Help! i dont know what to do!

[jackdanielsjoe]

recently i purchased some buff orpingtons from a local sale. one hen was sick and has been kept in her own cage. the rest of the opringtons were isolated as well.. until one chicken decided they could jump to the rafters.. hop along the beams and get into my main flock.. and now all the young chickens, they are about three months old (australorps) are all sneezing and shaking there heads like they have runny noses. I have been googling for hours and I cant get ahead on this one.. the beaks I smelled of the sick ones smell like chicken poop. not rotting or puss.. just poopy where as the non sick ones smell like well. warm chicken lol..
I don't know if this sounds like a viral infection or what.. I culled that hen tonight as she was not getting better. it seems like its just the chicks.. the older birds.. six+ months all seem fine.. except one turkey.. I have started adding apple cider vinegar to their water and I uped the corn ration to heat up their food.
they are still eating and drinking normally. no diarrhea.. no loss in egg production from the older birds. I ALSO DELOUSED THEM ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AGO.. I don't know if the powder being there could have caused them a bit of trouble?


please help I need suggestions. should I antibiotic?
what do you guys recommend? I saw one thread that recommended culling the whole flock but I have sixty some chickens and they just started laying!!!

 

[BettyBlueSilkie]

have you seen any reactions or any shivering feet?

 

[jackdanielsjoe]

Nothing yet!

 

[chickenlover3]

It does sound viral. But you could still try some antibiotics, their are many bacterial diseases that have these same symptoms. Also try sulmit, it works for everything.
Hope you figure this thing out, best of luck!

 

[cafarmgirl]

You have two choices: You can watch very carefully and medicate if you see this progress further. Or you can medicate now with the intention of preventing pneumonia/secondary bacterial infections that are common in respiratory diseases, whether it be a viral or bacterial disease. If you start to hear wheezing or rattling breathing you definitely want to give antibiotic's.

Infectious coryza does cause a smell around the head of sick chickens, I've not experienced it myself to know what it smells like but if your sick chickens smelled bad that could be a possibility. There is no way to know exactly what they have however without having lab work or a necropsy done if one passes. With that many birds to deal with it would be very helpful to you to know exactly what this is. It would help you decide if you need to cull or if you want to try to manage this.

Some diseases can be treated and the birds will do quite well, possibly with an occasional flare up. Other diseases seem to just keep coming back over and over.