Bantam died, now another is sick

[Rachnicko]

I posted a couple of days ago about my booted bantam here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/gapeworm-or-respiratory-please-help.1455753/
Unfortunately, she didn’t make it. Her symptoms of “crowing, gaping” got worse as if her air way was closing up and she passed during the night.

Yesterday, I noticed my black Silkie bantam had a watery eye, with some slight foaming in the one eye. Today, her voice is different too. Still only seems to be foam in one eye. She will eat and drink but isn’t as eager to eat as normal (she’s usually very food motivated)!

I have separated her indoors. She has been on flubovent worming in their feed for a day since Vera passed. I have given her some vitamin B complex in yoghurt and electrolyte water.

Could this be respiratory and would antibiotic help? Or could it be gape worm? How long does worming stuff take to work? I am wracking my brain over what I did or didn’t do with Vera, and obviously don’t want the same to happen again. It is a bank holiday here, and the vet was useless with Vera anyway.

 

[Rachnicko]

@Eggcessive do you have any ideas?

Is apple cider vinegar water better than electrolyte water?

 

[Rachnicko]

Here’s a couple of photos of her ‘bad’ eye, which isn’t currently bubbly, but is a bit watery and has some crusty discharge. She keeps scratching her face too, and the occasional sneeze.

I have found some old antibiotics we had, and I am wondering on dose for a chicken?

 

[BDutch]

I’m sorry. I can’t help you. But I wouldn’t give antibiotics if I wasn’t sure about the disease or the dose.

Chances are that you have Coryza, a contagious bacteria that causes this.
This is a good article about Coryza.
https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/coryza/

 

[Rachnicko]

Thanks for your help. I did look at this, but with the first bantam dying a couple of days ago with “gaping”, I am worried that the Silkie will eventually go the same way, and it happened so quickly that the one who died just could breathe.

Although, their symptoms seems to be different at the moment, the Silkie isn’t gaping but her breathing is altered, and the bantam who died didn’t have foamy eyes.
I will keep monitoring.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

So are this bird's symptoms similar to the one you already lost?
I agree with not giving antibiotics without knowing what you are treating for. It could just as easily be viral or even parasitic or fungal.
Should you lose another bird, getting a necropsy would tell you exactly what the problem is and how to proceed.
I'm sure there are many labs across the UK.
http://www.greendale.co.uk/

 

[Rachnicko]

The symptoms are similar but not the same:
Both had a change in voice, and head shaking (and scratching with their toes). They both seem to be struggling with breathing.
The bantam that died was gaping with an unpleasant crowing sound which became more frequent as things progressed over the 2 days of her being ill. She eventually wouldn’t eat or drink (I don’t think she could swallow). The vet said she seemed to have something localised but it could be gape worm. She gave me some anti-inflammatory Loxicom.
The sick Silkie has a foamy eye (which the one that died didn’t have). This is accompanied with a slight swelling of the face on one side. I have seen her stretch her neck out a few times, and as well as her change in voice, she seems to be gargling a little bit. She certainly seems to struggling breathing when I have her sat close to me.

Thanks for the link. I’ll have a look if there is anything like that any closer to me. In my experience, the vets here don’t seem to do routine tests even when a bird is sick, so I assume they could be recommending antibiotics from an assessment the same way as I am. Although, I am in no way undermining vets experience is more than mine as a back yard chicken keeper.

With the vet mentioning gape worm, I have added Flubenvet to the feed for the whole flock including the now sick Silkie, but I wonder how long it takes to kick in?

Because the bantam that died had such a rapid decline, and she soon wouldn’t eat or drink, I’m keen to start any medication early with this one while she is still ok enough to consume.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If you call that lab, they can likely direct you to one in your area.

 

[Eggcessive]

I think a vet should be consulted. That is the only way you can get antibiotics to treat a bacterial respiratory disease in the UK. It sounds like possible mycoplasma or MG, because of the eye bubbles and crusty eye drainage. If the is a bad odor, coryza is another respiratory disease. Gapeworm is rare, and doesn’t cause the other symptoms. Respiratory diseases are brought into a flock by a carrier bird, wild birds, and can be spread on shoes from an infected place.

 

[Rachnicko]

Thank you, and I know you are right on contacting the vets. The problem is that it is a bank holiday here today so most of them are only open for emergencies, and also not familiar with chickens.

I have tried the veterinary diagnostics but the phone lines don’t go through, so I’ll get back on google to find somewhere else.

My small flock (of 6 now) does free range in the garden so there is a possibility of wild birds bringing something in, but we have not made any changes to the flock for nearly a year.

I thought I did smell an unpleasant odour from the recently sick one, but my mum can’t smell it, so maybe I am imagining. I’ll look up mycoplasma MG in case maybe it’s that.

Thank you again for your help.