Campylobacter?

[kolstea]

I had a chicken drop dead yesterday and one looks weak and has diarrhea today. The whole flock had dropped egg production from the usual 8 egg average to 3! Do they all have it an only one is showing the outward signs (plus I guess the one that died too). How to treat? There is such conflicting info, some ppl say wait it out while others recommend antibiotics.

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC!
What antibiotics do you have?

-Kathy

 

[Eggcessive]

Why do you think campylobacter is the problem? It is more of a problem with humans who don't wash their hands after handling chickens or who eat undercooked chicken. Many chickens have campy in their bodies, but it doesn't affect them. I would probably worry more about something like coccidiosis or bacterial enteritis. Corid would be the best treatment for coccidiosis, and enteritis can be treated with many different antibiotics. If you can get a stool sample checked by your vet, you could find out if there is cocci, enteritis, or worms, if you ask for those tests. Here are a couple of links that you may want to read:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/22/campylobacter-infection
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/12/coccidiosis-what-backyard-chicken.html
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/101/necrotic-enteritis