I think this hen is sick!!!

[Candy1977]

My husband bought me 4 BSL today at the local swap and I guess he didn't pay attention to them. I think at least one is sick!! I also notice some clear drainage out of his nose!!

 

[Candy1977]

One of the other hens he got today is closing her eye!! I removed all 4 of them from my buffs.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is always a good idea to quarantine new birds for at least a month just to watch for symptoms of illness, look for mites and lice, and possibly to worm them. Poultry swaps are risky places to buy chickens, especially since they may be exposed to diseases from other chickens there. Some people don't seem to be bothered by selling sick birds. Many respiratory diseases such as MG, coryza, ILT and others can make carriers of a whole flock for life, so be cautious if you decide to keep them. Maybe they are stressed from the swap or being moved. Sneezing, rattly breathing, nasal and eye drainage are common symptoms. The FDA removed most antibiotics from feed stores in Dec 2016. Now all you can get is injectable Tylan 50 or 200. Those can be given orally or by breast injections. Let me know if you need dosages, and you will need syringes with needles to remove it from the bottle.

 

[Candy1977]

Thank you so much. I do not think we are going to keep them. I will NEVER buy from a swap again. I am a new chicken owner and I learned my lesson.

I hope I didn't expose my completely healthy Buffs to it. They were in there for about 2 hours til I really noticed it.

 

[Eggcessive]

When I first got chicks and they were still in my brooder in my living room, I went to my first large poultry swap at an area flea market. I noticed quite a few sick looking chickens, and some with beak deformities. Luckily we did not bring any home, but I worried that I brought germs home on my shoes. The more you learn about chicken diseases and how they are spread, you realize that even buying a chicken from even a seemingly good poultry breeder, can be dangerous. I will only buy baby chicks from hatcheries now.