Coughing, Sneezing Chicken with Mucousy Droppings (filled out disease form in post) - Please Advise

[GardeningGrl]

Background:
Here's the background:

1) What type of bird , age and weight

Standard Buff Orpington Hen, Age: 14 Months, Previously Healthy

2) What is the behavior, exactly.

Coughing, Wheezing and Sneezing. Fine Yesterday. Exhibiting Mucousy Stool. Arching neck as though struggling to breathe. Occasionally closing eyes and shivering.

4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?

No. All other birds appear normal. Separated affected bird as soon as symptoms were noticed this morning.

5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.

No

6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.

No clue. Did go from very humid/hot weather last night (high 80s) to cooler weather this morning after a thunder storm. Otherwise, no change that I recognize.

7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.

All Flock food, calcium supplement, clean water daily from a drip feeder, pastured grass & bugs (in a moveable chicken tractor). Uncertain about individual bird's food intake.

8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.

Mucousy and runny. Some on tail feathers.

9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?

A bit of ACV in one waterer. I don't want to treat immediately if it will mask symptoms and if culling is necessary. This may sound harsh, but we have 8 other hens and a solid rooster that were penned with her and 22 chicks in a separate pen system. I would rather cull than not if these symptoms develop further or become a danger to my flock. Biosecurity is important to us and our flock.

12) Describe the housing/bedding in use

We have the girls in a modified Ussery pasture shelter that they live in during the summer. The floor is grated for air flow and they get a fresh patch of grass each morning. There is only hay in the nest box, which gets changed weekly.

As soon as I noticed symptoms, I isolated her in the A-Frame pasture shelter that appears in my icon with fresh water, water with ACV in it (so she has a choice) and pelleted food. She also has access to grass and bugs.

As I said above, I'm willing to cull if she poses a danger to the rest of the flock (who are all currently asymptomatic), but I would appreciate any advice more seasoned chicken keepers have.

Thank you!!!

 

[Tommy12241]

It sounds like something with her lungs. Perhaps pneumonia? Keep her isolated as youve done. Keep her in a shady spot with plenty of water, food, and in a place that she will not be stressed. If she doesnt improve after 5-7 days I would just cull her. Hate to see them suffer anyways.

 

[Eggsoteric]

I can only relay my own experience with one of my hens that's currently still in treatment.

Last Friday evening I noticed one of my hens to be wheezing, coughing, sneezing and unable to breathe well (she had a rattle that sounded much like a percolator would sound when brewing a pot of coffee). She had no discharge from her nostrils; no foamy eyes; no smell about the head and her appetite was still relatively intact. None of the other hens have shown or are showing any of the same symptoms.

We've also had some pretty nasty weather (hot, humid, wet and overall just miserable outside - perfect conditions for fungal infections (which is what I'm currently treating her for)).

I immediately quarantined her and started nebulizing type treatments using "inactivated" Oxine AH and a cool mist humidifier (there's a plethora of information on this site re the use of inactivated Oxine AH). Personally, I cannot say enough good things about this product. It's nothing short of miraculous in my book and tops my list of must haves in my chicken emergency kit. To be completely honest, I thought it was too late to save this hen.

I started the treatments Friday evening (placed the hen in a crate; tented the crate and humidifier and "nebulized" her for 10 minutes). She had 3, 10-15 minute treatments each on Saturday and Sunday. Because it was back to work on Monday, I gave her a treatment in the morning and one in the evening on Monday and by Tuesday a.m. the horrible rattle she had was gone. (I have also been fogging her briefly between treatments as well as I replaced her drinking water with water that contains Oxine AH.) I will probably continue her treatments for a full 7-10 days depending upon her recovery (she still sneezes on occasion). Because she cannot join the others in her flock during free-range time, as an additional boost and in addition to her regular chicken feed, I've been feeding her scrambled egg, plain, non-fat yogurt, fresh fruit, veggies and leafy greens so, she's not complaining too much about being isolated.

Good luck with your hen.

 

[1muttsfan]

Chickens have lungs that extend though the abdomen(they do not have a diaphragm). When they have pneumonia it is not unusual for them to have abnormal stools as well, as the intestines and lungs lie next to each other.

You could also consider giving antibiotics, such as Tylan, to the affected bird.