Help with possible respiratory illness??

[briannajustine]

Hi all,

I have a very old girl that I rescued two or so months ago and have been nursing back to health. She’s been going really well until maybe two weeks ago when she started coughing. The coughing seem to happen most when she’s eating too quickly or if she over exerts herself. She also sometimes coughs a clear, odourless liquid from her beak, usually when her head is down to eat. She has been sneezing every now and then as well and scratched her face a lot like she is irritated. I’ve checked in her mouth and throat as best as I could and I can’t see any obstructions or anything unusual. She does sound almost like she’s crackling when she breaths.
Her appetite is still the same as before and she’s still drinking a lot, and seems to have the same amount of energy. There hasn’t really been a change in her poop or anything either, and no bad breath that I’ve noticed.
I gave her a round of a broad spectrum antibiotic when I first noticed symptoms (I think for 4-5 days) however I went away on the day it finished and when I came back after a week she was coughing, so I’m not sure if it helped but then came back, or it didn’t make a difference at all. None of my other girls seem to have any symptoms. I’m also in aus so it’s not avian flu or anything like that.

Does this sound like a respiratory infection? If so, is there anything else I can do to help? I’ve started her on another round of antibiotics, a different one this time.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is hard to know if she has a chronic respiratory disease such as MG (mycoplasma gallisepticum, CRD) without testing. MG can cause bubbles or foam in an eye, eyelid or face swelling, and congestion, among other symptoms. What antibiotic did you use, oxytetracycline or another? If it helped clear it, it may need to be given once in awhile when she has symptoms. Denagard or Tiamulin is an antibiotic used in flocks with chronic respiratory disease, and you might try that one if the one you have used is not affective. MG or CRD is just that—chronic and it is a lifelong disease, and symptoms can go away for a time.

 

[briannajustine]

It is hard to know if she has a chronic respiratory disease such as MG (mycoplasma gallisepticum, CRD) without testing. MG can cause bubbles or foam in an eye, eyelid or face swelling, and congestion, among other symptoms. What antibiotic did you use, oxytetracycline or another? If it helped clear it, it may need to be given once in awhile when she has symptoms. Denagard or Tiamulin is an antibiotic used in flocks with chronic respiratory disease, and you might try that one if the one you have used is not affective. MG or CRD is just that—chronic and it is a lifelong disease, and symptoms can go away for a time.

She doesn’t have any bubbling or foam in her eyes, and no face swelling at all. Just the cough and funny sounds when she breathes.
I used this antibiotics as I had it on hand and it says it is used to treat respiratory infections and I have used it in the past for the same reason and it has been successful and cleared it up within a day or two.

 

[briannajustine]

She doesn’t have any bubbling or foam in her eyes, and no face swelling at all. Just the cough and funny sounds when she breathes.
I used this antibiotics as I had it on hand and it says it is used to treat respiratory infections and I have used it in the past for the same reason and it has been successful and cleared it up within a day or two.

 

[Eggcessive]

If it helped clear up the symptoms before, then it is probably MG. One doesn’t have to have all of the symptoms of MG, but the fact that it helped is a clue. Antibiotics do not treat viruses, but can treat MG. It doesn’t really matter unless you get her tested if she has symptoms. Hopefully, she will clear up again and get better.

 

[ChknMama50]

I noticed this from following up on a diff. thread...

Did you ever find out? She's a beauty!
Wondering as you said you "rescued" her and noticed in the photo of her she's with another chicken which made me wonder:
If a chicken has CRD- such as MG- and it's just that- chronic and uncurable- can you ever integrate them in with your flock without passing it to all of them? or is it ok once they're not symptomatic? Not sure about how each is passed to other chickens... (droplet, etc)
(No resp prob here yet so haven't read up much about them...(about the only thing thank God! ;-) ) but just trying to educate myself as much as possible- hate chasing my tail when things go bad! Plus we want to get more chickens someday as all mine have or prob will have reproductive issues (due to breeding, I'm learning ;-( )...pretty sure we'd order chicks from a breeder but just in case an "opportunity" arises, I'd like to have a good reason to say NO if things like this can't be controlled- even if you see no symptoms! (know you'd isolate them at first to begin with but assume they could go quite some time without becoming symptomatic!)
I'm also preparing for the argument here- of getting layers (vs just chicks) since we're down to 5 with several of them having major issues... ;-)