New 14 week old Cream Crested Legbar Sneezing

[StephStone]

So I just lost a CCL a few weeks ago....she just sat down one day, was limp and then basically died in my arms. It was so sad and I have no idea why it happened.

So a week later, I got another one because I REALLY want this type of bird. She's in quarantine right now with two other new hens (Olive Egger and a Copper Maran), from the same place. They are about 14-16 weeks old. And my CCL seems to be sneezing, has a runny nose and has a slight gurgly sound coming from her chest. She's eating fine (in fact she eats like she's starving!! lol) and I've seen her drinking lots of water. She's also walking fine and alert and curious. The other two hens occasionally sneeze too but it may be because the run I have them in is all sand. They are only one week into their quarantine so I have time before I plan on integrating them. But here's my concern: even if the sneezing stops, it's possible that I could infect my existing flock with whatever bird thing she had/has. Right?

So what's the right thing to do? Anyone else ever faced with this problem? Chickens are tricky business!

Also, I've been putting VetRx under her wings and on her neck but haven't given her any antibiotics yet. I've read that Tylan 50 is the best way to treat but I'm terrified of administering it wrong and hurting her/killing her in the process. Any thoughts/suggestions? Please and thanks!

 

[BirdHead]

I'm having a sneezing issue myself, from what I've read it's super hard to diagnose a repository illness in avians, only real way of figuring out what it is, is by taking it to a good vet that'll actually dig into what's wrong with the chicken, I'm gonna put my 4-6 month old pullet in a new scratch pen hundred plus feet away from the main coop for a week or two and put her on antibiotics and see if it stops. However I have not noticed a gurgling noise or anything like such, mines been constant sneezing every day for almost a month now of my observation and I know it's not that dusty or else my layers would be showing the same symptoms however they don't seem effected and there right next to the pullet.. Which I know someone here will jump me for it but bare with me I had no space at the time of getting her but I've been building her a fly pen and now a scratch pen for current isolation and diagnosis. I'm very sorry to hear, it's really sad when you get attached to a bird..

 

[StephStone]

I'm having a sneezing issue myself, from what I've read it's super hard to diagnose a repository illness in avians, only real way of figuring out what it is, is by taking it to a good vet that'll actually dig into what's wrong with the chicken, I'm gonna put my 4-6 month old pullet in a new scratch pen hundred plus feet away from the main coop for a week or two and put her on antibiotics and see if it stops. However I have not noticed a gurgling noise or anything like such, mines been constant sneezing every day for almost a month now of my observation and I know it's not that dusty or else my layers would be showing the same symptoms however they don't seem effected and there right next to the pullet.. Which I know someone here will jump me for it but bare with me I had no space at the time of getting her but I've been building her a fly pen and now a scratch pen for current isolation and diagnosis. I'm very sorry to hear, it's really sad when you get attached to a bird..

YES! I think I'm just really frustrated at this point....trying to add a few new birds into my flock is proving to be a huge pain in my butt. I can't keep them separated forever and the whole point was to bring them together with my already existing flock. And my vet wants to charge me $$$$ just to even walk through the door. I'm not sure it's worth the expense (I've read of folks getting their birds diagnosed, heading home to treat them and having the bird pass on the ride home).
Then I'm reading that even if the symptoms go away, the birds can be latent carriers of the respiratory virus. WTH?? Does this mean that even after they are "better" that they can still infect my existing flock once I put them all together??
Just seems I can't win

 

[BirdHead]

From backyardchickencoop website..

"

• Infectious Laryngo Tracheitis
  

This virus is pretty unpleasant – the chicken will start showing the normal symptoms of respiratory illness such as sneezing, watery nose/eyes…and then eventually, if left untreated, there can be a buildup of mucus which causes the chickens severe breathing issues.

So if you’ve noticed a bit of ill health in your flock, usually all it takes is a quick clean and quarantine to sort out the issues and return them to happy chickens! If the symptoms persist or worsen, definitely give your local vet a call.

