Lethargy and Mycoplasma?

[Catharinejo]

I have two sick hens since yesterday.

The first is acting super lethargic. I can’t find anything wrong with her but she is falling asleep all the time and does not appear to be eating. I can’t find anything wrong with her other than a few mites which I’m now treating. Her crop was basically empty. She does not appear to be egg bound. I picked her up to give her a checkup and VetRx and she fell asleep on my lap in less than a minute. is there anything I can do to help her? She is away from the rest of the flock with sick hen #2.

Hen #2 is acting completely normal but she has one mildly foamy eye. I was reading about mycoplasma and I’m not sure what to do. I’ve also been giving that one VetRx. I read that she will be a carrier for life so do I need to cull her to try to protect the other birds? I don’t want to do that, but I don’t want to risk the health of the rest of the flock. I was planning to sell her since we are wanting to focus on another breed but don’t think I should do that now.

Now that I’ve read about mycoplasma I regret putting them together but had all the other cages temporarily full of birds I was trying to sell! We have been fighting mice getting into the chicken run so I’m afraid they may be to blame.

 

[Eggcessive]

It is hard to know if hen #1 has the same problem as the second hen with the eye bubbles. #2 does sound like she may possibly have mycoplasma or MG. Is there any swelling of her eyelid, or other symptoms? Tylosin is usually available online for treatment of MG. You also may find Denagard, another antibiotic. Your vet if available could prescribe something right away. I would not rehome either of these chickens.

Does hen #1 lay eggs? How old is she? Has she lost weight or does her lower belly feel enlarged or tight? What are you treating mites with? Have these chickens been with your others? Have you added any new birds to your flock recently?

 

[Catharinejo]

I cannot detect any other symptoms. Her eyes don’t look swollen, just one gets a little foamy but not terribly so, just enough to notice. It seems like it is getting better. I guess I’m wondering if I treat the symptoms would I still be putting the other birds at risk with her being a carrier?

They are both a few months over 2 years old and as far as I know they are both still laying. 1 laid an egg today but I don’t know which. They were with the other chickens until yesterday. They usually sleep in the coop but free range all day. We added some new pullets about a month ago from a very reputable breeder. I have been using flys-x insecticide spray and will put out more diatomaceous earth. I don’t think her belly feels enlarged or tight.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I cannot detect any other symptoms. Her eyes don’t look swollen, just one gets a little foamy but not terribly so, just enough to notice. It seems like it is getting better. I guess I’m wondering if I treat the symptoms would I still be putting the other birds at risk with her being a carrier?

They are both a few months over 2 years old and as far as I know they are both still laying. 1 laid an egg today but I don’t know which. They were with the other chickens until yesterday. They usually sleep in the coop but free range all day. We added some new pullets about a month ago from a very reputable breeder. I have been using flys-x insecticide spray and will put out more diatomaceous earth. I don’t think her belly feels enlarged or tight.

If you had them with the others then IF it's MG they are all already infected. Some choose to cull. I didn't. I closed my flock and only add new by hatching my own eggs. You can't sell or give away any chickens or bring in new ones unless hatched from that flock.

 

[Eggcessive]

Since they have all been together, there is no need to keep them separated. I would not cull, but close the flock to new birds or birds going out of the flock. Do not sell hatching eggs because if they are positive for MG, it can pass through the eggs to chicks. I had a hen who had a feathered face, and she occasionally had foamy eyes, but later in the day, they would clear. I was very worried about MG, although she never had other symptoms. I gave some Tylan for 5 days, just in case.

The pullets you added may have been carriers of MG from their old flock, but hard to know for sure. MG can show up 6-10 days after exposure. Only testing or a necropsy would tell you if this is MG. If symptoms became much worse, I would consider submitting her body to the state vet for a necropsy, but at this point, I might consider treating her with Tylosin or Tylan to see if the bubbles disappear.

 

[Catharinejo]

If you had them with the others then IF it's MG they are all already infected. Some choose to cull. I didn't. I closed my flock and only add new by hatching my own eggs. You can't sell or give away any chickens or bring in new ones unless hatched from that flock.

Do you know how I would find out for sure? We invested in some breeding pairs mainly for ourselves with kids in 4-H buts had hoped to sell some in the future.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Do you know how I would find out for sure? We invested in some breeding pairs mainly for ourselves with kids in 4-H buts had hoped to sell some in the future.

The only way to know for sure what's going on is to send in a bird for a necropsy. If you choose not to donthat then you need to move forward with the assumption that it is indeed MG and either change your plans or cull everyone and start over.