hi kathy,
i will gladly keep you posted.
fyi: i started today with the only lysine i had handy... an expired bottle of "super lysine" manufactured by 'quantum health'.
each tablet contains (theoretically):
lysine - 500 mg
vitamine C - 33.3 mg
as well as:
odorless (?) garlic - 66.7 mg
echinacea 4:1 - 33.3 mg
propolis - 33.3 mg
licorice 4:1 - 5 mg
goldenseal root - 5 mg
it comes in tablets and i ground 2 of those up and added it to 1 litre of water. (i am feeding 7 chickens and 4 bantams.)
i am also giving them "
stress-aid" - which is a vitamin supplement and "
gro2max" - which is a probiotic. they have received these two (the stress-aid & the gro2max) pretty much daily since our temperatures have plummeted to over -20 at night (-4 fahrenheit).
the 4 bantams are living indoors with us...
... (inside a 'cold-room') yet they do get the same water-mix that i prepare daily.
for the rest of the flock, i am supplying a radiant heater which brings the temperatures inside the coop up by about 10 degrees celsius. (so -20 turns to -10, -15 to -5 etc...) the birds like to hang out in front of the heater, of course, which is locked away inside a kennel so there is no direct contact.
i believe that i am hearing more sneezing/wheezing during the colder days and very little when the temperatures rise above the freezing mark. so this might be an environmental response. however, 1 hen has been sneezing since i got her about three months ago. the second has only started recently during this 'deep freeze'.
i am located in canada (NB just above maine) and i have access to what might be a similar vet-service. i doubt that they perform tests/swabs on backyard flocks though... but i would have to find that out. they are usually geared towards commercial operations and may not be 'allowed' to extend themselves to come out to my small operation. however, they are still accessible and provide help/advice to people like myself and i will eventually run this past a vet i have spoken with in the past. maybe he would be willing to test the chicken if i brought her in... but i will have to weigh the stress vs. the result and ultimately there is really not much one can do other than to help strengthen the immune system. fighting secondary infections via antibiotics is the next option but one i would only explore when the birds show signs of distress.
cheers!
