Coughing Chickens?!?!? PLEASE HELP

shelby528

Songster
10 Years
Aug 5, 2009
185
0
109
Ontario
For the past few weeks my chickens have caught something :s I did some research and thought it was something along the lines of a cold...so I gave them some tetracylcine 250..cant spell sorry. Theyve also been given electrolytes since february. However as my chickens die off one by one I have come to a conclusion...it seems to be something else. It hasnt really gotten worse but nor has it gotten better. My rooster was the first to show symptoms. He lost his crow but every now and then he crows so something must be working...until my hens started showing symptoms. It almost sounds like they have phlegm in there throat and can not get it out and then around a week later they become lethargic and just sit...then they die. I am VERY concerned that this could be worse than respiratory. No egg bounds nothing. Its mind boggling! I have seperated the sick...or so I thought. My whole flock is showing symptoms, not all of them are coughing but majority have runny poop. Any ideas? Im in dire need of help!

Symptoms: Runny poop, Coughing, Sneezing(which is normal amongst healthy chickens). There is little nose discharge.
Breeds: Red and Speckled sussex, meat birds, couple game birds, new hampshires, rhode island reds, bantam buff japanese and black cochins.

All of my birds run together, they are given fresh water morning and night. Feed is from a reliable source(same place for the last two years) Have not introduced new birds since march 3 2011. They are given Layer crumb, finisher for weight gain, and cracked corn.
I clean there coop like a clean maniac...new layer of straw every week and cleaned and disinfected every month. I had a problem with cocci last year and lost my whole flock.
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ANY IDEAS?!!?!?!?
 
I have read that chickens don't get colds since they did not respond to antibiotics I would guess it was a virus. I would contact the state vet school and see what they say.
The birds you brought in March where they quarantine for 30 days and how old where these birds?
 
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are they eating well? what color is the runny poo? What color is the nasal discharge?
I have heard that big winds can bring in diseases and then there are wild birds that can bring them in too.

I just a had a nasty time with the upper respiratory disease in my flock and I think I may be over the hump. Check out diseases like Mycoplasma Gallisepticum, ILT and Infectious Coryza. There is lots of info on these diseases on this site and check out this site:

http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/

http://www.avianmedicine.net/ampa.html

Good luck, feel free to PM me if you wanna know what I have treated mine with (that I believe to have mycoplasma), but I don't claim to be an expert. And keep in mind that sometimes you can have multiple infections at one time that can make it difficult to deal with. but I would be happy to share my experience if you want
 

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