Coughing 4 Week Old, "Crackly" breathing

[Getaway Gal]

I've posted separately about this Welsummer's leg issues (https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=351237), but I'm worried about dealing with the respiratory issue as soon as possible. Can anyone help? She coughs and has a wheezy/rattling/crackly sound. She does not act "sickly" at all other than these issues. I assume that I should give an antibiotic, but I need help with which one and what dosage would be appropriate. Is there any chance that the leg and cough are related?? Thank you very much!!

 

[speckledhen]

Cough is probably not related to the leg issue. And if it's a virus, antibiotics will not help. If you have no idea what you're treating, it doesn't do any good to throw antibiotics at the problem, especially since most respiratory illnesses in chickens make them carriers of the disease.

 

[Getaway Gal]

Is there anything I can look for that would give me any more information to go on? I have her separated from the others...I assume that I need to continue to do so? Do I just wait and see what happens??

 

[speckledhen]

Honestly, unless you can diagnose the actual problem, I don't know what to tell you. I personally have a policy against treating respiratory illness because I want only birds with strong immune systems, so culling would be my only course of action. Most folks just throw antibiotics at the problem, hoping they'll do some good. I just don't do that.

Did you buy her from someone? Just wondered because I've seen so many people selling sick/carrier birds and passing problems to the new owner.

Check out this disease chart for her symptoms:

http://www.welphatchery.com/poultry_health.asp


Most likely, it's CRD/mycoplasmosis, but can't be sure.

 

[Getaway Gal]

A big reason that I have chickens at ALL is to get away from having antibiotics in my eggs or meat, but they are also my pets. I know that throwing antibiotics at something is very seldom a solution but, at the same time, they CAN solve some issues and I am a MAJOR softy when it comes to my animals. I want to give her any help that I can.

These were from MPC.

Did you have any input on the leg situation?? I think that it is odd that I never noticed anything before now, and odd that there is another Welsummer who has a crooked toe that looks identical. I wonder if she'll progress the same way, and one is just ahead of the other? Sure hope not!

In the absence of a diagnosis and without wanting to cull yet....would you suggest vitamins & electrolytes to see what they do?

Thank you!