Help-- I can't stop a Coryza outbreak!!

[MandyH]

If you pick up one of your birds and smell around their head, Coryza has a putrid smell that you can't hardly stand to smell. Do yours have a bad smell?

 

[nnbreeder]

If you have a Tractor Supply store or other feed store open today go and get some Tylan injectable. It can be also given orally and will be found in the cattle meds section. Get a supply of syringes and needles, 20ga and 1/2 inch long, to get it out of the bottle. Then we can go from there.

 

[AndyC]

I have not smelled anything at all and I did the smell test. I do have a feed store near me so I will go and pick up the Tylan. where do I inject the tylan into on my chicken, and do I have to do all of my birds?

 

[nnbreeder]

On a chicken you use the left side of the breast opposite the crop or some use the upper thigh. As I said though it can be given orally on a little pice of bread.

 

[AndyC]

thanks, I hope this works. Will I see any improvement soon?

 

[nnbreeder]

Usually in 12 or so hours the birds should perk up. And I forgot to add to treat the sick ones and seperate them out if you can while you are treating them. I would give a 7 day course of meds. I will PM a friend later on and get her to give you some more info. She is better at asking questions and such.

 

[nnbreeder]

If they have the Tylan-200 here is the dosage that many use. Swiped from another site.





Some people give the dosages below, it will be up to you to make the call as to how much you give you bird, as to how severe the problem is

For a bantam hen give between 0.1-0.2.ml .
For a larger fowl give between 0.2-0.3 just depends on its weight

 

[HollyTree]

I'm glad you were talking about this subject. I am new to chickens too. Bought my first ones 7/1 and have been battling what I suspect is coryza. The foul smelling head, yea, it'll knock you down.
I have rhode island reds and I guess they are about 16 weeks old now. I now have three (2 RIR & 1 Araucana) that have it. I've gave them 2 weeks of Duramycin 10 (tetracycline) and now a week of the antibacterial Sulmet liquid. They seem to improved a little.
I was dusting my chickens yesterday and was checking out their general health. Some have nasel discharge (some chicks stink, some don't), sneezing, bubbly looking right eye on the three.
They had it before I dusted them

But I can't really determine what I'm supposed to do. Kill the whole flock and start over? Keep the chickens I have...but can I eat them, eat the eggs? I'm talking when I have had them off meds. Will this continue to breed in any next generations.

 

[sammi]

the proper way to inject, is to alcohol the area.
the site should be in the meatiest part of the breast opposite the crop..angle away from the breastbone.
the needle should go in on an angle..and only needs to go in very little bit.
pull back on the plunger and see if you draw blood...if you do, remove the needle and move slightly over to another spot..repeat.
if no blood..inject the med...massage gently.
this is a muscle shot (IM)

you can also do a skin shot (SQ)..by pulling up some skin at the back of the neck, (also using alcohol)..needle slightly in, inject... massage the neck..

here is a quote from a friend knowledgable about meds and chickens:

"There's two trains of thought when it comes to treating a chicken with tylan: the first thought is: treat the bird every second day with a shot of tylan for a total of 3 shots max.
The second thought is: treat the bird (much more aggressively) with 2 shots per day for 5-7 full days of dosage,. Personally, I subscribe to the second way of thinking and it has worked well for me in the past. Coryza is so stubborn to treat and I fear that by giving the bird the "every second day with tylan" form of treatment that she is not getting enough medication."

dosage is 35mg/kg according to Merck Vet Manuel.

 

[Skip]

Coryza had a foul smell to the breath of infected chickens. Like rotting flesh. You will be able to recognize it instantly once you smell it, and you will never, EVER forget it.

I brought home a chicken with coryza once. It resulted in three long days of suffering for me. I had quarantined, and I noticed my rooster smelled kinda funny. And his breathing sounded odd, like he was breathing through a straw with smoothie in it. I did some research and found he had coryza.

The next day, I got up very early in 20 degree weather and several feet of snow to get rid of him. After that, I spent an hour freezing and shivering and wet, cleaning up every last trace of coryza-infected manure.

I spent the next two days worried sick about my laying flock, for although I had quarantined the bird, I had not practiced proper sanitation in tending to my laying flock FIRST, and then the rooster.

They were all right.

Coryza is NASTY, and it will never go away, even if the bird recovers. Stress will bring out another bout, with more fatalities. So much suffering for the chickens.