CRD? How to know for sure??

[Chickaroo!]

I have a RIR that sometimes sounds like she has phlem in her throat when she breaths and she also makes that gaping action occasionally. I don't see anything in her throat.

Is it CRD? How do I know for sure? I've read about CRD, but it seems to have other symptoms like bubbles in eyes, runny nose, sneezing and she has none of those. Should I still treat her with Terramycin?

 

[dlhunicorn]

You might want to try basic nutritional support measures for her for a while like Avia Charge 2000 and a weeks worth of Polyvisol Enfamil (three drops in beak once a day) and see if that helps support her own immune system to deal with this (of course if the symptoms worsen you will need to medicate). Only way to truly know for sure is some pretty pricey testing.

 

[Chickaroo!]

I do have Avia Charge that I put in the water about 2-3 times a week. I also have Polyvisol, but I've only used it once for her. How often should I use the Avia Charge? How about the Polyvisol?

 

[prariechiken]

To check for CRD, hold your bird and gently hold its beak shut, also cover the nostrils for a second to see if the eyes bubble...a sure sign of resp. problems. Before you start medicating in a shotgun approach, have you wormed your birds recently? Fowl will get "gapeworms" that will line the throat of them, causing them to "yawn" and or "gasp" at times. Might be another route to check. CRD is caused by a microbe, so antibiotics will do nothing but treat the symptoms. Aeromycin helps, but without vaccination, the only sure control is good sanitation, and breeding for resistence in your flock. Good luck with your bird....

 

[Chickaroo!]

I thought you could see gapeworms by looking in the chickens throat? Is this not always true? I haven't wormed my chickens lately, but probably about 1 1/2 or 2 months ago I had a fecal done on this particular chicken and it came back negative for any parasites. I'm a stickler with the sanitation part. I clean the coop daily and clean the run at least 3 X's a day. They get clean water daily too. If my other chickens get infected, how long does it take for them to show signs?

 

[dlhunicorn]

In principle you can give the aviacharge daily though some like to do every other day or weekly... Polyvisol is for one week then taper off the next. Consider offering a good quality live culture yogurt free choice.

 

[Chickaroo!]

I have given them Stoneybrook Farms Organic Plain yogurt, free choice. It never last very long!

How long should I try all these things: Avia Charge, Polyvisol, Yogurt....before moving on to medicating her?

 

[dlhunicorn]

If her symptoms worsen, I would medicate immediately (tylan 50 injection perhaps) >so if the congestion worsens. As long as the symptoms do not worsen I would give it a good week at least.

 

[prariechiken]

Chickaroo! :

I thought you could see gapeworms by looking in the chickens throat? Is this not always true? I haven't wormed my chickens lately, but probably about 1 1/2 or 2 months ago I had a fecal done on this particular chicken and it came back negative for any parasites. I'm a stickler with the sanitation part. I clean the coop daily and clean the run at least 3 X's a day. They get clean water daily too. If my other chickens get infected, how long does it take for them to show signs?

Sounds like you are running a pretty tight ship there, thats great. Without lab analysis, it could be any number of resp. ailments. If it is CRD, the whole flock may have it and you would never know it. Unless you run a sterile environment, it is highly likely that all of us with outdoor flocks have some sort of CRD bugs in our birds. Most show resistence until another stress is put on them, and many chalk up any number of resp. ailments to CRD when in fact it is more likely avian bronchitis, etc. Depending on what you see, and your own gut instinct, you could medicate at any time or wait, it is hard to say by not seeing the bird first hand. A preventative measure for future reference is to give your new chicks LS 50 for the first week of their lives. It greatly cuts down any resp. problems the birds have when grown. Good luck and hope your bird gets to feeling better.​

 

[Ericasl]

HI, what is LS 50?? Just reading this and wondering?