Help! I have a hen with big welts on her head mucus bubbling from eye

[cutlass1972]

I just went out to my coop and inspected all birds for symptoms. I took the 3 that had symptoms and culled them. I took away their food and water, I will sterilize them and return them in the morning. I will keep culling until the symptoms stop showing up.

I really hate this.... A VERY VALUABLE lesson has been learned. No new birds will enter my flock until they have been isolated for a month.

the sad thing is only one of the 10 new birds have been affected thus far. the other 4 (thus far) have been from my very original flock that I raised from week old chicks.

I REALLY hope that it is canker and not a simple cold that I have been killing my hens for.

 

[Barrett Farm]

Cutlass1972...I'm on board with you.

Instead of treating the 5 infected birds, we are going to cull them tomorrow. I read on a pigeon forum that even if treated, the pigeon dies or succumbs to the lesions. And even if treated they can shed the illness without symptoms showing. If my hen is always on medication, we can't eat the eggs, she is virtually useless. (I am okay with keeping useless hens as long as they are healthy.)

I am going to fence off the nursery in the chicken coop (which I don't usually do until spring) and instead of using poultry wire only to separate the chicks from the hens, I will use wire and cardboard to prevent any saliva or feces from crossing over. I will work on preparing the nursery to be free of anything that can infect new chicks. I am going to watch the remaining 5 birds for new symptoms and cull them as soon as they become symptomatic. Until it all settles down in the next four weeks and I know we are clear and free, no other birds will be introduced into the coop. I will continue to disinfect the waterer every day and add cleaners to the bird baths in the yard.

As soon as all the dust settles and the symptoms cease, we will start with fresh chicks.

The photo you posted looked like one of my Buff Orp that we culled. We mistook it for cancer and tumors associated with old age. Five hens later, no ten hens later, we learn it is much more serious.

Other backyard chicken owners, look into your hens' mouths on a regular basis. Keep this illness out of your flock! It's a real heart breaker!

Cutlass1972, feel free to contact me directly if you need support.

 

[cutlass1972]

I called the state vet, she recommended a fellow that is apparently the foremost authority on poultry in the state. He recommended we bring one of our birds in for a necropsy. We took them one of our birds.
The vet called us and told us that it was not croyoza as I feared but some sort of avian cholera. He recommended sulmet for 7 days. I had already been giving it to them for a few days and they had already begun improving. They are almost completely recovered at this point. He also informed me that the do not carry it, oncey they are completely healed I am free to introduce more chicks in the spring.

 

[jenjscott]

That's great news, cutlass. Not that they have cholera, but that they won't be carriers, and that now you have an answer.

 

[Glenda Heywoodo]

Wet Mash probiotic mash for stressed chickens
wet mash probiotic with vit E and B complex
the duramycin will help if it is just a respiratory disease of sorts
but even dosing with duramycin helps very little
I would opt for aureomycin or tylan 50 if you got a active case of respiratory disease
why not go to the search here at BYC and research respiratory diseases
there is much good information here
and research canker on the foy's pigeon supply site
email me any questions
Basically the bird has some E.coli from the stress and such
the best thing to do is this
For the gut problem and help the body heal all other problems
here is my suggestion for the birds
do this
now the
natural probiotic recipe is this:
1 qt of dry feed crumbles
1-1/2 qt of milk, sweet, sour, or buttermilk or a mixture of all or some
1 cup of yoguart of non flavored yoguart ( no artificial sweetmer)
mix good
SINGLE CHICKEN (for more multiply by amount of birds needing this formula)
3 tbsp of dry crumbles
4 tbsp of milk
1 tbsp of yoguart
1 tbsp of apple sauce put on top of mixture for chickens taste
AFTER PUTTING vitamins in
after vit's are mixed in add the applesauce last for taste to chickens
PUT 1 TSP per chicken OF APPLE SAUCE FOR THE WET MASH PROBIOTIC
NOW THE IMPORTANT INGRIEDIENT FOR EACH CHICKEN FED
and add 1- 1000 mg of Vit E by cutting the end off the vit E capsule for each chicken fed this wet mash
also 1 Vit B complex crushed and
putting it in the wet mash
OR FOR each chicken your treating
so for each chicken use 3 tbsp of mixture and 1-1000 mg of Vit E and a Vit B complex
twice a day for one wekk
them till the manure is solid and regular colored with white tip
and feed each chicken
3 tbsp full of the wet mash probiotic and what they will clean up in 20-30 minutes
then clean wet feeders and restock dry crumbles
do this twice a day for a week
till the chicken's manure is right
then quit the Vit E and Vit B complex make just the wet mash probiotic
then once a week for life

2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar per gallon of the chicken water so their gut flora wil be regulated
they should have this at least 3-5 days a week
then three days aweek after they are over coccidiosis
the vit's are neccessary to clean up the damaged gut problem
take all the electrolytes out of the water
GlendaHeywood Cassville Missouri

 

[Nancy112]

OK the welts will get almost as big as golfball inject anti biotics into thigh or breast