If it's not coryza, what is it?

[Tricia5099]

I have had my birds for 3 years now, I had a oppusum get into my coop and catch a silkie. I walked in to close up shop and there the oppusum was, I had a shovel in my hand. You can assume what happened to the oppusum. The silkie was alive and made it. All the chicks had symptoms of coryza. Swollen eyes, bubbly eyes, sneezing, some runny noses, and dying birds. I thought for sure it was coryza but never sent in for a necropsy. Every year there is usually a flare up in winter and we loose a couple beloved birds. I have show quality polish chickens that are vaccinated for coryza. With the weather getting cold and the frost coming out I movd them into the coop. They don't sneeze or anything, their eyes aren't swollen. But I did notice one of the roos eyes were stuck close. I have not had the chance to work them open, but I will today. One eye was a little crusty. So if they don't have coryza what do my birds have? I thought worms? But my ducks are housed in the same area and I have never lost a duck. What do you all think?

 

[chicknmania]

If there is a high mortality rate the chances are good that it could be ILT. (Infectious Laryngeotracheitis) It is highly contagious, and there's a high mortality rate. Symptoms CAN be rattly breathing, a strange breath odor, bloody sputum from coughing, bloody discharge, swollen and/ or discharging eyes, and of course lethargy and poor appetite. Birds do not necessarily have to exhibit all those symptoms. It is carried by migrating wild birds, so of course spring and fall are times when it spreads. In many states, ILT is a mandatory cull, but not everywhere.

I strongly suggest you get a necropsy done. Best results come from a bird that is necropsied within twenty four hours of death. Dont freeze the bird. You seriously need to know what you are dealing with, or you can lose your whole flock. Isolate any sick birds and disinfect like crazy. The best thing you can use to disinfect with is Oxine. It's not the cheapest stuff in the world, but it is very effective and a little goes a long way. You can mix 1/4 cup in a gallon of water, and put in spray bottle, and just spray everything where they've been, You can even mist the birds themselves with it, and put a few drops of pure Oxine in their drinking water too. If you want to you can start the whole flock on antibiotics. It will not cure the ILT, but it will help the birds combat any secondary infections and give them some support. There is a way to stop ILT from spreading...if you find that's what it is, don't cull just yet. Unless it's mandatory.

Also, it may not be ILT, (just for your peace of mind) but CRD does not have a high mortality rate, and nothing else comes to mind, right now. Anyway, point being, you need to know now! And don't delay. Necropsies can take a while.

 

[chicknmania]

Have you lost adult birds too, or just the chicks? Is your flock closed or have you brought in new birds recently? Were the chicks from your flock, or somewhere else? And when's the last time you lost one? If it's just the chicks dying and you haven't lost any adult birds, that's a better sign, but like I said, you still need to know.

 

[casportpony]

I have had my birds for 3 years now, I had a oppusum get into my coop and catch a silkie. I walked in to close up shop and there the oppusum was, I had a shovel in my hand. You can assume what happened to the oppusum. The silkie was alive and made it. All the chicks had symptoms of coryza. Swollen eyes, bubbly eyes, sneezing, some runny noses, and dying birds. I thought for sure it was coryza but never sent in for a necropsy. Every year there is usually a flare up in winter and we loose a couple beloved birds. I have show quality polish chickens that are vaccinated for coryza. With the weather getting cold and the frost coming out I movd them into the coop. They don't sneeze or anything, their eyes aren't swollen. But I did notice one of the roos eyes were stuck close. I have not had the chance to work them open, but I will today. One eye was a little crusty. So if they don't have coryza what do my birds have? I thought worms? But my ducks are housed in the same area and I have never lost a duck. What do you all think?

You could try treating with Baytril. I would treat only ones that are sick and I would do it orally, not in their water.. The dose I use is 0.02ml per 100 grams by mouth for no more than five days. If you don't see any improvement after 2-3 days the problem is probably viral, not bacterial.

• http://www.allbirdproducts.com/newproductpages/baytril.html
• http://www.ladygouldianfinch.com/product_baytril.php
• http://www.mexi-cali.net/eng/index/item/24/29/enfloxil-25-ml-same-as-baytril

Upper respiratory infecttion will cause a bird to stop drinking and eating, which could be why you've had so many die. If you lose another you should have a necropsy done.

