Gurgling Rooster

[K R 2709]

Tonight I went out to my coop to find my 6 month old black orp roo all smushed against the roost with his beak open and making gurgling sounds. My chickens have also had a runny nose lately. Should I be worried? My neighbours have ill chickens but they shoud be to far away to get anything from them. What could be going on?

 

[K R 2709]

Please help. I am really worried about him.

 

[soliloquie]

Is it smelly, discolored, thick discharge? Any swelling? Is their poo normal or.... I would start them on a round of antibiotics and maybe give a supplement to start. Do you have a heat lamp? Are they getting chilled at night? If you have walked at your neighbors and then walked around your place you could have transmitted something or native wildlife could be carriers although probably unlikely. Have a chat with your neighbors and find out what they are doing and what symptoms their birds have. Sorry not much help but I know how frustrating it is when nobody responds.

 

[K R 2709]

Thanks for the response. I don't think that they are getting chilled at night there are lots of them in an insulated coop no traces of ice on the waterer in the morning. I am walking up to the neighbours to care for there cats. They aren't treating them with anything. One of the neighbours hens has already died they aren't laying and have swollen puffy faces.

 

[K R 2709]

I don't want to use antibiotics unless it is absolutely nessasary.

 

[Eggcessive]

You are dealing with a contagious respiratory disease. You can cull sick birds or treat with antibiotics. Your chickens will have a carrier disease, so any new chickens will get it. You can keep a closed flock until they die. Some of the possible diseases are mycoplasma (CRD), coryza, and others. If there is a bad smell it may be coryza, and several of these diseases can come at the same time. If any have coccidiosis, they may be more susceptible to theses diseases. Here is a list with symptoms and medications to treat: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[K R 2709]

I just went out to the coop to find one of my hens has some seriously goopy eyes and a puffy and swollen face. Does this change anything or eliminate any possibilities? Are the chickens with no symptoms not afected/ not carrying disease? What should I do?

 

[K R 2709]

I read the part about bronchitis. It seems to fit my symptoms. Could that be the case?

 

[K R 2709]

Also I just got new hens (3 of them) they are completely unaffected

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds more like coryza now, but smell their faces for a bad odor. Coryza is best treated with sulfadimethoxine (brand names Di-methox, Albon, Sulfamed-G). If no bad smell it may be a bad strain of MG (CRD.) That would be better treated with Tylan Powder in the water or Tylan50 injectable. The chickens not showing disease may come down with it later, but they will be carriers. Some may survive this, but I would treat them all.