Eureka!!! (On fighting a respiratory infection)

[gwendalynn28]

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to let everyone know that I have a Buff Orpington hen that got rained on over the weekend during a bad storm. The next day she developed a swollen eye and I separated her because I was unsure of what was going on. The next day she had a runny nose and a cough as well. I spoke with a lady at work who has one hen as a pet that lives in the house. It has been attacked by a raccoon twice and she's had a lot of veterinary care for her chicken. She advised giving Clavamox to my hen. My dog had surgery last month and I happened to have some left over Clavamox tablets. I broke them into quarters and after two days of giving her one each night, she no longer has the cough or the runny nose. The eye is no longer swollen but still has a little discharge coming from it! This treatment has been amazing! I'm going to treat her for 7 days and I'll keep everyone updated! I know people have a lot of questions about treating chickens with respiratory infections. Hopefully this will help someone out! You may need to call a vet though to get the Clavamox so if you want to help your chicken and quickly try getting some Clavamox! Just make sure you toss the eggs during treatment and about 7 days after treatment is finished!
Miss Ritz

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Good luck! I've had many respiratory problems with my chickens and the only thing I gave them was Poly-vi-sol with no iron.

I gave 1 mL per gallon and for your quart waterers .5 mL of Poly-vi-sol. They recovered well, it was quick enough so the crusty/swollen eyes never started. The cool thing about Poly-vi-sol, is that you don't need to prescribe, you can buy it at Safeway/Walmart/other drugstores.

 

[dawg53]

The thing about respiratory diseases in chickens is that they may be treatable depending on how serious the strain of whatever type of disease it is. Dont be mislead about respiratory diseases, they are NEVER CURED of the disease. Most of them, if not all of them are viral in nature. That means antibiotics wont cure them and birds will remain carriers for the rest of their lives. All's it takes is some type of stress within the flock for them to start showing symptoms again. You may want to use the same antibiotic again to treat those symptoms but will quickly find out they dont work because the disease has built resistance to the antibiotic. Then you'll have to use a different more powerful antibiotic...and the cycle continues. Introducing new birds into a flock of carriers is a recipe for disaster, they will become infected as well.
Most respiratory diseases are passed through eggs as well. Eggs cant be sold to be hatched. A closed flock must be maintained to prevent the spread of diseases. No new birds in, no birds out. The other option is to cull, disinfect everything, wait several months and start over.

 

[gwendalynn28]

This particular hen is going to a new home in a few days. The new owner is aware of her current problem. This chicken was actually given to me about 3 weeks ago which is when my flock started having problems. Lesson learned about bringing new birds into the flock! I'm incubating and hatching eggs from my own birds now so no more new chickens unless they are NPIP certified and then a 2 week quarantine period for observation to be sure they are not sick with anything. Luckily for me I have my birds separated. I have my BLRW's in a separate pen because I incubate and hatch those eggs. The other chickens are just random breeds and mixes that are just for eggs. I've learned a lot about chickens in the little over a year that I've had them! I'm learning a lot about biosecurity for the birds. I don't even want others who own birds in my yard now unless they change their shoes before going out there and they aren't allowed to touch any of the birds. They think I'm crazy but I've had to get rid of three of my BLRW chicks due to an eye problem and now this sick hen. Once she's gone, no more birds from questionable sources.

 

[1muttsfan]

Just a note about Clavamox, the tablets are sealed inside separate individual compartments because the medication is very sensitive to moisture. once the packet is opened the medication has to be used immediately, as it starts deteriorating as soon as it is exposed to air. It will not last four days once opened.

 

[dawg53]

This particular hen is going to a new home in a few days. The new owner is aware of her current problem. This chicken was actually given to me about 3 weeks ago which is when my flock started having problems. Lesson learned about bringing new birds into the flock! I'm incubating and hatching eggs from my own birds now so no more new chickens unless they are NPIP certified and then a 2 week quarantine period for observation to be sure they are not sick with anything. Luckily for me I have my birds separated. I have my BLRW's in a separate pen because I incubate and hatch those eggs. The other chickens are just random breeds and mixes that are just for eggs. I've learned a lot about chickens in the little over a year that I've had them! I'm learning a lot about biosecurity for the birds. I don't even want others who own birds in my yard now unless they change their shoes before going out there and they aren't allowed to touch any of the birds. They think I'm crazy but I've had to get rid of three of my BLRW chicks due to an eye problem and now this sick hen. Once she's gone, no more birds from questionable sources.

Good for you Gwendalynn. Four to six weeks is best for quarantine. There are diseases that have that long of an incubation time before they show themselves, a few even longer.
Now that you have experienced this firsthand, your knowledge will be invaluable to share your experiences right here in this forum with others. I'd like to see you responding to posts regarding respiratory diseases for others to read.

 

[gwendalynn28]

Thanks dawg53. It good to know more about chicken illness, its just horrible to witness it first hand. It kind of told me how I really feel about my chickens too! I was actually very concerned for Miss Ritz and took action very quickly since I know chickens can die very quickly from illness. I hate to give her away, but I can't risk the rest of my flock and I know she will be well cared for at her new home. I have one Buff Orpington left now. She's in great health which is great! So far the rest of my flock appears unaffected. I've got my fingers crossed that this is it! I've cleaned my Wyandotte pen and put fresh bedding down. I completely moved the other coop and cleaned everything because I was so worried the rest of my flock would be affected. It took us all afternoon to dismantle the run, roof, and all that business, but I think the chickens are happier too! That storm made quite a muddy mess in the old coop area and it was time to move anyway. The grass is already growing back! It has lots of nice compost from the chickens though to help it out! I will be sure to help others who are also experiencing respiratory problems in their birds. At first I thought it was an eyeworm but I wasn't sure and kept doing research until I found something that completely matched her symptoms! Its too bad that Clavamox is so sensitive to air. I opened one pouch and cut the pill into quarters but after only 2 doses you'd never know she had anything wrong with her! She looks to be in perfect health (except she hasn't laid an egg while in her "hospital cage").

 

[CUPKATE]

Hello, I was wondering how much of this would I administer to a small rooster? If you can help me I would greatly appreciate it.