The hen in question is a Cinnamon queen, approximately 6-7 months old. She free ranges most of the day with the rest of the flock, but sleeps in a coop with just her and a RIR as they were older and have only been exposed to the new pullets for the last month or so. Two weeks ago she began sneezing often. At least I think it's a sneeze: sort of a high pitched squeak, sometimes in bunches of 2-3 and she will shake her head while it happens. After a week or so of that, her voice changed such that her vocalizations became hoarse. To me, her call sounded exactly like a donkey. I didn't notice any nasal discharge or changes around the eyes. Her eating, drinking, laying, and energy levels all seemed unchanged. I didn't notice any change in weight, or in the composition of her stool, although with free ranging I could have missed some occasional abnormal stool. Nobody else in the flock ever exhibited any of these symptoms.
I starter her, and the rest of the flock, on TiaGard with concerns it could be MG. The TiaGard didn't seem to help and, after about a week of treatment, she passed in the middle of the night. She just woke up about 1:30 AM, shrieked loudly for about 30 seconds, and then dropped dead off of her roost (I have cameras). Any ideas a) what this could have been b) what I should have done differently, and c) if the rest of my flock is at risk now?
Thank you in advance for any advice or input.
- Chris
I starter her, and the rest of the flock, on TiaGard with concerns it could be MG. The TiaGard didn't seem to help and, after about a week of treatment, she passed in the middle of the night. She just woke up about 1:30 AM, shrieked loudly for about 30 seconds, and then dropped dead off of her roost (I have cameras). Any ideas a) what this could have been b) what I should have done differently, and c) if the rest of my flock is at risk now?
Thank you in advance for any advice or input.
- Chris
