Help! I dont know what is wrong with my hen.

[thechickgal]

Hi I have a goldish colored hen I have only had her for 3 weeks, she has some unknown sickness. She came with a australorp which has been with her since. The other hen has not shown any sign of sickness at all except for her odd looking swelled feet. Which I can't figure that out either. The hen sneeze/coughs every once in a while and when I put an ear up to her I here odd noises like gurgle sounds. It doesn't seem to be contagious or the other hen would be sick too Also she gets this mucus type stuff on her beak every once in a while and it stinks. I have been giving her respiratory booster and it has helped some, but what is wrong with her? Would it be safe to add them to the flock? She doesn't seem to be contagious. Although she is highly under weight..

 

[CuckooOrpington]

Your hen has a respiratory disease of some sort. Respiratory diseases are among the most common type of diseases affecting chickens. They can be caused by bacteria, protozoa and viruses. Most are contagious, so even if it doesn't look like the disease is spreading may have already infected your flock and they could be carriers or whatever it is. Separate the infected bird immediately for the safety of your other hens.

Diagnosis is hard to do without a vet, there is many respiratory diseases but I have narrowed down the ones taht cause swelling in legs and rattly breathing.

I think it could be Infectious Synovitis, or M. synoviae, a bacterial infecion which is part of the Mycoplasma family. It's more common relative is Mycoplasma Gallisepticum. Mycoplasmas are the smallest living organisms capable of free existence. Unlike most bacteria, tehy lack a third wall so disinfectants easily rid a coop of this bacteria. Infectius synovitis can cause rattly breathing, lameness, swollen hocks, loss of weight, breast blisters and green diarrhea. It usually affects younger chickens.

Or it could be CRD, chronic respiratory disease, which affects the upper respiratory tract. CRD is usually introduced when a bird is already infected by another disease such as MG or Bronchitis. CRD is chronic so it lasts a long time and is characterized by sneezing, coughing, rattly breathing, watery eyes and sometimes swollen feet.

Another common one is infectious coryza, it can cause swollen feet, watery or puss filled eyes, gasping, rattly breathing, swollen face, swollen joints, spotted comb, mouth and nose dicharge and sudden death. It is a bacteria that is highly contagious and infected birds will have a very foul smelling nasal discharge, like something dead/rotting.

Otherwise it could be a variety of other diseases such as ORT, Fowl pox, avian influenza, newcastles disease, fowl cholera and others. As I said, it is impossible to diagnose her precisely without an avian vet.

Fortunately, almost all respiratory diseases can be treated with similar antibiotics. I suggest Tylan 50 Injectable, soluble rarely works well as Tylan and its relating drug, Gullimycin, are deactivated when they come in contact with stomach acids. You can get Tylan online or from a feed store taht supplies cattle products.

 

[thechickgal]

It sounds slot like it might be the chronic respiratory disease because she has all the signs of it, my other hen I got is the one with feet problems, they are scaly and swollen looking. Is CRD contagious bc I would like to add the australorp hen to the flock soon and she seems fine otherwise than her feet.

 

[lydiagirl99]

I'm not sure what her feet are looking like but she could have scaly let mites. They bury down into the scales in a chickens foot and make them appear to be bulging out. Try putting some Vaseline on them.
Here are some example pictures.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi I have a goldish colored hen I have only had her for 3 weeks, she has some unknown sickness. She came with a australorp which has been with her since. The other hen has not shown any sign of sickness at all except for her odd looking swelled feet. Which I can't figure that out either. The hen sneeze/coughs every once in a while and when I put an ear up to her I here odd noises like gurgle sounds. It doesn't seem to be contagious or the other hen would be sick too Also she gets this mucus type stuff on her beak every once in a while and it stinks. I have been giving her respiratory booster and it has helped some, but what is wrong with her? Would it be safe to add them to the flock? She doesn't seem to be contagious. Although she is highly under weight.. NO, do not add either one to your flock until you have any issues resolved.

Photos will be very helpful.

Almost all respiratory illnesses are contagious and exposed birds will be carriers of the virus - even if they never show signs of illness.

The one with the scaly foot, would like some photos, but suspect you are describing Scaly Leg Mites. Soak the legs/feet in some warm soapy water, then take a soft brush to clean the feet and legs. Dry. Apply some vaseline, A+D ointment, coconut oil to the legs. Apply oils/ointment to the legs once a day for at least 7days. Wash/soak the legs a few times in between.

The one that is "sick" with respiratory illness you mention she has mucous coming from her nose and it stinks. This could be an indication of Infectious Coryza. It could also be any one of the numerous other respiratory illnesses as well, but the "stink" is usually associated with Coryza. This is contagious. The other bird that is housed with her has been exposed.

Careful consideration and research done on your part will help you decide if what risk(s) if any, you are willing to accept if you decide to integrate these new birds into your flock.

Respiratory illnesses:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/82/infectious-coryza/
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1098850/eye-infections-chicks#post_16896172

Scaly leg mites:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/03/scaly-leg-mites-in-chickens.html

 

[harmesonfarm]

Is the hen you have sneezing also stretching her neck and opening her mouth? if so, i'd say possibly gapeworm could be a suspect as well especially if the other hen doesn't show the same signs.
But then again, I do not have much experience in these things...

as for the leg swells, I agree...first thing to come to mind would be scaly leg mites. We treated with vaseline and it worked great, took time and effort though but worth it.

Good luck!

 

[thechickgal]

No the hen just has rattling breathing but only some days for some reason and she hasn't been sneezing as much. She hasn't coughed for about a week either. She has gained a little more weight as well.