I think my chicken has a cold, what do I do?

[CampineBuddy]

Hi everyone!

I'm pretty sure that she has a cold though I could be wrong.

Symptoms: Sneezing, loud breathing (like there is mucus in the windpipe).

So will she get better on her own or is there something I could be giving her to help make her better?

Please reply!

Carmen.

 

[dlhunicorn]

http://www.afn.org/~poultry/newsletr/1996/psep96.pdf
Chicken Medications
by Dr. James Barton and Clarence Gillihan
(excerpt)
".....Bacterial Diseases:
Purchase a bottle of Tylan 50 and several 3cc
syringes with 25 to 30 gauge 1/2" needles. Give your
hen 1 to 1 1/2 cc. of Tylan under the skin of the neck .........Continue daily injections for three days but not more than five. Withdrawal time is one month. Tylan
does not have much activity against coccidia, but it is very good against Mycoplasma bacteria which is responsible for some respiratory diseases.

To inject Tylan 50, pull the hens feathers back
to reveal the skin on base of the the neck on her back.
Lift the skin up and insert the needle gentlty but firmly into the skin just far enough to allow the Tylan to be injected. You will be able to feel it. Be careful that you do not inject yourself. Make certain that you do not push the needle through the skin and out again not injecting
at all...........................
Because Tylan is so powerful, it is recommended
that you purchase some Beneficial Bird Bacteria
and feed it to your chicken after she recovers.
Tylan wipes out all the benficial bacteria that is normally present in a chickens digestive system. Also, Tylan can kill skin cells near the site of the injection so you should not use anything stronger than Tylan 50 - a stronger variety, Tylan-200 is also available at your local feed store, but this will likely do more harm than good.
When purchasing syringes, get them from a
local drug store. The 'human' grade needles are a little sharper than the vetrinary grade. The cost is about the same and your hen will thank you...."

 

[rooster-red]

These are usually signs of a respiratory illness and not a cold.

You can start by giving unfiltered apple cider vinegar in their water to stimulate the immune system.

Then use the search function using sneezing as a keyword, there are lots of threads posted with info on this subject.

 

[d.k]

* Hi, Carmen- Welcome to BYC! Sorry to hear your girl is sick. She needs to be isolated from the rest of the flock. Keep her in a warm area, and make sure she's drinking. You should add electrolytes to the water & vitamins. Rooster Red is right. Respiratory illness in all birds is serious and needs to be treated quickly. You will likely need to give antibiotics as well and need to consider treating the flock as well. (Ed: Sorry, dl-- missed your post there.)

 

[sammi]

follow dlhunicorn's suggestions.

have someone hold the bird..wrapping the bird in a towel helps keep from flapping.

use alcohol with cotton swab or an alcohol wipe to clean the area and make it easier to push the feathers back and get a clear view of the area.

any more questions..just ask.

 

[cath]

In the past when one of mine have had a cold/respiratory problem, I have treated them with medication as dlhunicorn has advised and when I shower or bath I took her into the bathroom with me so the steam from the hot water will help to clear her airways, and keeping her warm ensuring she is taking in plenty of fluids.

 

[CampineBuddy]

Thanks for the help everyone! I was wondering though if there is a kind of treatment that I can put in to their water dishes. It would be alot easier then having to inject her with a needle for me.

Carmen.

 

[dlhunicorn]

There is also a water soluable tylan but it is not as effective as the injection .

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Don't you know? The very best thing to give chickens with colds is...


Human Noodle Soup !!!


But really, now, it may not be necessary to medicate your chicken so heavily for what could be a simple cold. You will have to make that decision, and take the risk that it could be a more serious respiratory disease that could affect that bird & the rest of your flock.

In my experience, when I have one or more chickens who are just sneezing & wheezing but otherwise acting normal, eating & going about their bird businesses, I figure it's just a simple cold. Sometimes it spreads to other birds, sometimes not. Sometimes I'll isolate that bird, often not, figuring the cold germs have already spread.

I treat their colds with garlic -- grated fresh cloves mixed in big plastic plant saucers with their layer pellets topped with hot water to make "oatmeal", sprinkled with red pepper flakes, also garlic powder or whole cloves spun in the blender added to their waterers. I'll add a few splashes of ACV to both their food & water. I also apply Vicks Vap-O-Rub to their combs & wattles & under their wings at night. I do this until the symptoms disappear, usually within a week.

There's also a product called Vet Rx that has an analegisic affect like the Vicks, sometimes I'll use that if I have it on hand.

The last time some in the layer flock had colds I called my vet who advised putting Terramycin in their water. Which I did for a week, and had to discard their eggs for some time afterwards. At the same time my meat birds also caught colds. I didn't want to give them antibiotic since they were so close to butchering, so I gave them garlic & prayers.

Both flocks got better at the same time.

You have to make the call for your own flock, if you suspect a serious respiratory illness or think it's a simple cold. I don't want to give you bad advice & have your chickens get worse because you didn't follow an aggressive treatment.

But with chickens, as with humans, I think that if you treat a cold with medication you'll get better in 7 days, left untreated it'll last a week.

 

[Okiegent]

Try vet X You can purchase it at most feed stores works wonders on colds and scally leggs. Follow directions on bottle it is easy to use and want harm your bird.