One pullet deceased, another showing same symptoms, please help!

[HenOnTheHill]

Three days ago, I noticed that one of my 14 week old pullets was wheezing and gasping for air in the coop. She was seemingly fine the day before. I did not notice any sneezing, although another pullet had a stuffy nose (though she was and is acting completely fine at the moment). I brought the wheezing pullet into the garage and gave her some duramycin. The next morning she seemed better when I left for work, but when I got home, she had passed away. I've been keeping an eye on the other three (all around 12 weeks old), but this afternoon, another one was acting funny and wheezing. There is no coughing, but she too has a stuffy nose. Her eyes are clear. She does feels light (the other two have full crops, she didn't feel as though she had eaten all day). I brought her in, but I am concerned that she is going to pass too. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is affecting her and what I can do to save her? I'd appreciate any advice you could give. Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

Since this has not been the first episode of respiratory disease in your flock, and because you have treated in the past with Tylan, I really believe it is time to get your birds tested to find out what they have. Your state vet can give you advice on testing or necropsy http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/poultry/participants.shtml and you can contact the USDA vets for a phone consult at 866-536-7593.

 

[HenOnTheHill]

Oh dear. I did treat one other bird with Tylan last spring, but that was the only one. That bird was kept separate for at least a month after any respiratory symptoms had vanished. Since then, I have not had any other respiratory issues with anyone in the flock until three days ago. The new group of pullets have been in the coop for 4 weeks now without any other issues. Is it possible for an illness to "hang out" that long (have the older birds developed an immunity to something that the younger ones could have picked up)? Wouldn't the younger ones have been affected sooner if they were picking it up from the older birds? Please, I am not trying to be difficult. Is there anything I can do to save the young one, or should I not even try? It is especially frustrating because this group has been very healthy up to this point.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, with mycoplasma and some of the other diseases, the recovered birds are carriers for life. That is why so many recommend to cull any birds with serious respiratory diseases. Many with small flocks refuse to kill any birds, so they choose to treat with antibiotics and have a closed flock. You can try the Tylan again since it worked, and since all of your older birds may now be carriers, but I would want to know what exactly the disease is to use the right drug. Also, MG can be transmitted through hatching eggs. There can also be more than one disease at a time, such as bronchitis and MG together. Denagard is a drug that some use to treat, and also use once a month as prevention. Many of us don't like to use antibiotics for anything, unless we know what the problem is.

 

[HenOnTheHill]

Ok, I can understand and appreciate that reasoning. There is definitely a sharp learning curve when it comes to all of the things that can go wrong with chickens. Of course hind sight is 20/20 and I probably would make a different decision about saving that first bird now, At some point, it sounds like I will need to cull all of my birds and start over, but at this point, my flock is closed, everyone else is ok, and they are only going on 1 year. It seems a shame to cull them now. In this light, I have a few more questions. 1) If I can save this pullet, I would like to. I can try the Tylan, like you said, but I did already get a little of the duramycin in her, a few mouthfuls. How long should I wait before dosing with the Tylan? It is not safe to combine the two as I understand. 2) To get them tested, do I pick a bird randomly? Or do I need to have all flock members tested? I will call the number that you gave me to pursue this, I am just hoping it is not too complicated of a process. 3) I have a mixture of breeds in the flock. All three of the birds that have gotten sick have been Marans. Is this breed more susceptible or less hardy than others? It just seems like a strange coincidence.