Clear, Watery Nasal Discharge

[wookiee]

I have a 9 month Gold Sex Link hen who is presenting a clear discharge from her nares. Sometimes, when she breathes, the discharge forms a little bubble and then breaks. Her only other symptom is that when she drops her head to eat or drink, you can hear a little rattled breathing. She is normal in every other way. She even laid two eggs a day on day 2.

I noticed her when she did not come down from the roost with the other birds. I picked her up and saw the discharge. I brought her inside immediately in an isolation cage and put her next to a heater. I gave her yogurt, eggs, everything and she is eating as normal. For one day I put vitamins in her water. For day two and three I put Duramycin-10 in her water. It is now Day 4. She is getting better, she is obviously sick of being in her cage and is very chatty and animated, but her discharge remains.

I know "chickens don't get colds", but with the lack of any other symptoms like paralysis, drooping, mucous in the eyes, I don't know what she has. I am very concerned about biosecurity and am considering culling her "just because". None of my other birds are symptomatic, all are completely normal. I introduced a rooster awhile ago, he never presented any symptoms and still hasn't. None of the other hens show symptoms.


1) What type of bird , age and weight. - GSL, 9 mth, good weight, not skinny
2) What is the behavior, exactly. - Behavior is normal, watery discharge from the nose
3) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No
4) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. - Nothing, weather has been erratic, but she's been perfect the whole time I have had her.
5) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Eating and drinking fine.
6) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Poop is normal, non smelly.
7) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Duramycin-10 for 2 days and am continuing.
8 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I would like for her to improve enough to return to the flock, but I worry she'll always be a carrier, of what I don't know.
9) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. Picture below.
10) Describe the housing/bedding in use - Bedding in the coop is wood pellets and pine shavings. Chickens are let out to free range during the day.

 

[sweet_peeps]

I'm bumping this up for you.
She has clear eyes. That's good.

My chickens have had the same as yours only they sneeze also.
Other than that they are eager to get out of the yard and free range, beg for treats, everything a normal healthy chicken does.

I have been putting vitamins in their one water and apple cider vinegar in the other.
I have also made grits or oatmeal every morning and put grated up garlic in it for their immune system.

Good luck

 

[wookiee]

sweet_peeps, Thanks for your response. So are you of the thought that it might be "just a cold" and that if she recovers to be asymptomatic, then she should be fine to go back out with the rest?

This forum has me so scared about any illness with my chickens that I am not sure what is "normal" and what is "OMG cull and sterilize!!!"

 

[sweet_peeps]

According to everyone here, chickens don't get colds.

But I have heard people on other sites say they do.

I have no idea but I wouldn't kill one of my chickens unless it was something very bad.
My chickens are all behaving normally except for what I would term a few "cold" symptoms.

We have had a much colder than normal winter.

I have also read that your chickens can contract some of these illnesses from wild birds which can't be avoided. Not in my yard anyhow.

I don't know what the answer is. I will keep all 8 of mine.
But I am afraid to get the 2 or 3 peeps I was planning on getting.
I'll have to wait until next year and see what happens.

 

[sweet_peeps]

How many chickens do you have?

Do you think that they have been exposed by being with her while she already had the runny nose?

Are you giving any of the others anything "just in case"?

I bought antibiotics but it says on the package not for use in birds that are laying eggs for human consumption.
That's another reason i've been using the garlic as a natural antibiotic.

Of course if they got sicker, I would go ahead and use it.

 

[wookiee]

I have 12 chickens, 11 hens and a rooster.

I am sure they were exposed before I could isolate the Gold Sex Link. Once I saw the runny nose, I brought her inside and sterilized the water in the coop, but didn't completely strip down the coop to clean it. The other hens were all sitting together on the roost before I brought her in.

I am not giving the others anything other than vitamins just in case. They are still asymptomatic.

I don't know, if chickens can't get a cold, then she has something, but her symptoms don't match anything on this chart:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PS044#

I just don't know what to do.

 

[sammi]

what antibiotic did you get?

I prefer to use Tylan 50 injectable for respiratory illness..

what bedding are you using?
has the coop been cleaned recently?
could be dust..
check bedding for any signs of mold or mildew..

give her some vitamins..poultry vitamins..
if you can't find them quick..you can use Poly-vi-sol liquid baby vitamins. Enfamil brand of possible, no iron..2- drops on beak once a day for a week, tapering off for another week.

give extra protein..such as egg, or a very little dry kitten feed.

 

[sweet_peeps]

Quote:
I'm glad one of the more senior members has given advice.

Mine don't match any of the symptoms either.
No eye or limb problems and still laying normal looking eggs.
But I guess we could both have a milder form of whatever it is.

Good luck.

 

[sweet_peeps]

I did notice one thing we both have in common.
We both introduced a rooster that wasn't originally part of the group.

My hens were older and hated him. I think it really stressed them out.
They were 3 days old when I got them so I don't think they were carriers.
They DID stop laying eggs for a few weeks when I first got him. But it was also freezing cold out so....

He could have been a carrier but he also showed symptoms even though he was the last.

He also was ripping my hens up and after reading and seeing some pretty graphic pictures on here I culled him.
Well DH did after the rooster went after him.

I felt bad I couldn't give him to another home but I didn't know what they all had and so couldn't risk it.

I also had 2 or 3 show symptoms a week or so before the others.
Those that had it first are recovered. The last to get it are still sneezing occasionally. One day they seem well, the next day I hear some sneezing.
It's been 2 weeks since my one Barred Rock that I can tell apart from the others has shown symptoms.
So, I assume it lasts about 2 weeks.
I can see she's almost over it.

Keep us posted okay?

 

[wookiee]

Quote:
Hi Sammi,
I am giving her Duramycin-10 which is a Tetracycline product. So far, no change, good or bad. She acts completely normal, has completely normal poos, lays normal, eats and drinks normal, but still has that dang runny nose, always out of the left nostril.

The coop has wood pellets and pine shavings, but she's been inside for over a week now on paper so I am not sure it's the bedding. If it's an allergy, I have no way of confirming that.

I've been giving her a poultry vitamin in her water since day 1. I also give her plenty of protein, dark greens, eggs shells, layer pellets, oats, anything she wants, really. She's gotten quite spoiled and will chat with me while I visit her.


I don't really know what to do. I don't want to put her back out with the others with a runny nose. I guess if she doesn't improve by the end of the week, I will cull her. She's not happy living in the basement. I know she's bored and lonely. If she would get worse or stop eating, then the decision would be easier, but she's a completely normal chicken.

I am at a complete loss.