Chickens with respiratory issues

[NanaCarla]

I had one hen that recently infected the rest of my flock with a bronchial or respiratory infection. I treated all of them with a water soluble antibiotic and sanitized the coup. They have all improved except for the one that started it all. Should I remove her from my flock? And how long will it take for them to start laying again?

 

[dawg53]

The hen that infected your flock is a carrier of whatever respiratory disease she has. Even though your birds were treated with an antibiotic and survived, they are now also considered carriers.
Antibiotics treat, but dont cure birds with respiratory diseases.
As far as your hens laying eggs, there's no telling when they'll lay eggs again. Keep in mind that when they start laying eggs, and depending on what antibiotic you used, there might be an egg withdrawal period.

 

[NanaCarla]

The hen that infected your flock is a carrier of whatever respiratory disease she has. Even though your birds were treated with an antibiotic and survived, they are now also considered carriers.
Antibiotics treat, but dont cure birds with respiratory diseases.
As far as your hens laying eggs, there's no telling when they'll lay eggs again. Keep in mind that when they start laying eggs, and depending on what antibiotic you used, there might be an egg withdrawal period.
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Thank you for the information. It’s sad that I’ll never be able to introduce new hens into my flock as long as they are carriers. But I will continue to take good care of them since I have become so attached.

 

[NanaCarla]

The hen that infected your flock is a carrier of whatever respiratory disease she has. Even though your birds were treated with an antibiotic and survived, they are now also considered carriers.
Antibiotics treat, but dont cure birds with respiratory diseases.
As far as your hens laying eggs, there's no telling when they'll lay eggs again. Keep in mind that when they start laying eggs, and depending on what antibiotic you used, there might be an egg withdrawal period.

Do you have any idea how long these hens will live?

 

[dawg53]

It depends what respiratory disease it is and the strain. Some strains are mild and others are severe.
From the sound of it, you might be dealing with a mild strain of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG).
If in fact it's a mild strain of MG, your birds can live a long time. However stress can bring out symptoms and you would most likely have to start them on antibiotics again.
You will have to maintain a closed flock. That means no new birds in, no birds out, ie... no selling nor giving birds away. MG can be transmitted through eggs. That means no selling nor giving eggs away to be hatched. Eggs are safe to eat, MG is not transmittable to humans.

The only way to tell for sure what you're dealing with is to have a bird necropsied, preferably the sickest bird. You can contact your local extension office or agricultural department to find out how to go about getting a bird necropsied.

 

[NanaCarla]

It depends what respiratory disease it is and the strain. Some strains are mild and others are severe.
From the sound of it, you might be dealing with a mild strain of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG).
If in fact it's a mild strain of MG, your birds can live a long time. However stress can bring out symptoms and you would most likely have to start them on antibiotics again.
You will have to maintain a closed flock. That means no new birds in, no birds out, ie... no selling nor giving birds away. MG can be transmitted through eggs. That means no selling nor giving eggs away to be hatched. Eggs are safe to eat, MG is not transmittable to humans.

The only way to tell for sure what you're dealing with is to have a bird necropsied, preferably the sickest bird. You can contact your local extension office or agricultural department to find out how to go about getting a bird necropsied.

Thanks again for this valuable information. I sure do appreciate it!