Dark Brahma coughing but acting normal; help please

[madimorg]

I just purchased a Dark Brahma hen on Saturday at the Ohio Nationals Poultry Show. She seemed very healthy and alert. When I made the puchase I purposely looked her over and her eyes were bright and alert, she walked good, no nasel discharge, poop in cage appeared normal, etc... After I got her home I put her in a section of the run away from the rest of my flock so she could adjust. She explored her run, drank and ate. After she ate I noticed she was coughing/sneezing and bubbles were coming out of the corners of her eyes. No nasel dicharge and seemed fine in every other way. I took her in the house into a pen and for the rest of the day and evening I didn't hear her cough or sneeze at all and no eye bubbles. Then Sunday morning she seems just fine and I take her back to the run and as soon as she eats she started coughing again... i didn't notice eye bubbles this time. I went ahead and left her in the run for most of the day and on occasion I'd hear her cough although it wasn't too much. Then last night I put her back in the house just she'd have a place to sleep away from the coop and the rest of my flock... never heard her cough at all last night. This morning when I went and checked on her she seems just fine but she did cough again once that I heard; no eye bubbles or discharge. It almost seems like she coughs mostly after she's been eating or like something is in her throat. I dont know how to tell if it's that or a cold or something else and I'm not sure if I really need to keep her away from the rest of the flock still. Any advice?

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

You may want to look over the variety of CRD a new chicken can bring to your flock and decide if you want to risk it.

IB, ILT, Coryza, MG.

 

[suzettex5]

KEEP HER ISOLATED!!!!!! Sorry for the caps, but the number 1 rule when bringing in new chooks is ISOLATION for minimum 2 weeks up to 30 days. ANY signs of illness warrant total isolation until all symptoms are gone for at least 2 weeks or more. You are running a huge risk of infecting your flock! The new chicken could be more resistant to dissease, but your flock is not. I have had this happen to me and it is violently contagious and can easily result in the loss of many, many birds. At the very least you will need to give antibiotics for quite awhile to the new bird to get her healthy. I dont know exactly what she has, but most illness is very contagious in chickens and can take forever to get rid of.

She could be at the Begining of her illness and that means it may be awhile before you see symptoms in your flock, please be on the lookout. It is not innocuous, and not something they will get over by themselves. Chickens DO NOT just get 'colds', they get serious infectious diseases that often kill or harm for life.

Maybe do a search on here for infectious bronchitis. Or symptoms of.

Sorry to be so doom and gloom and I probably sound more harsh than I meant to. I just dont want anyone to go through the HECK i went through for MONTHS trying to deal with a flock-wide illness brought in by a new bird. It was sooooo insane and heartbreaking (not to mention expensive, building isolation pens, buying antibiotics, electrolites for water, new waterers, and my time sanitizing all feeders and waterers) I really hope your new girl is ok and gets better and your old flock is ok too.

I would really suggest you get some antibiotics into your new hen. Most feed stores carry the powder for the water to dose her.

 

[madimorg]

Thank you for the replies. I'll get some antibiotics into her right away then. Do you think I should go ahead and give the entire flock antibiotics based on the fact that this girl was in the run yesterday for most of the day. She was isolated in the run but once I put her in the house the rest of the flock used the same run.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Myself, I try not to give any antibiotics unless there are symptoms showing or a strong indication of spread in the flock. Just pull the sick on aside, best in a separate building if possible and avoid transmission routes like cloths, boot, feeders, waters ect. Check you main flock first then tend to the sick one (basic bio-security).

Antibiotics can be good, but if the nature of the illness is viral they only treat secondary infections and won't kill the virus. So it is good to read up on the potential illnesses and try to sort out just what you are dealing with in order to best treat it.

 

[madimorg]

Well last night she seemed good and I held her for quite awhile while watching TV last night... No coughing at all for the entire evening. Then I put her in the pen in the house and gave her some water with antibiotics in it and also gave her some scrambled egg mixed with cooked oatmeal and some of her chicken crumbles. She ate and drank as normal but within a minute she was coughing again and had raspy sounding breathing. It really seems that eating is what the trigger is. I'm so confused. She is still isolated and I'll be keeping her that way until it is determined what is going on and she’s better. I'm hoping to reach a vet today who works with poultry... the only issue I see is that for a vet to see the problem I'll have to take food and water with me so he can see the reaction she has. She acts healthy in all other ways.

 

[suzettex5]

I doubt it is the food, more likely is the act of eating and drinking gets her excited, which causes her heart and resperation to speed up and it is then that you see the symptoms emerge.

When she is resting, take her head in your hand and gently cup her head in your palm while holding it to your ear. Try listen for and raspy breathing or bubbly noises.

You could do a google search for UC Davis in California, they have a large poultry division and sometimes you can get ahold of someone who will talk to you for free about your bird.

 

[madimorg]

Well she got dropped off at the vets about an hour ago and I'm picking her up shortly. I dont know what they have determined or the outcome but I did get a text message from the vet assistant saying that they did find sometype of parasite in her droppings and that we'll know more once the vet gets done examining her and takes a look to determine what the parasite is. I'll keep you all posted.

 

[madimorg]

Here is my update of what the vet had to say... My poor girl has three types of worms... Roundworms, Cecal Worms and Gapeworms. I am so frustrated that someone sold her in this condition. I purchased her from the Ohio Nationals Poultry Show this past weekend. My vet also gave her an injection of Gentamicin and an oral dose of Panacure wormer. I also was given three more doses to give her over the next three days of the Panacure. In addition he told me to keep her isolated for one to two weeks. If she's still coughing after a few days I'm suppose to have her back at the vets. Lets home this all works.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

I would be very happy about that info from the vet, easy to treat and far far better than getting into respritory problems.

Seller may hav had no idea and things may have just started to show up under the stress of moving. At least I would like to think/hope that was the case.

Interesting, poop looked normal but had some pretty good worms going on. Symptoms are not always cut and dried.