Cocci

[Plain Old Dee]

My girls came down with a different URI - vet thought it was probably MG. No foamy/watery eyes, no bad smell - just sneezing and wheezing, and fluffed up feathers if they got to feeling too poorly.

He didn't recommend culling, because MG is too prevalent in our environment. (LOTS of starlings and sparrows around us) He said they will either survive it or they won't. It's a virus, so antibiotics don't help. I could only offer high quality feed and treats, ACV in the water and (get this) chicken soup! Actually - anything hot for them to drink. It works the same for them as it does for us - helps relieve congestion. I lost a few - but not many, and the symptoms are slowly dissapearing - and they are starting to gain weight and look very good. And laying!

 

[dlolato]

Another development has occurred..... One of my hens that is an excellent layer and very spoiled, is now sick. Every morning she waits for me to let her out of the pen because she has a special place in the barn where she will lay her egg (if you don't let her out she will never lay in the nesting boxes). So I naturally assumed she was coming down with the same illness. I brought her into the house and the whole night she wheezed and rattled with heavy breathing. In the morning I took her to an Avian vet of which he gave her an oral dose of Brytel and within two hours there was a dramatic improvement. She is now drinking water and barely pecking at her food.

The most important thing is that the labored breathing and wheezing has stopped. He recommended treating all of the flock for five days. I have been fortunate in the past to never had experienced anythingbin this magnitude. My regular large animal Vet already thinks I'm extreme because I never give up on my animals no matter whatvthe cost!

 

[Plain Old Dee]

Oh dear! It never rains but it pours! I hope you hen makes a quick recovery. Your vet gave you good advice on treating the whole flock. Your other chickens may well have the same thing, but are not sick enough to show it yet. Chickens often don't show signs of illness until it's almost too late, if not already too late, to successfully treat them. I hope it doesn't turn out to be the Coryza that your newer babies may have.

 

[saladin]

If it is Coryza then here is what to expect:

Loss in mature birds would be around 10% or less. I have found that the birds that usually die are the very young or very old. Plus, the ones that die seldom show any signs of the illness. They are alive today and dead tomorrow.

I was trying to remember: did you keep the remaining young stock you bought that lived or did you kill them? saladin

 

[dlolato]

After much thought of what would be best for the rest of the flock and the chances of the ill chicks surviving, the decision was made to kill the remainders. I could not do it, so I had to enlist my husband to assist. We burned the carcasses, bedding and even the plastic food dishes and waterers they used. We bleached their pen four times. It seems lilke I am reading alot about the viruses this year, I don't know if its going to be an especially bad winter........LET'S HOPE NOT!!!!!!

 

[saladin]

You did the right thing. saladin