Chicken is sick?

[RookieChickens]

Hi everyone. I'm a rookie at this, but this website has helped me a lot! I have a silkie pullet that I just got from a breeder a few days ago. I noticed about 3 days ago that her left eye was crusted shut. I cleaned it with warm water and didn't think much of it. Today, both of her eyes were crusted shut and she was breathing from her mouth. I don't hear any rattling in her breathing, and haven't noticed any discharge from her nose. She seems tired, and curls up and sleeps. Is this a cold that I should treat with Sulmet, or something more that I should treat with Tylan 50?

 

[cafarmgirl]

Chickens don't get simple colds like people do, they get avian respiratory diseases. Diagnosing exactly what it is can be very hard based on symptoms alone and usually requires labs/cultures be done. Have you talked to the breeder and let them know she is sick? Do you have other birds and has she been around them? Would the breeder take her back?

I you want to keep her I'd treat her with the Tylan 50. But if you have other birds the risk that you are bringing something nasty into your flock is high. Even after she recovers she will remain a carrier of whatever this is. If you do have other birds, just having her on your property, even quarantined, is a risk. These diseases spread very, very easily on the air, on your clothes/shoes/hands/hair, you name it. Once you have any of these diseases in your flock it's pretty much there to stay as long as you have chickens.