Are my new birds a threat?

[greatestgrammie]

I'm sure this question has been posted before but like most I don't have the patience to look at page after page to find the answer I'm looking for. I'm bad.
I started raising chickens 5+yrs ago and with those skills passed down from my G'ma's and a friend who is a 35+yr veteran in raising chickens I "think" I'm an expert but find out daily that I can still have questions.
For the most part I have picked up my chickens from individuals and or hatched out/bought chicks to raise up.
When I picked up some new birds I noticed a very strong offensive odor in the poop left in the crates I carried them home in but since they had been allowed to roam with horses/goats etc I assumed that their diet/water had not been of the best and that it would resolve after putting them on a better diet of Scratch/Layer Crumbles,vegetable scraps and grasses and as far as I can tell I think it has resolved.
I have had these birds now for about 11 days but in the last 4-5 days when I check on my birds after they go to roost I have heard a couple of the new birds and maybe a couple of my own birds making a sneeze or cough noise. . . not very distinct but I know it is not a normal noise. Should I be worried about Avian Flu?
I don't notice any other symptoms. . . no discolored poop,no blood in the poop,no listless birds,no unexplained loss of feathers,appetites appear to be good etc

With our weather being somewhat inconsistent(rainy one day,hot the next day etc) since acquiring these birds I am wondering if maybe this has caused them to get a "cold"?

Over the years I have had some birds to die unexpectedly . . . as best I remember it was during the summer time. I would not notice any symptoms but would come home from work to go and gather eggs and find a dead bird with no symptoms present before or after their deaths BUT I haven't had this to happen in over a year.

Any ideas of what may be going on? Should I go ahead and use some Duramycin or Ivermic as a precaution?

Thanks

 

[greatestgrammie]

As I go out to check on fresh water etc for my birds. . . . . it's extremely HOT with no wind,I listen to those birds that are making the noise that is concerning me.
I compare this noise to someone who has a "frog" in their throat. It makes me think that if the chicken would cough really good that it would clear their throat. Maybe this is the noise I hear them making at night. . . a coughing/throat clearing noise.
I can also say that I notice it more from the Cornish Jumbo's that are suppose to be somewhere in the age range of 4mo.

 

[redhen]

Bump...

 

[StrawberryHouseMouse]

Sounds like a repspritory infection. You can get some meds from the feed store most likely for it. Just ask them for some antibiotics for poultry.

 

[greatestgrammie]

red hen. . . what do you mean Bump. . .?

StrawberryHouseMouse, you think it is respiratory even though it sounds kinda "throaty"? Which antibiotic would you recommend. . . Duramycin or Ivermic? Have you used either?

Though these Cornish Jumbo's don't seem to be too heavy for their age/breed as I understand they will get,I have read they can acquire Ascite which is an accumulation of fluid in their plural cavity. . . . could this be a symptom of that?

 

[StrawberryHouseMouse]

Duramycin

 

[greatestgrammie]

THANK YOU. . . . this is pretty much what I had suspected I needed to do but needed input.

After posing the question of possible Ascites,I went online to check it out and with information posted it does not sound as if this is my issue which I did not think it was because as I say,these birds aren't as large/heavy as they could be for their breed.

I DID go one step further and on that same website MSUcares (website posted by Missouri State University) I looked up other "diseases" that could be affecting my birds and I think I've come to realize by the symptoms posted that I have brought home birds with possibly infectious bronchitis.

I will RUN and not walk to the local Feed Store and get some Duramycin and start treating aggressively though MSUcares states that there really isn't a treatment for this and that it will run it's course and will cause an abrupt stop of egg laying though I have not noticed this to be a problem BUT on the other hand it doesn't state that it can kill my birds either.


God Bless

 

[greatestgrammie]

Another question on this matter. . . . . .If the birds are infected with a respiratory infection as we suspect,can I still butcher these birds to eat?

The only reason I bought this breed is for a good meal of FRESH fried chicken . . . not processed chicken like one gets in the grocery store.

 

[redhen]

Hi...A bump is when someone sends you to the top of the forum page, so more people have a chance to see your post and help you.

Anytime someone posts on your thread it will bring it to the top of the forum page..

 

[Judy]

Avian flu is extremely unlikely. Much more likely is one of the respiratory diseases of chickens. It sounds like either your flock is a carrier and gave it to the new birds, or the new birds are a carrier.

Ivermec is not an antibiotic, it is a wormer. If you have not wormed your flock, and don't know the history of the new birds, it might be a good idea to worm them, though you would want to start with piperazine, then give Ivermec a couple of weeks later. Might be best to see how this coughing and sneezing plays out first, though.

Most respiratory illnesses in chickens are viral, so an antibiotic will not treat them.

Best thing to do is get a diagnosis from a vet, and have a fecal test done to check on worms.

Here is a good introductory article on respiratory illnesses in chickens:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/web/viewblog.php?id=9241

And here is a good thread on worming:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2525157#p2525157

You might consider checking into what is involved in getting a necropsy done in your area. Then if another dies, you will know what to do to find out what is going on.

If you are going to give Duramycin (I'm not saying you should,) you might consider some nutritional support for now, such as vitamins and perhaps electrolytes, and perhaps some cooked egg for extra protein. When the Duramycin is completed, you will want to give some probiotics for a week or so, to build up their normal gut flora again.