California - Northern

[CowgirlJules]

Thank you guys for the link. I'm going to bring a bird in to the Turlock lab tomorrow. I can't make any decisions until I know exactly what's going on.

 

[mendocinosunris]

oh, I'm so sorry! I wish I had some advice, but I haven't dealt with that before. I read some posts a while back about another BYC member who had the same thing happen to him. I'll see if I can find him again - maybe he will be able to give you some advice.

I'm facing disaster here, and I could use some advice.
My flock has come down with something in the respiratory family. I've narrowed it down to Infectious Coryza or M. Gallisepticum. Both of those diseases, the recovered birds remain carriers, so my flock would have to be closed forever if I decide to keep them. I'd like to send a dead bird off for testing to make sure. I've been treating all of them with Tetracycline and Vetericyn for their goopy eyes for five days now. Some seem to recover, some die without showing any symptoms, and some just keep dragging on with it. I culled the worst of them last night, and between that and the ones that have died this week, I figure I've lost about 10% of my flock. The birds in the brooder in the garage don't seem to have it, nor do my little bantams out by my dog pen, but I'm afraid they'll get it.
I'm already out of the Silver Laced Wyandotte breeding. I had to cull both of my good roosters and all but one of the cockerels, and the last one has it too. Both replacement pullets are also dead. Some of the Blue Laced Reds have it, but that flock rooster seems to be fine. None of the Blue Andalusians have symptoms yet, but they're exposed.
I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out where we might have picked this up. I haven't brought a new bird into the flock since February, and those are the bantams that were both quarantined and don't have it anyway. I'm suspecting tracking it in on my shoes. The spring fair was exactly ten days before I first saw symptoms, and we came home real late that night and rushed to feed and water everyone before it got dark.
I'm sick about the whole thing. I hate to lose these years of work and money, and culling almost 200 apparently healthy birds is not my idea of a good time. But it looks like my choices are to completely start again or to close the flock forever, and what's the point of raising these fancy birds if I can't show them? This is going to be a difficult choice.

 

[zooweemama]

I'm facing disaster here, and I could use some advice.
My flock has come down with something in the respiratory family. I've narrowed it down to Infectious Coryza or M. Gallisepticum. Both of those diseases, the recovered birds remain carriers, so my flock would have to be closed forever if I decide to keep them. I'd like to send a dead bird off for testing to make sure. I've been treating all of them with Tetracycline and Vetericyn for their goopy eyes for five days now. Some seem to recover, some die without showing any symptoms, and some just keep dragging on with it. I culled the worst of them last night, and between that and the ones that have died this week, I figure I've lost about 10% of my flock. The birds in the brooder in the garage don't seem to have it, nor do my little bantams out by my dog pen, but I'm afraid they'll get it.
I'm already out of the Silver Laced Wyandotte breeding. I had to cull both of my good roosters and all but one of the cockerels, and the last one has it too. Both replacement pullets are also dead. Some of the Blue Laced Reds have it, but that flock rooster seems to be fine. None of the Blue Andalusians have symptoms yet, but they're exposed.
I'm wracking my brain trying to figure out where we might have picked this up. I haven't brought a new bird into the flock since February, and those are the bantams that were both quarantined and don't have it anyway. I'm suspecting tracking it in on my shoes. The spring fair was exactly ten days before I first saw symptoms, and we came home real late that night and rushed to feed and water everyone before it got dark.
I'm sick about the whole thing. I hate to lose these years of work and money, and culling almost 200 apparently healthy birds is not my idea of a good time. But it looks like my choices are to completely start again or to close the flock forever, and what's the point of raising these fancy birds if I can't show them? This is going to be a difficult choice.

I am SO sorry. That sounds absolutely heartbreaking. <3 xx

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

I think my Leghorn (yes a wild insane, hatchery Leghorn) has sour crop. I don't dare to catch her and make her hurt herself, but it's way bigger than the others, she's drinking only water, and has no appetite. Anyone have any experience curing sour crop?

 

[MrsMoonCat]

CowgirlJules,

I am so sorry you're dealing with all of this. It is especially scary not knowing for sure yet what it is. Contact Farmerboy16 on this site. He has been dealing with this for a while and may have finally overcome it! Good luck and let me know if I can help you out with anything.

(the other)
Jules

 

[ronott1]

I think my Leghorn (yes a wild insane, hatchery Leghorn) has sour crop. I don't dare to catch her and make her hurt herself, but it's way bigger than the others, she's drinking only water, and has no appetite. Anyone have any experience curing sour crop?

Sorry to hear your hen has sour crop. I haven't had one with it, but you have to get her digestion working again. Plain yogurt is good for that.

I think you have to clean the crop first though. You should be able to find instructions.

Could she have some long grass stuck in the crop? She probably has access to plenty of gravel, but it might not hurt to make sure your chickens have some chicken grit. (Remind self to give some to mine.

)

Ron

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

She's the lowest of all 8 chickens in the pen, so no body bothers to take a piece of unknown timothy hay or grass out of her beak. She did get her appetite back just a little this evening. I told my mom over the phone, she says she'll come take a look. She is my favorite of the six Leghorns, I hope she gets better

I did notice some vomit also this evening, lots of water and a couple pieces of food...


The eclipse was awesome! Did anybody else see it? (Well, with your glasses on of course!

)

 

[Meg2000000]

We lost a chick this weekend. I'm really not sure why it happened as none of the other little guys are acting sick. The chick that died was the runt and since the beginning all of the others seemed to ignore it and leave it alone. I'm thinking it was just natures way of eliminating the "weak link". Even so, I cleaned out the brooder and put fresh bedding in. I also cleaned the feeder and waterer with alcohol, hot water and soap. Anything else you guys suggest?

P.S. There is no mistaking a dead chick. He stretched out immediately and seemed to get instant rigormortis when he died. Is this normal?

 

[CowgirlJules]

Meg, losing a chick here or there is pretty common. Some of them are just weak and fail to thrive, without having any weird illnesses.

Speaking of, I seem to have turned a corner. I culled all of the birds actively sick, which was difficult. I haven't had any new cases for 24 hours now. I took two dead birds in to the Poultry Center run by UC Davis in Turlock. There I learned that it's best not to freeze the specimens, if anyone else might need to take some in. Preliminary results indicate that the birds had Infectious Laryngotraecheitis (sp?) but the vet had yet to do the histology. He said that the birds which have recovered are carriers, but the ones that never got it would be fine. So if that's the final diagnosis, I'll cull my two main flock roosters who recovered, but my little show birds who are all the way across the property and have had a sniffle should be fine. I'll wait until the vet confirms that though.

 

[Meg2000000]

Meg, losing a chick here or there is pretty common. Some of them are just weak and fail to thrive, without having any weird illnesses.
Speaking of, I seem to have turned a corner. I culled all of the birds actively sick, which was difficult. I haven't had any new cases for 24 hours now. I took two dead birds in to the Poultry Center run by UC Davis in Turlock. There I learned that it's best not to freeze the specimens, if anyone else might need to take some in. Preliminary results indicate that the birds had Infectious Laryngotraecheitis (sp?) but the vet had yet to do the histology. He said that the birds which have recovered are carriers, but the ones that never got it would be fine. So if that's the final diagnosis, I'll cull my two main flock roosters who recovered, but my little show birds who are all the way across the property and have had a sniffle should be fine. I'll wait until the vet confirms that though.

Cowgirl - Thanks for the reply! Since this is my first time having chickens I don't know what is normal and what isn't. I'm so glad you guys are here to answer my questions! I'm so sorry to hear about your flock. I really hope the vet is right and you are on your way to normalcy again. So sorry for your losses!