How to treat Coughing Chickens with New No-Antibiotic law

[Lelilamom]

How did you use Vetrx? I tried it on my coughing chick but I only swabbed her beak and inside of her mouth with a cotton swab.

The VetRX we bought came with a dropper top so we put three drops in everyone's mouth each night for a week.

If you can?...Heat the coop over night?...If coop is too warm?..Better ventilation ...Lots if times these things will clear up on their own...

We have never heated the coop and we have open windows and pop door year round, although the coop this year is quite dusty with lots of cobwebs. I really feel the warm weather followed by three weeks of rain and temps in the 40s is the culprit. This week, we're back in the 80's so hopefully that will help. A few girls with mucusy coughs this morning but overall everyone seems ok.

 

[chickens really]

That's promising....

 

[Lelilamom]

Where in NY are you? I'm in the northern portion and I'm dealing with something similar in my birds. Brought by some new birds that were carriers (I'm suspecting, they haven't become ill yet). I've been treating with Tylan50 injections and most of them are really improving but I have a Brahma that I may have to tube hydrate and feed tonight.

Sorry about your Brahma not doing well. We chose not to use Tylan because it lasts so long in the eggs and we didn't want to throw away so many eggs. All our birds are still eating and drinking without a problem. We are on the other side of the Adirondacks from you - south of Lake George.

 

[Lelilamom]

Quick update - none of our birds are coughing. We hear an occasional snicker every few days from random hens though it doesn't sound phlegym or mucusy so we don't think it's related.

On a sad note, the original Amber Rock "Ethel" who was coughing first and only for a few days, died in her sleep last night while on the roosting bar. She never showed any signs of illness except for coughing those few days several weeks ago. She never stopped eating or drinking and just four days ago was beating up our rooster for trying to mate with a fellow hen. She never laid down in a nesting box, never was lethargic, never slowed down, or stopped chatting. Last night, she was on the roosting bar when I put everyone away for the night and she chatted me up while I counted. When I peaked in the coop this morning she was dead on the poop board under her roosting spot. She was 4.5 years old.

So Long Ethel. We love you.

 

[Saaniya]

Do they have any other symptoms besides the coughing? (sneezing, mucous, watery eyes, etc.)

It's hard to know what the cause would be, respiratory illness, dust, mold/fungus or poor ventilation in the coop are all to be considered.

Antibiotics will not cure respiratory illness, but can help with any secondary infections that accompany them. If the coughing is due to dust/ventilation problems, molds/fungus or ammonia buildup, then generally antibiotics will not be effective unless there is infection.

You can try something like VetRx to see if that helps give them some relief.

If you see no improvement you could try injectable Tylan50. This can be given orally or by injection. Most feed stores still carry injectables or you can purchase them online. Water soluble antibiotics were changed to prescription at the beginning of the year.

Let us know how they are doing.

Tootoo sneeze & cough when he's in box in the morning .
And throughout the day outside I never notice
Is his own Dander make him.cough ?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Tootoo sneeze & cough when he's in box in the morning .
And throughout the day outside I never notice
Is his own Dander make him.cough ?

That's a good question @Saaniya
Could be dander, bedding, poop or does he sleep with his head tucked under? Is he clearing his nares in the mornings maybe?

 

[Saaniya]

That's a good question @Saaniya
Could be dander, bedding, poop or does he sleep with his head tucked under? Is he clearing his nares in the mornings maybe?

Yeah he sleep sitting on a perch I made with a round cylindrical pillow
I only notice him coughing at morning time because there's poop there's dander otherwise throughout the day no sneeze no cough he play all over
He made me freaking out lol
We can't do anything for dander until the fans on

 

[Mark_]

My WET MASH PROBIOTIC RECIPE withVit E and Vit B Complex and Selenium added to the wet mash

is very good for all chickens especially sick chickens.

For this problem I recommend my wet mash probiotic with yoguart be given.

I prefer to use the wet mash probiotic that includes chicken feed, yoguart and milk with applesauce

because chickens will eat the yoguart completely in the wet mash where as some chickens will not just eat yoguart ans it gets on their beaks, of which then they throw it away when cleaning the beaks

as you will notice if staanding too close to them eating the yoguart

So read on down where I give the recipe

some advice for helping the chicken get over the lathargice

I would suggest and advanced case of E.coli.

due to the illness the chicken has.

With all that is noted here is some good help that I have found to work for the health of the chicken

So here is what I would do at this time to help the chicken get to feeling better

This is for single bird and I would isolate the bird so you know what she is eating

if you do not have a rabbit cage you can put her in the garage in a dog carrier till she is better

I would start with the Vit E and Vit B complex and selenium with wet mash

A)

chickens do get some upset in the gut with E.coli and then it goes to a nervous disorder

natural probiotic wet mash with Vit E and Vit B complex nd selenium added immediately

basically the chicken has some nerve damage from the E.coli do this immediately

need neurolodigal vit E and Vit B complex and Selenium for E.coli and the nervous disorder Also the apple cider vineager in water

(1) 2 tbsp acv per gallon of water till chickens are well and then 2 times a week for life

for one chicken use 1 tbsp of ACV

1 pint of water IF DOCTORING WITH MEDICATION DO NoT USE ACV IN WATER

until the chicken is off medication

(2 immediately give the chicken 1000 mg capsule of liquid Vit E by cutting the end of the capsule and taking the vit E liquid and mix in wet mash probiotic

(2-B) total amt of capsules equals the total amt of chickens fed vit's multiply amt of recipe times amt of chickens fed it and the amt of vit's times amt of chickens given them

(3 also need to crush a vit B complex pill in tabsp and add tsp of water to it

put it in the chickens wet mash after it is dissolved.

D the same with the Selenium tablet and add to wet mash

(3-C) then give this to the chicken twice a week for two weeks should see much improvement

after the chicken has eaten the wet mash probiotic clean wet feeder and restock dry crumble feed.

(4 Do three Vit's twice today then for 7 days till you see some improvement in the chicken

(5 today I would see if the chicken will eat a wet mash with the Vitamins E and B complex and Selenium

(-B) THIS IS FOR ONE CHICKEN

natural probiotic wet mash

2 tbp of dry crumbles

1 tbsp flax seed meal (the kind people take)

3 tbp of milk sweet, sour or buttermilk

1 tbsp of non flavored yogurt

2 tbsp of apple sauce

put it on top so the chicken can smell and see it

mix good and put the

vit E liquid as directed in the wet mash

and crumble the Vit B complex tablet in a tabsp and add to the wet mash

do same with Selenium tablet and add to wet mash.

**BESURE AND MIX VIT'S VERY GOOD IN WET MASH***

(6 Do this twice a day for 7 days to see if the chicken is better

then do this once a day for another week then once a week for a while

this should give the nervous system some stability and cure the bad E.coli in the gut

(6-A) they should clean it up in 20-30 minutes

this will help them get good gut flora

also put 2 tbsp of ACV in gallon of water and keep giving them this water for a week straight

then give it 3-5 times a week for life

Glenda Heywood Cassville Missouri

Do Vitamin B complex and Vitamin E work also if i give them pills