HELP chickens with cold that won't go away

[Obiethechick123]

I have 8 hens that I got last spring they are around 1 1/2 years old the last month or so they have been having cold symptoms. I have been giving them tetracycline and I also read that garlic and apple cider vinegar helps to so i have been giving them that too for the last 2-3 weeks also. It hasn't been helping and they keep getting worse my one hen won't eat or drink and just wants too sleep. My two older hen that i have had for a while are not sick and haven't been sick and they are in the same pen. please help i don't know what else to do!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have 8 hens that I got last spring they are around 1 1/2 years old the last month or so they have been having cold symptoms. I have been giving them tetracycline and I also read that garlic and apple cider vinegar helps to so i have been giving them that too for the last 2-3 weeks also. It hasn't been helping and they keep getting worse my one hen won't eat or drink and just wants too sleep. My two older hen that i have had for a while are not sick and haven't been sick and they are in the same pen. please help i don't know what else to do!

So are the 2 older hens "new" to you, have you added to your flock within the last 30 days or so?
What symptoms are you seeing?
Photos may be helpful.

Where are you located in the world? (state/country)
What dosage of Tetracycline are you giving? (photo of the product you are using)

There are many respiratory diseases that chickens can suffer from. Mycoplasma, Infectious Bronchitis, Infectious Coryza, ILT and in California there is Newcastle right now. Environmental conditions like poor ventilation, excess ammonia from droppings and mold/fungus can cause respiratory symptoms as well.

Some diseases are viral so do not respond to antibiotics. You could try a different antibiotic to see if they improve, but getting testing to find out what you are dealing with is the best thing to do. You can send swabs to an independent lab like Zoologix or contact your State Lab about sending a sample in.

For your hen that is the sickest, if she is not drinking, then she probably is not getting the Tetracycline. You may want to syringe the medicated water into her to see if that helps. That's one of the drawbacks of having medicated water, some birds just don't drink enough. If you feel that she is not getting the medicated water you can try Tylan50 at a dose of 0.25ml per pound of weight given orally 3 times a day for 5 days on this girl and see if that makes any difference.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Obiethechick123]

no i have had the two older hens in they for the same time as the others. the symptoms are sneezing, weezing and they seem very tired. I am located in Ontario Canada. The package says 1/2 tsp to 8 cups of water. i will have photos in a bit.