1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.)
Ameraucana hen @ 3 years old, about 5lb. One of my first hens! Her name is Eastwood.
No apparent weight loss, not bony - not visibly ruffled, hunched or disheveled
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
I went in to check coop tonight and I heard a hen with hard breathing. She was up on perch with other hens but beak fully open - breathing heavily like she has asthma. not really wheezing, but no neck stretching or head shaking to suggest gapeworms. Also no rales or gurgling or liquidy coughing that I have observed. I lifted her off her perch and brought her to isolation coop. When set down, she was toppling over and could not seem to uncurl her feet.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Tonight is the first night I have seen her display symptoms - please see Youtube link (I hope I dud that correctly)
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
A new Ameraucana rooster that arrived a week ago, started to display similar symptoms 2 days ago. Again very quick onset. The first 5 nights he was fine, then 2 nights ago he was opening and closing his mouth rhythmically, with occasional coughing and some rales. He was segregated immediately. He is on Tylan and seems to be improving - walking and eating well. Fingers crossed!! I should have segregated him, but he came from a very small backyard flock with big open barn & free-range so assumed health & low possibility of virus or bacteria
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Eastwood has no visible trauma or wound of any kind.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
She appears to have caught the same bug as the rooster but has reacted worse or has been hiding symptoms better. I check the coop every night and listen for abnormal sounds or movement. I did not see her exhibiting these symptoms last night
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
I have not seen any unusual behavior from her around food or water.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
I have not seen her poop yet
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
She is now in the isolation coop and I gave her some 1/4 cup kernel corn&water laced with a dose of Tylan. She ate it all, even though she could barely stand. She is now sitting in a straw bed with a heat lamp.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I have already been looking for a vet to examine the new rooster, but have not located one yet. Though I have a lead from another vet in the area. Eastwood seems to be in much worse shape than the rooster so my intent is to continue to try and find a vet that treats poultry. My worry is transporting her to a vet will be too stressful in her condition.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
there are no wounds
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
The coops are cleaned every other week and doused with diatomaceous earth and filled with wood shavings and straw. The dirt run gets new straw laid every week and is raked out occasionally. (Spring summer and fall) all the chickens free range 3 to 4 hours a day after the snow melted.
Also of note: I had my first run-in with what looked like CRD a few months ago. I have a flock of about 2 dozen mixed chickens The 2 coughing hens were isolated for 4 weeks and treated with antibiotics - also the whole flock treated. After symptoms abated the 2 hens were returned to the flock, but succumbed about 3 weeks later. Unfortunately I was away on holiday - and flock was being looked after by neighbour. SO SAD! Flock otherwise ok.
The symptoms displayed by the rooster and now hen are different from what I observed with alleged CRD a few months back. No sneezing or coughing but asthma like breathing and wet sounding rales (rooster only)
Ameraucana hen @ 3 years old, about 5lb. One of my first hens! Her name is Eastwood.
No apparent weight loss, not bony - not visibly ruffled, hunched or disheveled
2) What is the behavior, exactly.
I went in to check coop tonight and I heard a hen with hard breathing. She was up on perch with other hens but beak fully open - breathing heavily like she has asthma. not really wheezing, but no neck stretching or head shaking to suggest gapeworms. Also no rales or gurgling or liquidy coughing that I have observed. I lifted her off her perch and brought her to isolation coop. When set down, she was toppling over and could not seem to uncurl her feet.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
Tonight is the first night I have seen her display symptoms - please see Youtube link (I hope I dud that correctly)
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
A new Ameraucana rooster that arrived a week ago, started to display similar symptoms 2 days ago. Again very quick onset. The first 5 nights he was fine, then 2 nights ago he was opening and closing his mouth rhythmically, with occasional coughing and some rales. He was segregated immediately. He is on Tylan and seems to be improving - walking and eating well. Fingers crossed!! I should have segregated him, but he came from a very small backyard flock with big open barn & free-range so assumed health & low possibility of virus or bacteria
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma.
Eastwood has no visible trauma or wound of any kind.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation.
She appears to have caught the same bug as the rooster but has reacted worse or has been hiding symptoms better. I check the coop every night and listen for abnormal sounds or movement. I did not see her exhibiting these symptoms last night
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all.
I have not seen any unusual behavior from her around food or water.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc.
I have not seen her poop yet
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
She is now in the isolation coop and I gave her some 1/4 cup kernel corn&water laced with a dose of Tylan. She ate it all, even though she could barely stand. She is now sitting in a straw bed with a heat lamp.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
I have already been looking for a vet to examine the new rooster, but have not located one yet. Though I have a lead from another vet in the area. Eastwood seems to be in much worse shape than the rooster so my intent is to continue to try and find a vet that treats poultry. My worry is transporting her to a vet will be too stressful in her condition.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
there are no wounds
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use
The coops are cleaned every other week and doused with diatomaceous earth and filled with wood shavings and straw. The dirt run gets new straw laid every week and is raked out occasionally. (Spring summer and fall) all the chickens free range 3 to 4 hours a day after the snow melted.
Also of note: I had my first run-in with what looked like CRD a few months ago. I have a flock of about 2 dozen mixed chickens The 2 coughing hens were isolated for 4 weeks and treated with antibiotics - also the whole flock treated. After symptoms abated the 2 hens were returned to the flock, but succumbed about 3 weeks later. Unfortunately I was away on holiday - and flock was being looked after by neighbour. SO SAD! Flock otherwise ok.
The symptoms displayed by the rooster and now hen are different from what I observed with alleged CRD a few months back. No sneezing or coughing but asthma like breathing and wet sounding rales (rooster only)
Last edited:
- still searching for a poultry vet (I'm in southern Ontario Canada)...
