New Hampshire!!

[DraigAthar]

p.s. This is a really great site if you want to look up more info about poultry diseases, clinical signs, etiology, etc:
http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/avian-atlas/

 

[coolcanoechic]

OMG Angie!
I'm so sorry. I sure do hope things get better. Please keep us posted.
I'm in Raymond too if you need anything at all.
Nancy

 

[serenityNH]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes! I finally received the results from the pathologist today, my flock has Infectious Bronchitis. I've been doing a lot of research about it but can't find much on what to do after. The good news is the chickens who survived are starting to show improvement.

Anyone have any experience with this that they can share?

 

[DraigAthar]

I can share with you the entry on infectious bronchitis from my chicken health book:

Infectious Bronchitis

Common worldwide.
Respiratory illness.
Incubation period: 18 to 36 hours.
Progression: acute, starts suddenly, spreads rapidly, runs through flock in 24 to 48 hours, individuals recover in 2 to 3 weeks.
Symptoms: gasping, coughing, sneezing, rattling, wet eyes, nasal discharge, sharp drop in laying
Mortality: limited in older birds, 25% in chicks but can be up to 90%, especially in cold weather or in presence of secondary bacterial infection.
Cause: several strains of coronavirus that survive no more than one week off chickens and are easily destroyed by disinfectants; infects only chickens, which vary in susceptibility among breeds and strains.
Transmission: the most contagious poultry disease; spreads by contact with infected birds or their respiratory discharges; spreads on contaminated equipment; travels over 1000 yards airborne.
Prevention: defies good management; avoid mixing birds of different ages or from different sources; vaccinate with strains of virus found locally; be prepared to treat with broad-spectrum antibiotics if signs of air-sacculitis follow vaccination; hens that have a strong reaction to vaccine may never lay well
Treatment: electrolytes in drinking water; keep birds warm and well fed; avoid crowding; watch for secondary bacterial infection; survivors are permanently immune but become carriers; hens return to production in 6 to 8 weeks but may never produce the same egg quality or quantity as before due to permanent ovary damage.
Human health risk: none known.

 

[DraigAthar]

This is one of the chicks I got from nhnanna. We named him (or her, no idea really) Gandalf. He has decided I'm his momma. He cries and cries and cries in the brooder box, but if you pick him up and let him perch on your hand, he goes to sleep. It's beyond cute.

Yes, I am replying to my own post, haha. But I wanted the first photo in there. Here's a pic of Gandalf today. He's still the biggest sweetie. Now if I put my hand in the brooder box, he jumps up on it, walks up my arm to my shoulder, and tucks himself under my ponytail. It's too cute. nhnanna hatches the sweetest chicks.

 

[nhnanna]

Awe, thank you. We do like to spoil our chicks before letting them go.

 

[MarinR]

Yes, I am replying to my own post, haha. But I wanted the first photo in there. Here's a pic of Gandalf today. He's still the biggest sweetie. Now if I put my hand in the brooder box, he jumps up on it, walks up my arm to my shoulder, and tucks himself under my ponytail. It's too cute. nhnanna hatches the sweetest chicks.

So cute! What breed?

 

[DraigAthar]

So cute! What breed?

It's a cross, part silkie but beyond that I dunno.

 

[MarinR]

Thanks everyone for the well wishes! I finally received the results from the pathologist today, my flock has Infectious Bronchitis. I've been doing a lot of research about it but can't find much on what to do after. The good news is the chickens who survived are starting to show improvement.

Anyone have any experience with this that they can share?

 

I am dealing with something similar right now, so I can definitely relate to this! I have a beautiful healthy flock of near laying hens and one roo (they are the ones in my profile pic). A little over a month ago, I foolishly began adding to my flock by purchasing a handful of new chicks from a few different breeders at some local swaps. I was just so excited to add more color and variety to my flock. Well, newbie that I am, I did what I thought was the right thing and quarantined them in a tractor coop out back for just about a month (all together, what was I thinking??). Long story short, the day I was about to move the tractor over to where my older birds are for the "look but don't touch" phase of integration, I noticed one start to cough and wheeze. I freaked out, pulled her out and kept her in the garage for the night. Her symptoms just got worse (sounded just like me when I had really bad pneumonia) and the next day, a second chick was coughing. A few days later and a third one has started. The four remaining chicks are all well, so it would seem. Since the first cough, I went to the feed store and picked up the Duramycin 10 and began treating them all (except for the older birds, they have been fine and I have been diligent about what's on my feet especially when I take care of them). A week later, symptoms were a little better, no deaths, but not cleared up either. So the Denagard I ordered finally arrived and they are on day 2 with that. They are looking and acting better, but it's hard to say if it's the new medication or just time that has worked for them here...

Anyway.... I have been trying to figure out what to do next. It seems as though they will pull through this, but then most likely, they will be carriers for life. I'd rather spare my "big birds" who have yet to be exposed if at all possible. In my reading, it seems like infectious bronchitis can be controlled and even eliminated from a flock, for the most part, if you are VERY diligent in your care taking. Mycoplasma is another story. Not fatal, but near impossible to eliminate without first eliminating your entire flock! So I'm desperate to know what exactly do my poor birds have?!?

Do you know if UNH can do swab testing to determine that, or do they only do necropsies? I really don't want to decapitate one of my poor babies just to find out what I've got. But I really need to know! Please help!

I am very sorry or anyone who has dealt with illness in their flock.... it's so hard!

 

[serenityNH]

MarinR. I am so sorry to hear about your sick birds, I feel your pain and anxiety!

I think UNH only does necropsy's as I didn't have any dead birds to bring into them when I called so they had me bring in a live chicken and they euthanized her. The chicken has to be intact with blood for testing. It was a horrible heart breaking decision having to pick a chicken to be put down for testing but I found it necessary to be able to find out what it was that was infecting my flock.
A lot of my chickens never acted sick and the ones that were acting sick started acting fine in a few days (with the exception of the ones that died). It was very confusing! We ended up putting down our whole flock except for our one hen with chicks that had been completely separated through the whole thing. It was absolutely devastating and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. But we felt it was the right choice. From what we were told by the pathologist our birds would always be carriers and even the ones that didn't seem to get sick would probably still be carriers of IB.
I didn't want to risk infecting another persons flock especially since IB can travel over 1000 yards in the air and you can carry it on your clothes, shoes etc. It was a hard, hard choice but I couldn't take the chance.
I would suggest getting a bird tested just so you know what it is your dealing with. I'm so sorry you are going through this

Angie