"

 

[BirdHead]

@StephStone . I'm heading straight into a dead end with all my research on avian respiratory disease. Generally what I'm getting from reading is, infected bird might as well cull it. There's no cure for 99% of respiratory disease it's only treatable and expenses will skyrocket with enforced care. I'm honestly breaking myself I didn't want to get rid of this pullet as she's been the sweetest ever I'm PTFO, so all I can say now is keep infected birds far away from your main flock at all times till infection has seized, but not to forget respitory diseases can resurface in carriers.. Also carriers can easily pass it on genetically to their young.. So sad

 

[StephStone]

@StephStone . I'm heading straight into a dead end with all my research on avian respiratory disease. Generally what I'm getting from reading is, infected bird might as well cull it. There's no cure for 99% of respiratory disease it's only treatable and expenses will skyrocket with enforced care. I'm honestly breaking myself I didn't want to get rid of this pullet as she's been the sweetest ever I'm PTFO, so all I can say now is keep infected birds far away from your main flock at all times till infection has seized, but not to forget respitory diseases can resurface in carriers.. Also carriers can easily pass it on genetically to their young.. So sad

Thank you for taking time to reply to me. It is so very sad. I wanted to do better for these birds but at this point I feel like I need to put my original, healthy flock, first. I need to keep them safe and I don't have the time, nor the money, to invest in treating potential illness that could've been prevented if I had just pulled up my big girl panties. Ugh. I'm really frustrated with the farm that I bought them from. All 5 birds I've gotten from them have had issues now. I think I'll be taking the bodies in for necropsies so I know for sure what it was I've been dealing with.

 

[BirdHead]

I'm so sorry to hear you have that many infected, yes I went and spent a well $100 yesterday for all sorts of vitamins, medicine and such to make her a new pen, put VetRX on the ground, around her nose after I cleaned it, and under her wings. Injected .3 cc of maxi b 1000 and added a few drops of VetRX with some electrolytes into her water and feeding her, her regular game conditioner feed @ 16% protein.

If you can get the time and money, and want those chickens to recover is to try what I did but they all have to be seperated and analyzed different as it could be serious and they can turn carriers after recovery if it's a infectious respiratory disease and give it to another bird later down the road.. So maybe you're right with 5, it's best to just cull them sadly. good luck with what you choose to do!

 

[Courtney's_chickens]

Sounds like Upper respiratory infection to me. But there are ways to treat this, I've had the same thing happen to my girls. If left untreated, you will lose many birds. Upper respiratory infection spreads like a wild fire within birds, and many other animals too. Whatever you do, DO NOT mix her with your current flock, or the birds that are with her, they could have it too. You do not want your whole flock to get sick. What I used with my chickens, was "VetRX" treatment. It is kind of like a vix, but for birds, (and more of a treatment). There are also many other treatments for upper respiroty for chickens, just look it up. Also in the mean time, give your chickies lots of vitamin C and electrolytes. While I was waiting for my VetRX to arrive in the mail, I put electrolytes in my chickens water (which you could find at any fleet/farm/feedery store.) For the vitamin C intake, I fed them peices of apples and strawberries--and they loved them! My sick chickens made a nice recovery thanks to VetRX, and good-old simple electrolytes!

I wish you luck with your chickens!

-Courtney

 

[Wyorp Rock]

neezing, has a runny nose and has a slight gurgly sound coming from her chest. She's eating fine (in fact she eats like she's starving!! lol) and I've seen her drinking lots of water.

I'm sorry you're having trouble.

Can you take a sample of that poop for testing of worms and coccidiosis?

It sounds like you are dealing with a respiratory disease. There are several that have similar symptoms, so without testing, there's no way to know which illness you are dealing with. Infectious Bronchitis, Mycoplasma, ILT and Infectious Coryza are some of the most common. Almost all respiratory diseases make a bird a carrier of the illness for life (birds that are housed/and or exposed are considered carriers as well, even if they never show any symptoms). Disease can be spread through water/feed stations, dust, dander, feathers, on shoes and clothes among other things. Some diseases like Mycoplasma are also transmitted both vertically and horizontally (through the egg and/or bird to bird).

Antibiotics like injectable Tylan50 can be used to help with secondary infections and may give some relief, but won't cure them. Giving supportive care of good feed, extra protein and vitamins and seeing that the birds are kept fairly warm and relatively stress free can help with healing as well.

Common Poultry Diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
State labs: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

 

[BrokenPaddle]

We experience respiratory illness occasionally, especially if its a warm and wet spring somebirdy will begin sniffling and it goes from there. We tend to lose the hatchlings and younger juveniles in these cases if I don't drop what I am doing and treat immediately. The first year this happened I worked vigorously to do Tylan 200 injection to any bird exhibiting symptoms. I would hang out n the coop after roost and basically listen to each bird for multiple breaths and inject any that did not sound pristine. I failed totally!
Since that year I switched to Denegard 12.5% (off label, of course)
I have had excellent success using that and have shelved the Tylan for .... IDK.. some other issue, perhaps. We must experience a bacterial infection bc once treated and cleared up we can go for several generations and/or years with no instances, util the weather conditions seem to line up for new infections.
Good luck! I hope you are able to integrate your new breeds.