Dead silkie

[emzee]

I noticed that one of the silkie hens had been breathing heavily and making strange-sounding coughing noises for a few days. I was going to wait and see if it was just something that would clear up on its own, but when I went out to the coop this morning to check on her, she was dead! Does anyone have any idea what kind of sickness/disease she had? Is it contagious? How should I prevent the other chickens from getting it?

 

[horsejody]

Without a necropsy, it may be impossible to know the cause. Watch the others very closely for symptoms.

 

[robin416]

I'm working with one of my Silkie girls now. I expected this to happen because our weather is all over the map. The wheezing started two days ago, she was struggling to breath. Started her on antibiotics and she's a different bird today, no more wheezing.

So if you're weather has been extreme in ups and downs and very wet it can cause some problems.

 

[emzee]

Yes, we have had very wet and undpredictable weather recently. What kind of antibiotics did you give your silkie?

 

[robin416]

Normally for something like this I grab the Gallymicin, this time for whatever reason I chose the Tylan.

As time goes by you will begin to recognize when you need to take immediate action. For this girl I let go from that morning until the afternoon. I needed time to watch and decide what direction I was going to take. By afternoon and the amount she declined I knew that she needed treatment sooner rather than later.

 

[chickenzoo]

The weather only brings out what your chickens body is already fighting. Besides the wheezing, what other symptoms did she have?
Common causes of chicken"colds":

MG - causes Chronic respiratory disease. Bubbly eyes, wheezing, clear nasal discharge, loss of weight, feather loss, slow laying in hens,. Also MS - loss of weight and lameness
Coryza - swollen pussy eye( typically on one side) yellow- clear nasal discharge, wheezing. - often has a very stinky smell about the face, and sometimes the back where they wipe their eye/ nose.

Other diseases are less common - Newcastle, Infectious bronchitis and some others


Most are contagious and can have a carrier state, where birds that recover can be carriers. Do a good disinfecting and watch your birds. A blood test can rule out MG/Ms and some others...... Best Wishes

 

[robin416]

You did not list pneumonia, which is what I think my girl is fighting.

This is not my first chicken illness and probably not my last. I've been raising birds for some years now so I do have some experience on how and what to look for. And how to treat or not treat.

 

[emzee]

She didn't show any other symptoms besides breathing heavily. What would be the best way to disenfect my chicken coop, since it has a dirt floor? Where do you buy Gallymicin? Can you use the Tylan for cattle?

 

[robin416]

I purchased my Gallimycin from Peter Brown at First State Vet and yes, the Tylan water soluble is the same as you're thinking. The Tylan is 1 tsp per gallon of water.

 

[chickenzoo]

Pneumonia often falls into those categories also. Normally unless she was left in pooring down cold rain, soaked to the bone, it has underlying causes.