK ADD THIS TO THE WET MASH PROBIOTIC RECIPE
(L) 1 Vit E capsule buy cutting end of capsule off and squeezing it into the wet mix.
(M) 1-Vit B tablet crushed in table spoon and add a little water to dissolve crushed tablet and then add to wet mash
(N) 1- Selenium tablet crushed in tbsp and add little water to it and then add to wwet mash.
(O) now mx good and feed sick chuicken evey day for 7 days
(P) now feed it 5 times for second week.
(P) then 2 times a week frlife.
(Q) feed all healthy chickens 2 times a week for life WITH VITAMINS ONCE EVERY TWO WEEKS.