Coryza - treat or cull?

[Heidi-Hi]

I have had my girls for two weeks only. One started sneezing the day after I got them, by day three she sounded very chesty with discharge from the nose. Then no.2 started with the same thing. O my, and the smell when you pick them up is awfull!! Anyway, no. 3 has started with her sneezing now and shaking her head and blowing bubbles from her nostrils. Two of them had occasional bubbles on the eyes. So, Coryza has been confirmed. I am told that antibiotics can sort it, but they will be carriers for life, and I can't introduce any other birds without making them sick too. So the place I got it from said to bring them back, and I will get a refund, and they will 'deal' with them. That means only one thing, which I suppose is understandable if they don't want in spreading through their stock. I'm torn what to do. Lots of you that have dealth with Coryza has treated your birds. Aren't you worried about the rest of your flock or any new birds you introduce?

 

[JROOSTER]

I just want to say whatever you do make it the right thing for you. Its such a blast keeping chickens and if mine where sick with what yours have I would probably cull them but get more later when i was sure my coop was clean and ready for more. I hope this helps.

Jeff

 

[Chickenmaven]

Sorry you are going through this.
I'd return them & start over with day-olds. Anytime you acquire started birds from someone, there's a risk.

 

[Heidi-Hi]

I'm so glad to get support on this. I thought people would think I am horrible even just considering it. Can anyone tell me about the cleaning process after they have gone? I know to disinfect the run and coup, but what about the area where they were scrubbing, dustbathing etc.? If I let it lie for a couple of weeks, with rain and sun on it, should it be safe to introduce new birds?

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
I agree.

 

[gumpsgirl]

I have been through Coryza and I will tell you that it is quite the ordeal.

First off, have these chickens been in contact with the others in your flock or have you had them in quarantine? I think that will be the biggest deciding factor here. If the rest of your flock has already been exposed then I don't see the point in returning the birds. The rest will come down with it unless they've been vaccinated for Coryza.

Second, chickens that have had Coryza won't necessarily be carriers for life. It is true that some will be, but not all. If you decide to keep these birds and treat them, then it will be your job to hunt down and destroy/cull the carriers.

Here is a link to my Coryza thread that I started two years ago. It has information on how to treat them step-by-step as well as documentation of the whole ordeal. It is not an easy disease to deal with and will take an entire year for you to be rid of as long as you are persistent in identifying carriers and culling them.

I am truly sorry that you are having to deal with this. It is heart breaking as well as expensive. Let me know if I can be of any more help to you.

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
Oxine AH is my favorite disinfectant. Here's an article on it: http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm

It's 200x more effective than Clorox, has no smell and is safe to use around animals. When I was dealing with a similar situation, I was told to clean out the coop, rake the run, wash the feed and water dishes, spray it all down with disinfectant and let it sit for 2-3 weeks before getting new birds. I decided to start over with day-old chicks, so I had to brood them indoors for a few weeks anyway.

Sorry you're going through this.

 

[gumpsgirl]

Southernbelle is dead on with the Oxine! It is awesome stuff and works wonderfully!

As far as leaving your coop and grounds standing empty goes, the state vet advised me to leave my grounds and coop standing empty for 3 months, which I did not do because I was dealing with 50 birds and chose to treat.

Lots of luck to you!

 

[Heidi-Hi]

I'm just upset by it all - someone said to me that I was just really unlucky, but to be honest, it has all put me off a bit. And the place I got it from looked so nice too... which leaves me with the problem of where to go next time... I haven't got the space to start with day-olds. They must be able to go straight in the run when I get them :-( Well, I will clean it all, and see how I feel about it in a few weeks time. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Chickenaddict]

Quote:
Coryza is horrible! I dealt with it when I rescued some chickens from a horrible place. Luckily they were in quarentine and nowhere near my other birds. I tried treating them for it and they just got worse so I made the harsh decision to put them down rather then put my flock at risk. Bringning them back to the filth they came from was NOT an option. If you are gonna have a closed flock as in no birds coming in or going out and are not planning on hatching any of the offspring then you could keep them. Chances are tho you are gonna see something you like down the road and want to bring more home so I wopuld just give back to the place you got them from and start over seeing as it's only been 2 weeks. I am soooo sorry this happened to you