Oh boy...so I have a lot going on in my tiny flock of three. I just started raising chickens in April, therefore I've made a few noob mistakes and no-nos. I'm not sure what I'll be using them for yet, but for now they're just pets. Unless I get whatever under control, I'm not planning on getting any more any time soon. So the biggest mistake I made which I assume led to my problems was purchasing a hen from an awful breeder. She of course appeared healthy but she was in a cage with two others, one that looked really sick. Long story short, my rooster got sick not too long after -within two weeks. (Later learned the breeder kept him on antibiotics most of the time.) A vet around here is impossible to find but I think I may know what they have but I need some opinions. CRD? Symptoms: Baby Chick: - Occasional sneezing, but that's it. Pinecone (Carrier/Sick Hen): - Stunted growth (Bought her at 9 weeks, not much growth -been a month.) - Extremely foul nasal discharge Big Daddy: - A bit lethargic - Bubbly eyes/Crusty - Purple/Falling comb -tiny, dead, black tip of it - Coughing/Sneezing - Occasional Gaping (Not too often.) - Droopy Eyes - One cloudy eye - Not Crowing Phew. I apologize for the long post. I just procrastinated with saying something...but this has been stressing me out. I don't want to lose any of them. :{ Over a month has gone by and there's been slight progress...I've been treating them with Duramycin10 for 5 days now. Hope someone has the patience and could possibly help! :{
I think that you are either dealing with CRD, or Infectious Coryza, with the latter one being more likely. I'd try the Duramycin for 2-3 more days, and then re-evaluate. There should be some improvement by then. If there is no improvement, I would switch antibiotics, with Tylan50 or Tylan200 being my first choices. Tylan is one of the strongest antibiotics used in treating respiratory diseases. Because of that, I usually don't recommend using it before trying other antibiotics, but in this case, I think it is the best idea. Tylan comes in a water soluble form, and an injectable form. I prefer the injectable, as it works faster, and the bird will get a full dose even if it isn't drinking normally. The Tylan50 injectable dosage is 1cc for large-fowl, .5ccs for bantams, injected once daily into the side of the breast for 5 days. The Tylan200 dosage is .5ccs for large-fowl, .2-.3ccs for bantams, injected into one side of the breast for 3-4 days. Alternate the side of the breast that you inject into, and use the smallest needle gauge possible, as Tylan tends to make the injection area painful. During Tylan treatment, do not give dairy products in the water, or probiotics.
