gurgling / wheezy / listless hen

[LutzFLdawg]

About a week ago, one of our hens began to make gurgling sounds while breathing, and had the awful stink coming out of her nose. I isolated her and started her on water with ACV and garlic, and started VetRX in her water and down her throat and rubbed on her beak 3 times daily on Tuesday.

Since then, she's perked up a good bit, the nasal stink has improved, but she feels gaunt and we've haven't seen her eat, even with mealworms and sunflower seeds in her food. She still has the gurgling sound.

So, is it time to move to an antibiotic? From what I've read, it could be coryza or laryngotracheitis since it's not really responding to the treatments so far.

So what should be my next course of treatment? Give it more time or move to an antibiotic?

 

[dawg53]

Sounds like Infectious Coryza, not ILT. Here's a link, scroll down to Infectious Coryza and read about it if you wish:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Wyandottes7]

I agree with dawg53; that sounds like Coryza. If so, you may want to cull the infected bird, as she will always be infected with the disease, though she may not always show the symptoms.

 

[LutzFLdawg]

Thanks Dawg53, I found that link in my earlier searching.

I watched her this evening when I was working in the garden, and she is now eating, so it seems like she is improving a bit more.

Culling is a last resort, even if the other birds will be infected if they aren't already infected. For all I know, the last hen we introduced a month ago infected her. looking back, that hen did have a bit of a smelly beak, but didn't have any other signs and acts healthy. If the last introduced hen was the source of the coryza, then all the birds have been exposed by now.

The sick hen has always been a bit runty. She's over 30 weeks of age and hasn't begun to lay, nor has her comb or ears or wattle grown out like they have in the other hens. If she had coryza for some time now, could that have stunted her growth even though she didn't have other symptoms?

 

[mithious]

I agree with dawg53; that sounds like Coryza. If so, you may want to cull the infected bird, as she will always be infected with the disease, though she may not always show the symptoms.

I agee with Wyandottes7 and Dawg. There are many diseases that work like this and produce carrierers or the illness will lay dormant for periods, then resurface under stress and other intsances...MG/MS, Mareks, fowl pox to name a few, respiratory disease also can do this...the birds will shed the disease,even if the birds are not showing symptoms and can transmit the disease very easily, some can travel on the wind for miles and miles...any bird, coming in contact with a sick bird with any of these diseases should be either culled or kept in a closed flock situation. If you suspect they have one of these diseases, the only ethical thing to do, is to not have the bird come in contact with any other birds...and be as careful as poosibel (practice biosecurity) so that you are not transmitting the disease to other flocks...your other birds have also been expose and the only way to TRY to eradicate these diseases is to do the all in/ all out system that the hatcheries did, when they contracted marek's back in the 70's and they have gotten their losses down to 5-10% since then. If I remember correctly the hatcheries were losing up 60% or more of their baby chicks, due to this disease. It is now become rampant in the backyard flocks since people by chickens from all kinds of sources and some people, that have inoculated their flocks, have no idea they even have it and now one a flock of carriers...it a sad world we live in today...I did not see this kind of thing in our flocks, back in the 60's and on...since just getting back into chickens, after many years, I was horrified to see the long list of diseases and parasites that now seem to affect so many flocks.

Best to you and your chickens and hope and pray for the best results!!! You all are in my prayers!

 

[LutzFLdawg]

well, we decided to cull the definitely sick bird based on her current condition and since she's just not thriving in general, and to close our flock to minimize exposure. Thanks for advice all.

 

[dawg53]

well, we decided to cull the definitely sick bird based on her current condition and since she's just not thriving in general, and to close our flock to minimize exposure. Thanks for advice all.

 

[mithious]

well, we decided to cull the definitely sick bird based on her current condition and since she's just not thriving in general, and to close our flock to minimize exposure. Thanks for advice all.

As hard as that is to do, and I am sooo sorry you had to make that decision, know you did the right thing, by your bird and for other flock owners!!!

Thank you for being a responsible chicken owner!!!!

 

[Michael Apple]

I rarely face respiratory problems with my birds, but have used Tylan 50 for what I suspected was a bacterial respiratory infection in the past. I used 22 gauge needles and injected 1/2 cc under the skin on the back of the neck once a day for 5 days. It was a 6 lb. standard breed hen so an additional 1/2 cc in the breast muscle. By the end of the fifth day, the symptoms were gone. At the same time, using Vet-RX works well to keep the sinuses open so the antibiotic can reach the point of infection through the bloodstream. A few drops in the water trough works well. If you take a few birds to the lab and they test positive for Mycoplasma, they'll recommend depopulation (culling). I think that can be too drastic since birds can overcome symptoms of CRD without ever showing symptoms again. That means their immune system is tempered. If every time a bird exhibited symptoms of CRD. and was culled, there wouldn't be any birds left.

There's also the regular use of Oxine AH, which I have used for a long time, and highly recommend to combat diseases around the coop and yard. Here's a link for some of its uses: http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm

 

[mithious]

I rarely face respiratory problems with my birds, but have used Tylan 50 for what I suspected was a bacterial respiratory infection in the past. I used 22 gauge needles and injected 1/2 cc under the skin on the back of the neck once a day for 5 days. It was a 6 lb. standard breed hen so an additional 1/2 cc in the breast muscle. By the end of the fifth day, the symptoms were gone. At the same time, using Vet-RX works well to keep the sinuses open so the antibiotic can reach the point of infection through the bloodstream. A few drops in the water trough works well. If you take a few birds to the lab and they test positive for Mycoplasma, they'll recommend depopulation (culling). I think that can be too drastic since birds can overcome symptoms of CRD without ever showing symptoms again. That means their immune system is tempered. If every time a bird exhibited symptoms of CRD. and was culled, there wouldn't be any birds left.

There's also the regular use of Oxine AH, which I have used for a long time, and highly recommend to combat diseases around the coop and yard. Here's a link for some of its uses: http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm

I have a question about birds that become carriers of contagious diseases. Since most of the more horrible diseases do produce carrier birds, is there a way to use Oxine AH to combat this? If so, how? If not, then what do you recommend for those that show and sell birds that have carriers in their flocks? I would really like to show, at some point, but am afraid that I might come home with more than I left with since, in some instances, a vaccinated flock with, say marek's disease or CRD, could have carrier birds in it, and the owners might not even know and unknowingly bring a bird to a show and expose the other birds. I am on the fence on showing, because of this, so appreciate any answers and info! Thanks ahead of time for any info!