chick died. vet said it was severe respiratory virus. how do I stop it

[guinea fowl galore]

This morning when I let out the little chickens one of them was gasping and gurgling. we took it to the vet and it died there. the vet said it was some sort of cold, flu, virus thing. ceraditus ( have no clue how to spell that, don't even know what it is ) or something.

So does anyone know what it could be? is it this virus thing? how could they have gotten it? how do I stop the others getting it? what do I do if another one gets it?

Please help. These chicks are light sussex and are 6 weeks old. I am going to use them for breeding.

 

[guinea fowl galore]

I just did some research and psittacosis sounds possible.
please help

 

[MotherJean]

Call your Vet and put these questions to him/her. You've already paid for advice you should have been given in order to protect the rest of your flock. The Vet will probably have to call you back after clinic hours, but any Vet worth their salt should be glad to answer your questions.

 

[Cetawin]

I am so sorry. You need to talk to that vet ASAP if it is respiratory, it may be too late already because repiratory illness spread through a flock like wildfire. Most of them are not treatable with any success. Get the vet on the horn and get more specifics and recommendations.

 

[guinea fowl galore]

I called the vet before and one of the nurses said that he was on call outs and that they will ask him about what I should give the other chickens when he gets back later this afternoon.

I mean couldn't they have just called his mobile and asked him.

Right now I am cleaning out the brooder. What can I use to disinfect it?

 

[kathyinmo]

I would think the vet would have the answers you seek. Here are a couple articles on respiratory illnesses.
http://byardhealth.stores.yahoo.net/resinindompo.html
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/121/respiratory-disease-complex

Poultry diseases:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/

 

[guinea fowl galore]

When it was gasping and gurgling I looked in its mouth and I think there was a tiny bit of yellow-y stuff beside its airway. what could that be?

with all the symptom that I have read about none of the diseases really say anything about the gurgling. The chick sounded like it had water in its lungs or something.

gapeworm might also be possible. what could I give the chicks if that is it?

 

[kathyinmo]

gapeworm .... I would use Ivermectin pour on, I think. It is a blue liquid (I think the label says for cattle), and you just drop it on the neck (like Frontline for fleas and ticks on dogs). Push the feathers back, and get the liquid on the skin. Another one that I hear is good is .... Valbazen, and I believe it is given orally, like on a little piece of bread.

Go to the search button up at the top of this page, and type in gapeworm .... you will see other suggestions there I believe. Better yet, maybe you could ask your vet about that.

 

[guinea fowl galore]

well it is 6 o'clock and the vet has not called back

All the chickens seem fine for now but so did the other one the yesterday. I will update everyone tomorrow.

Wish us luck

Oh and kathy, glen and rose are laying now, we get two eggs a day. banjy is a hen but she and pom pom havn't started laying yet.
I just started saving up some of glen and roses eggs and am going to put them in the incubator this week.

 

[chickenzoo]

psittacosis is more a parrot and finch etc. type illness, I haven't herd of it in chickens but I could be wrong. There are many respiratory illnesses that can affect chickens, do a search and see if any seem familiar, but necropsy is really the only sure way to tell.