How long to quarantine hen with bronchitis?

[Mammachix]

Hi,

I have a ten-month-old red sex link hen who is recovering from what I am guessing was an infectious bronchitis. Her only symptoms were sneezing and a mucous-y rattle when breathing. She ate fine, no discharge smelly or otherwise, no diarrhea, good appetite and energy. We immediately separated her and after two days of Tetracycline in the water that had no impact, have been giving her daily injections of Tylan-50. After three days of injections, she is sounding much better.

There are no other signs of infection in the flock, although one hen is having an episode of orange-poops, but it doesn't seem to be spreading through the flock.

So, here is my tentative plan: wait three more days to make sure sick hen is on the mend. Bring in one other hen to hang out with her and see if that new friend gets sick. If not, then about ten days later, and once it warms back up a bit, I would put them both back into the coop. It's about zero degrees in upstate NY right now.

I've read that she will always be a carrier for whatever she had, but I'm wondering basically, if this would be a good way to re-integrate her to the flock? She is my best layer of the flock: three eggs in the past four days, when the other eight hens are giving me two a day right now! Oh, and she is having a blast being a house hen: late nights, quick oats for treats, and naps in front of the wood stove. So spoiled!

Thanks for any ideas. I've learned so much in the past week reading prior posts, but this isn't an answer I've been able to find in my research.

 

[kelck22]

You said it yourself, there is a chance she will always be a carrier depending on what she had. That means she can always get other hens sick, forever.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between infectious bronchitis and a mild case of mycoplasma gallisepticum (CRD.) IB will usually go through your flock pretty quick exposing up to 100% of your birds, and has fairly mild symptoms for grown hens. It doesn't respond to antibiotics, and lasts about a month or so. MG tends to move slower, and symptoms can vary depending on the strain, sometimes with swelling of the face and eyes. MG birds are carriers for life, where IB birds may be carriers for up to a year. Most of your birds have probably already been exposed, but some may not get sick, but still be carriers. The only way you can be sure of what they have it to get one tested. Here is some info:
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/78/infectious-bronchitis-ib
http://umaine.edu/livestock/poultry/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-faq/

 

[Mammachix]

Hi,

Thanks so much for the reply. I read the linked articles (again I think!) and I don't think she had mycoplasma as her egg production remains outstanding...best in the flock right now at an egg almost every day, in the middle of winter with an unlit coop. No coughing, no swelling, no other symptoms that would match. Whatever she had did respond to the antibiotics, so that might rule out the IB. The only other symptom is that one or possibly two other hens are having orange-ish diarrhea. The sick hen has normal feces though, so it may not be related at all.

My husband thinks she was totally faking it...a little wheezing, a few sneezes, and bam! back into the warm house for the month. The other twenty hens are dealing with subzero temps outside right now and she is living it up large in the big house!