help! runny eyes, rattled breathing, won't eat or drink

[kellygreen]

I took in a stray rooster almost a week ago to add to my 4 hens (all almost one year old). Yesterday I noticed my favorite girl (an easter egger) had a runny eye - by night time it was white and foamy. Today no discharge, but she's clearly sick. No interest in food, can barely keep her eyes open, sometimes I hear rattled breathing. I'm assuming it's coryza from what I'm reading online, though there's no foul smell.
Please, any advice would be appreciated!! Except culling - not an option. These are loved pets.

 

[chickenzoo]

Seems like the boy brought in a respitory illness. Always quarantine for 30 days at least with a new bird before adding to flock. That said, you will need to treat her with Tylan 50 cattle injectable..I find at Tractor supply... It is best injected under skin..but you can dribble in beak. 1/2 cc for standard hen twice a day for 3-4 days. They may always have it and it may spread from your shoes, cloths or hands..so take precautions..... If not drinking mix half water with half poultry vitamins and inject a few ccs under loose skin ontop of shoulder area. Best wishes

 

[kellygreen]

Thanks for the info!
My vet got back to me and just suggested going to the feed store for antibiotics. I'm reading about sulfadimethoxine - sulfa-max, etc - any experience with these? Preventative treatment in the water for the flock??

I have her inside, since I saw a lower rung hen take a peck shot at her. She won't eat or drink. I'll start a new thread for that, but any advice on force feeding?

 

[chickenzoo]

Tylan will be your best bet. Anything powdered the feed store sells is almost useless for it.
Try warm scrambled eggs, you can put it in her beak and try to get her to swallow by rubbing the back of her head. Baby parrot feeding formula is great stuff, it mixes with water and has a lot of nutrients. Easy to squirt in mouth. For drinking do as I suggested under the skin so her body will absorb something. Forcing liquid in a bird that won't drink by mouth can aspirate them if you are not very careful.

 

[kellygreen]

Ugh - trips to two feed stores, neither have Tylan. I was sold teroxy HCA-280 and "vetRX" , which is basically alcohol with camphor, balsam and rosemary oils. More like snake oil.

 

[chickenzoo]

I get it from Tractor Supply company. You can order it from Jeffers livestock if no one carries it near you. In the mean time if someone has Sulmet , it can help some..... Or children's cold and flu medicine...1/4 cc

 

[NovaAman]

Also... treat every one. Foamy/bubbly eye is a good indicator of MG, it can spread pretty rapidly through your flock. You will need to read up on this illness. You are going to have some decisions to make, like possibly getting a throat swab done on all of your birds to eliminate or verify this is what you have and then go from there. OR assume this is what you have and go from there.

Good luck.

 

[NovaAman]

I get it from Tractor Supply company. You can order it from Jeffers livestock if no one carries it near you. In the mean time if someone has Sulmet , it can help some..... Or children's cold and flu medicine...1/4 cc

I would assume this would be orally? I would have never thougth to use childrens cold and flu. I will keep it in mind though!

 

[chickenzoo]

Whoops...correct, orally.

 

[kellygreen]

I hadn't even come across MG in my searches! SOunds like it's very much like Coryza?

I'm giving all the birds this Teroxy HCA 280 in the water, and managed to get the sick one to drink a little bit with a syringe. But with most of it spilling, I have no idea what I'm giving her.
The others don't have symptoms, but it sounds like it's just a matter of time.