Baytril is banned for use in poultry used for food production, so look into that and decide if it's something you want to do or not. It is not banned in cattle and swine.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

.

 

[Tricia5099]

Only problem is that necropsy are expensive....but I'm looking into it! My flock is closed. These birds all three years old now, but the oppusum came. When they were chicks. I haven't lost any birds since last winter, but boy did it hit hard. I always give VetRX and electrolytes when there is a bad outbreak. They do show signs of ILT. But no coughing, or bloody discharge. Occasionally bloody poops.

 

[casportpony]

When you see bloody poops you should worm with Valbazen and/or treat for coccidiosis with Corid.

-Kathy

 

[chicknmania]

The bloody droppings might not be related to whatever else is wrong. You could try researching different places for the best price on a necro.
They are expensive here too, but they are enlightening and in the long run it will probably help you have a healthier flock altogether, so you don't lose them
in winter.

So what you're saying is that right now you've got a few birds that aren't really up to speed, but not seriously ill? And you haven't lost any since last winter, but in winter you usually lose a few due to this respiratory thing, right? So maybe they do have Cocci, or worms, and that's what's dragging them down and they just arent in the best shape to get through the winter. Last winter was a bad one for us and you too, I would guess, since we're neighbors. This one is supposed to be cold too. We are trying right now to get our birds in the best shape possible so they will get through the winter ok.

I agree you should treat them with Corid, or if you can't find that, you can get other meds for Cocci, Amprol is another one you can use. It does not sound like ILT the way you are now describing it., because if it were it would probably have killed your whole flock by now, and they would have been seriously ill.
To me it sounds like maybe CRD, with some other contributing things thrown in that are dragging them down. If they were mine I guess I'd try treating the whole flock with the Corid, and after you're done with the Corid treatment or whatever you use, give them a little break and then deworm them with a broad spectrum dewormer. The sick ones should be isolated and...idk if you should treat the ones that are sick now with antibiotic first, or try the other meds first, (what do you think Cathy?) but you need to be doing something for them right now.

I don't know how you're set up, but if I were you, I'd try to buy a little bottle of Oxine...some places sell the small bottles, and they are all you need. That stuff is awesome. So much better than bleach. But if you can't get Oxine, at least use bleach and sanitize everything you can with bleach and hot water. . Baytril is awesome but a little pricey, and it's nice to have in reserve. You can always try Tylan. It's easy to get at feed stores,, you can inject it in the breast muscle or even give it orally, and it's not quite so expensive. Duramycin is cheap and not very effective, and I'm only mentioning it because that's all some people can get....but if you use it, mix 4 tsp per gallon of water, a much higher and stronger dose than the instructions on the package, but it won't hurt them to use the strong dose.

 

[chicknmania]

And btw, just give the antibiotics to the sick ones for right now. Think that was already mentioned.

 

[Eggcessive]

I have had my birds for 3 years now, I had a oppusum get into my coop and catch a silkie. I walked in to close up shop and there the oppusum was, I had a shovel in my hand. You can assume what happened to the oppusum. The silkie was alive and made it. All the chicks had symptoms of coryza. Swollen eyes, bubbly eyes, sneezing, some runny noses, and dying birds. I thought for sure it was coryza but never sent in for a necropsy. Every year there is usually a flare up in winter and we loose a couple beloved birds. I have show quality polish chickens that are vaccinated for coryza. With the weather getting cold and the frost coming out I movd them into the coop. They don't sneeze or anything, their eyes aren't swollen. But I did notice one of the roos eyes were stuck close. I have not had the chance to work them open, but I will today. One eye was a little crusty. So if they don't have coryza what do my birds have? I thought worms? But my ducks are housed in the same area and I have never lost a duck. What do you all think?

Mycoplasma (MG or CRD) and coryza can be difficult to tell apart without testing or a necropsy, but most people report that coryza has a very bad or rotten"road kill odor." Both can cause swollen eyes along with the other symptoms you listed. I linke this link to compare the respiratory symptoms: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044