Chickens eyes swollen/respiratory illness

[KCward]

My chickens I have now are 12 month old brahmas and 4 month old Wyandottes. I noticed diarrhea about a month ago in my brahmas so started trying to treat that symptom, thinking it was probably cocci or worms. Now I think it is probably linked to a respiratory illness. One hen got very sick about 2 weeks ago. I gave antibiotics and vitamins and thought she was for sure going to die, but one day she snapped out of it and is about 80% well now. She is still coughing a bit and her eyes are a bit swollen, but she is eating and drinking okay and not acting as lethargic. Now I have noticed many of my other hens are sneezing. They have laid a few misshapen eggs over the past month and egg production is way down. At first I was thinking infectious bronchitis, but I am honestly just a newbie to chicken illnesses and wondered what everyone else though. Do I need to worry about avian influenza here in Texas? Or would my chickens be dying off if it were that? I ordered some vet rx since I saw good reviews on it. Should I give antibiotics as well? And if so what would be the best kind for this? I have been giving rooster booster in their water. I also have eggs in the incubator. Do I need to keep the chicks and keep a closed flock now? Thanks for any and all advice! I have attached a few pictures of my hens. Do their eyes look swollen? I have not noticed any nasal or eye discharge so far, but they are sneezing a lot.

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you added a chicken to the flock in the last month or so? That is how most respiratory diseases can come into a flock or otherwise healthy birds. The new one could be a carrier. What did the misshapen eggs look like? The eyes in a couple of the birds have that “sunken” appearance which can be common in MG. If you saw wrinkled egg shells, that can be infectious bronchitis. IB won’t respond to antibiotics, but MG may respond to Tylan and a few others. IB spreads quickly through most of the flock, with sneezes and mild congestion, and wrinkled egg shells being the most common signs. If a bubbly or foamy eye are seen, that is common in MG.

 

[ChickNanny13]

2x ^^^

 

[KCward]

Have you added a chicken to the flock in the last month or so? That is how most respiratory diseases can come into a flock or otherwise healthy birds. The new one could be a carrier. What did the misshapen eggs look like? The eyes in a couple of the birds have that “sunken” appearance which can be common in MG. If you saw wrinkled egg shells, that can be infectious bronchitis. IB won’t respond to antibiotics, but MG may respond to Tylan and a few others. IB spreads quickly through most of the flock, with sneezes and mild congestion, and wrinkled egg shells being the most common signs. If a bubbly or foamy eye are seen, that is common in MG.

These pics are off of Google, but this is what a few eggs have looked like. Hard and misshapen. Not all the time, but a few have. Does this automatically mean infectious bronchitis or could it still be MG? Is IB a lifelong illness like mg? Or do the chickens stop being carriers after a while? If it is IB should I keep the chicks I am hatching or is it safe to sell them? Thanks for responding.

 

[KCward]

Have you added a chicken to the flock in the last month or so? That is how most respiratory diseases can come into a flock or otherwise healthy birds. The new one could be a carrier. What did the misshapen eggs look like? The eyes in a couple of the birds have that “sunken” appearance which can be common in MG. If you saw wrinkled egg shells, that can be infectious bronchitis. IB won’t respond to antibiotics, but MG may respond to Tylan and a few others. IB spreads quickly through most of the flock, with sneezes and mild congestion, and wrinkled egg shells being the most common signs. If a bubbly or foamy eye are seen, that is common in MG.

Also, I did add a Brahma rooster recently from a lady that works with Texas a&m and tests her flock for certain things. I quarantined him before putting him with the rest, but I guess he could have been a carrier. I am a naive newbie I guess.

 

[Eggcessive]

The wrinkled eggshells do look like the way that infectious bronchitis could look. But a shell gland issue or a few other things could also cause it. With the respiratory symptoms, I would probably also suspect IB. IB can make chickens carriers for 5 months to a year after recovery. MG would make them carriers for life. If you should ever lose a chicken, I would have your state vet do a necropsy where they can also test for respiratory diseases. There is also a national lab called Zoologix that can send you swabs to collect on your chickens, and send in for a pcr test for up to 8 respiratory diseases. Here is a link for them:
https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm