horrible coughing and honking from hen

[dgh]

this chicken now sounds like this.

ONLY WORSE. loud constant honking like a newly crowing rooster.

the rooster is also doing it now.

what should I treat with??

I will isolate the hen tonight. not sure about the rooster yet.

started coughing on Friday last and I treated water with oxytetracycline . I have 60 birds , vaccinated for Mareks and this bird is about 6 mo old.

 

[minihorse927]

She has a respiratory illness. Are they eating and drinking good?

 

[minihorse927]

If you have two of them doing it remove them immediately from the others

 

[minihorse927]

Depending upon whether they are eating well and drinking well depends on what type of antibiotic to use. The best thing I've personally found for treating respiratory illness is tylan 50 injectable or Tylovet soluble. The soluble is mixed with water. The tylan 50 is injected into the breast and the dosage is .2cc per pound of body weight.

Respiratory illness can spread like wildfire through a flock so seperate anyone who is showing the slightest symptoms from the others to prevent further spread.

 

[Eggcessive]

This sounds like something is in the airway such as mucus, feed, etc. If there is sneezing, watery eyes, or nasal drainage, it is most likely a respiratory disease such as mycoplasma, bronchitis, ILT or others. Google common respiratory diseases in chickens for good articles. Seek out vet treatment if available, or go to your feed store to look for Tylan or oxytetracycline. Those antibiotics will not be available after 2016. Any sick birds should be separated and if you lose one orcull, get a necropsy to see what you are dealing with. Most respiratory diseases can spread throughout a flock, making them carriers sometimes for life. These common diseases can show up in chickens within days to a couple of weeks after exposure.

 

[dgh]

I moved the 2 birds. I did not see any discharge, but I have a hard time seeing. I will try again. I am treating with oxytetracycline.

If they are taking it off the market, I may stock up.

 

[minihorse927]

I moved the 2 birds. I did not see any discharge, but I have a hard time seeing. I will try again. I am treating with [COLOR=333333] oxytetracycline.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=333333]If they are taking it off the market, I may stock up.[/COLOR]

the water soluble and feed mixed medications are coming off the market. Injectible will still be available.

Hold your ear to her chest and see if you hear rattling or congestion

 

[dgh]

I picked one sneezing chicken up and did not hear rattling, but the cough/sneeze morphs into a honk in a few of them. I got 2 this am who were sneezing. All these birds are from a new batch who roost together,. born in June.

Tonight I will be able to get others, if there are any, as they roost and add them to the infirmary. there are, btw, all types of fruit, vegs, nuts, grains and oxytetracycline/electorlite/vet rx infused water is exclusively available for all the chickens.

There is no way for me to tell if this is more than cold at this point. no one is dead. In addition, after one day on oxytetracycline I think there MAY be some reduction in coughing which would lead me to believe it is just a cold. I have read,however, that a cough can become a chronic respiratory condition which can spread.

My experience is that sick chickens need to be culled. I am not killing (so far) 6 new chickens who will actually let me pick them up.

I bought 10 oxytetracycline from Jeffers. If this is coming off the market I assume it is so that the State can monitor who has sick chickens. If a Vet has to write a prescription the State has the power to gather that info. In my State they would seize the entire flock. kill them all and THEN autopsy them. I have seen this done.

 

[minihorse927]

They claim it is to stop the large livestock operations from feeding low level antibiotics to increase weight gain. The USDA wants this practice to stop. I also believe they want to track who has what getting sick to keep us under their thumb :/

 

[minihorse927]

I can not blame you for not wanting to kill 6 chickens who are most likely treatable. As long as your not breeding and selling from those birds than I see it as no problem when you treat the sickness. I would keep them on the oxy if it seems to be helping and continue dosing for 2 days after symptoms subside from the flock.