Chicken sneezing (?) with some clear nasal discharge. Help!!

[Stiletto]

On Wednesday I realised she seemed to be (what appears to be) sneezing.
(I'm uploading some videos to show what she was doing.)

While she was eating she did not sneeze, but once she stopped and wandered around, it would start again. It happened quite frequently the time I was there. I noticed she had some clear nasal discharge.

Inspecting the photos, one can see some bubbles in her left eye and a bit of yellow in the right eye.
Otherwise she was behaving normally; actively pecking and eating - and she laid an egg.
I separated her from the other chickens and she's been quarantined in a dog crate.

I was out all day yesterday and was only able to check in on her early in the morning and late at night; at night I heard her sneeze once.

Today when I've checked she's eating well and drinking. I've heard an occasional sneeze and there is some clear discharge from her nostrils and a few tiny bubbles in her left eye.

She is alert and active (within the confines of the crate) and laid an egg this morning.

Photo gallery - click on thumbnail to see larger image

What should I do?

(If you are going to suggest medication, please specify ingredients as I'm in Spain and U.S. brand names are not known here.)

 

[Ebony Rose]

Sounds like a respiratory infection, they all pretty much present in the same way so it's hard without a vet to be specific on which one she's got. I live in Panama, where getting a vet for birds is nearly impossible and depend upon my feed store's medicine expertise to prescribe medications. They usually offer me a product called "Enrovet 25mg tablets", the treatment is for 5 to 7 days (I prefer 7 days as I don't want to only weaken the disease, I want it gone for sure). Generic name is Enrofloxacina (Spanish spelling). Enrofloxacin (English spelling) will treat a wide range of bacterial infections in birds. Can also be used to treat respiratory problems, liver, urinary tract, and some skin infections, as well as infections from wounds. I recommend to keep some on hand for emergencies (saves you a trip to the store next time, and reminds you what you used last time).

This medicine is a tablet that you poke into her mouth. (The store offers an injectable version for cattle, but not sure if the strength is the same or not, and I'd rather not fiddle with syringes). I offer the tablet 'as a treat' first, but if she won't take it that way, I then hold her wedged on my lap, partly tucked under my left arm (I'm right handed). With my left hand I gently pinch her wattles while the right hand gently 'lifts' her comb, I stuff a finger of the left hand into the edge of her beak when her mouth pops open, then grab the pill with my right hand and poke it down her throat (actually only get it to the back of her tongue will be good enough, she should swallow it. Look inside her mouth afterward to be sure before releasing her, as I have had some "spit" it out. This is easiest done at night, at roosting time, as the first day or two will be reasonably easy, the next few days she's gonna fight a bit more (I'm guessing that they taste like sin). Incidentally, here in Panama they call all respiratory illness in chickens "moco" (mucus), and they treat all incidents of moco with the same types of medicine.

Edit: Forgot to add that withholding eggs (not eating them) is not mentioned in the medicine brochure, but does state that the meat from a bird having had this medicine should not be eaten for 8 days. I personally feed any eggs she may lay for a week after her last dose back to her (cooked) (kind of double-dipping on the medicine if it's in her eggs). The extra protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids in the eggs offer a bit of a nutritional boost to your ailing girl.

Praying for you and your feathered family.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sneezing with nasal drainage and eye bubbles sounds like possible mycoplasma (MG.) Call around to your local feed stores and look for Tylan 50 injectable, a cattle antibiotic that will treat MG. Get 3 ml syringes and 20 gauge needles to get the medicine out of the bottle. Then remove the needle and give it orally a few drops at a time. Dosage is 0.25 ml (1/4 ml) per pound of weight given 3 times a day for 3 to 5 days. Tylan 200 is 4 times more concentrated, and mush more expensive, but if you need dosage for that let me know.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is some reading about MG:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-...tion-m-g-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens

 

[Stiletto]

Sounds like a respiratory infection, they all pretty much present in the same way so it's hard without a vet to be specific on which one she's got. I live in Panama, where getting a vet for birds is nearly impossible and depend upon my feed store's medicine expertise to prescribe medications. They usually offer me a product called "Enrovet 25mg tablets", the treatment is for 5 to 7 days (I prefer 7 days as I don't want to only weaken the disease, I want it gone for sure). Generic name is Enrofloxacina (Spanish spelling). Enrofloxacin (English spelling) will treat a wide range of bacterial infections in birds. Can also be used to treat respiratory problems, liver, urinary tract, and some skin infections, as well as infections from wounds. I recommend to keep some on hand for emergencies (saves you a trip to the store next time, and reminds you what you used last time).

This medicine is a tablet that you poke into her mouth. (The store offers an injectable version for cattle, but not sure if the strength is the same or not, and I'd rather not fiddle with syringes). I offer the tablet 'as a treat' first, but if she won't take it that way, I then hold her wedged on my lap, partly tucked under my left arm (I'm right handed). With my left hand I gently pinch her wattles while the right hand gently 'lifts' her comb, I stuff a finger of the left hand into the edge of her beak when her mouth pops open, then grab the pill with my right hand and poke it down her throat (actually only get it to the back of her tongue will be good enough, she should swallow it. Look inside her mouth afterward to be sure before releasing her, as I have had some "spit" it out. This is easiest done at night, at roosting time, as the first day or two will be reasonably easy, the next few days she's gonna fight a bit more (I'm guessing that they taste like sin). Incidentally, here in Panama they call all respiratory illness in chickens "moco" (mucus), and they treat all incidents of moco with the same types of medicine.

Thank you so much for your detailed post. I deeply appreciate the explanations, down to the how-to-administer-pills part!

I've ascertained that Enrofloxacin is available here as Alsir or Baytril (for cats and dogs) in a liquid form, and can be administered in water for chickens. I spoke to my old vet over the phone (not a poultry vet) and he suggested that. However, I'm a bit leery of it as I've read:

“Be warned, some respected poultry vets are now advising that you should never eat the eggs from hens treated with Baytril because of the problem of antibiotic resistance in humans. It is usually very effective at clearing up respiratory infection in chickens that can be caused by diseases such as Mycoplasma Gallisepticum.” Source

Edit: Forgot to add that withholding eggs (not eating them) is not mentioned in the medicine brochure, but does state that the meat from a bird having had this medicine should not be eaten for 8 days. I personally feed any eggs she may lay for a week after her last dose back to her (cooked) (kind of double-dipping on the medicine if it's in her eggs). The extra protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids in the eggs offer a bit of a nutritional boost to your ailing girl.

Praying for you and your feathered family.

I'd been thinking the same thing regarding feeding her the eggs, thank you for editing to include that!

Last but not at all least, I am very grateful for your prayers.

 

[Stiletto]

Sneezing with nasal drainage and eye bubbles sounds like possible mycoplasma (MG.) Call around to your local feed stores and look for Tylan 50 injectable, a cattle antibiotic that will treat MG. Get 3 ml syringes and 20 gauge needles to get the medicine out of the bottle. Then remove the needle and give it orally a few drops at a time. Dosage is 0.25 ml (1/4 ml) per pound of weight given 3 times a day for 3 to 5 days. Tylan 200 is 4 times more concentrated, and mush more expensive, but if you need dosage for that let me know.

Here is some reading about MG:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/poultry/FS-1008 Recognizing and Preventing Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-...tion-m-g-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens

Gosh, thank you for your feedback and these links. I've been reading up on mycoplasma... this opens up a whole other dimension.

In this part of the world, I'd need to get antibiotics through a vet.

I've seen references to Denagard (tiamulin) for treating mycoplasma. Do you have any experience / views on this?

From my reading so far, it appears that if one chicken has mycoplasma the rest of the flock is infected also, and so will any subsequent birds added. At the moment I have three new pullets in quarantine, so I'm wondering what to do. Is having them as separate flocks on the same property a viable option?

I'd like to ascertain if it is mycoplasma and will be pursuing this with my vet, to find out if testing is possible and how feasible it is. He knows very little about chickens, so he's having to make enquiries himself. Do you know anything about testing?

I've seen people advocate culling the whole flock. I would like to avoid this, but also I do not want to infect any more birds.

 

[Ebony Rose]

You're welcome