Chickens with a cold???

[littleledgefarm]

I have 8 chickens 2 are a year old the others are roughly 15weeks old. 1 chicken is walking around with its beak open and it sounds like a grunting pig, i think is is breathing through its mouth. I also have a rooster who is laying around alot and its sounds like it is coughing occasionally i also noticed it coughed and a slim came up. what is this and how do i get them better?

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like a respiratory disease. Some are viruses, some are bacterial. Different antibiotics will affect the bacterial ones, and the secondary infections that occur with viruses. I would look for Tylan 50 at the feed store and syringes with needles. A shot in the breast (1/2 ml. for large fowl and 1/4 ml. for banty or small chicken) daily for 3 days, or orally for 5 days. Here is a link on common diseases:http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[realsis]

I agree with above post tylan50 will help with the symptoms. you can get tylan 50 at the local feed store. Along with syringes.do NOT worry that the bottle says for cattle and swine many many poultry owners including myself successfully treat upper respiratory illness with tylan. To make the injection easier may I suggest using a alcohol swab on the breast area where you will be giving the shot. The alcohol helps part the feathers and nicely exposes the skin for the injection. This is what I do and it gives a clean view of the flesh. I hope she gets better soon. Tylan is very good and I'm sure she will respond nicely. hope this was helpful! Best wishes

 

[Lavendise]

I too have some chickens with "colds". Exactly which disease, I do not know. I understand and I know from reading that I need to take a dead one to have a necropsy. At this time, for various reasons, I am unable to do this. However, I have the Tylan and also Denagard.
My question, I just read on BYC that I can inject the bird with up to 1 cc of Tylan if they are esp. large heavy birds, which some are.
Also, the suggestion was that Tylan only last approximately 8 hours in the birds system...therefore it would be wise to give them the injection twice a day. I have one bird that is so bad that I decided to do this. He was gasping for air and frankly, I did not think was going to survive the night. Surprisingly, he is still alive and was eating this morning. I was absolutely shocked.
So I am wondering if anyone else has heard of this injection of Tylan 50 twice a day.....or even 3 times a day if the bird is really bad off.
I am aware that many antibiotics require that they be taken twice a day or even up to 4 times a day.
Last week, I did give Tyan 50 injection once a day on a bird. It did not seem to make a difference.
However, since I bumped it up to 2X a day, I seem to see a positive response. It may just be a fluke, but at least this large rooster is still alive. I intend to give it to give for the next 5 days. I look forward to seeing what the success rate will be.

 

[Eggcessive]

Tylan is one of those cattle medicines that is used off-label by chicken people. I have looked and looked, and I come up with a lot of dosages and ways of administration. There is no official place to look that I know of since it is not intended for chickens.. Most of the oldtimers that I trust here on BYC say to use Tylan 50 as an injection daily for 3 days into the breast muscle--1/4 to 1/2 ml. depending on size of the chicken. Since many people won't do injections, it can be given orally for 5 days, since it is not absorbed as well. There are other strengths for mixing into water, but many sick animals don't drink enough.