Finally got my five hens today and...

[Orpington Poultry]

In my experience, I have Never heard of a bird with ILT surviving and being a carrier. It is a death sentence.
I am very sorry you experienced this with your first birds.

I personally would follow the advice of Pips and Peeps.

K.

 

[speckledhen]

I wasn't sure of the survival rate of ILT, but certainly if one did actually survive, it would be a carrier. Nasty, nasty disease.

 

[mrsgibber]

From all I read on ILT is that it is a death sentence and there is no "treating" it. They would not respond or improve on antibiotics, etc.

My feeling is this...Two of the original birds I brought home have NEVER exhibited any signs of illness. They never sneezed, coughed, became listless. They are quite the opposite. Very plucky, social, have big appetites and have been trying out their wings around the enclosed run. Two others I brought home yesterday have displayed the same. Very good health, etc. I brought one other back to the farm who had the cough so now I only have the four "healthy" birds.

It sounds to me like if this were ILT then no bird who's been in confinement with the sick ones would have escaped the illness. Plus when I was back at the farm I took a look at the other hens that had not looked good or who were showing signs of illness and have since been on antibiotics for five days and they look terrific. They are up and moving and look great.

I know many will disagree but I can't see killing these four who have always looked so healthy. I'm gonna give them a shot and keep a close eye on them over the next week or so.

I've got high hopes this all works out.

 

[pips&peeps]

In the acute form, gasping, coughing, rattling, and extension of the neck during inspiration are seen 5-12 days after natural exposure.

This is what you can look forward to.​

 

[mrsgibber]

Quote:
If I disinfect with Bleach how soon can I get new birds? These birds haven't spent much time in the coop and have not used any of the nest boxes or roost that are about three feet off the ground.

I wonder if I take them back tomorrow and disinfect everything, let it all dry out, would I be able to bring home new pullets the weekend after next?

I can't tell you how saddened I am over this. My first time having chickens that I have waited nine months to get, spent at least $1000 to prepare for and countless hours of labor!

 

[mrsgibber]

pips&peeps :

In the acute form, gasping, coughing, rattling, and extension of the neck during inspiration are seen 5-12 days after natural exposure.

This is what you can look forward to.​

I seriously just want to cry. After all the waiting to get to this point and this is what I am dealing with. So sad.​

 

[speckledhen]

You can certainly use bleach, though if I was battling something like ILT, I'd use Oxine,which kills far more than bleach does. There are also others made for this like TekTrol. I'm no expert on ILT so I"m not sure how long you'd need to wait before you get more hens. I'm sure someone will know the answer to that. The person you got these from has a serious problem and I hope they arent selling birds to anyone else. Not sure about your state, but in some states, ILT is a reportable disease, i.e., you must report it to the state.

 

[mrsgibber]

Quote:
The person I got these from still insists it can't be ILT because her birds that were sick just days ago have recovered with the use of the antibiotic. I don't care at this point I am so upset. I am bringing the four I have back and will be disinfecting the coop a couple of times before bringing any more home from a new source.

 

[Indychick]

Quote:
The person I got these from still insists it can't be ILT because her birds that were sick just days ago have recovered with the use of the antibiotic. I don't care at this point I am so upset. I am bringing the four I have back and will be disinfecting the coop a couple of times before bringing any more home from a new source.

I think you've made the right choice. Just didn't want to see you get even more attached to these birds and for something to happen.

 

[speckledhen]

If there is blood, I still believe it's ILT, but no matter--you really want to start with healthy birds and I wish you the best in your new chicken-keeping career.