Persistent symptom despite antibiotic treatment, where am I going wrong?

[Eelantha]

The meaning of the word antibiotic does cover most forms of pathogens - bacteria as well as parasites. It's as you mentioned a matter of regional usage. Thank you for clarifying this.

I have an idea. Yes, that mucous is very obvious clinging to her open beak, and it's easy to see how thick it is and it can be sticky as well. You need to try to thin it, and I have just the thing. Are you ready? Chicken soup! Hot chicken soup will thin mucous. Give her some and see how it goes.

Thank you as well for clarifying it on your end. I had no idea Americans saw worm treatments and antibiotics as two separate things. I'll keep that in mind for future posts.

Any ideas for the ingredients of this chicken soup? (Hopefully not a live chicken, that is an absolute no-no.) How do I give it to her (boiled, warm, cold, concentrated, diluted, straight in the beak or in the water bowl?), how many times a day, for how long?

If chicken soup is involved, does that mean my hen has some kind of persistent cold?

 

[azygous]

Plain chicken broth would do the job. Chickens tend to focus on small bits of food and ignore the broth. You would do best to buy a low sodium chicken broth and heat it up but not so hot it will burn her mouth. I would offer it to her three times a day for the next few days and see if it makes a difference.

What is causing this mucous has me stumped. Mucous is usually associated with a respiratory infection and that triggers the immune response that causes mucous. It's the mucous that is trying to wash away the invasive pathogen, probably bacteria.

Probably she will need an antibiotic to target bacteria that is colonizing her respiratory system like a cold in humans, though it's a virus that causes our colds. A chicken contracts a respiratory virus and it lowers the immune system and bacteria causes the mucous.

The hot chicken broth should thin the mucous and make her more comfortable even though it's not a cure. You will need to talk to your vet and ask for Tylosin to fight her respiratory infection. Or the vet may have an idea for something better.

 

[Eelantha]

@azygous - I am likewise stumped over my hen's condition. I have looked up her nostrils I don't know how many times, and listened for noisy breathing just as long, and couldn't find anything wrong. Some sort of respiratory infection has also been on my mind, but my hen has never sneezed, coughed or sniffed in a way that says she's hampered by bacteria or a virus. And yet she drools, so clearly there is something amiss...

I will check my cabinets to see if I have some low sodium chicken broth to give her. Is concentrated broth better than diluted broth? Can all chickens safely drink it or must it just be my drooling hen? How much broth must she drink per day for it to be effective? (are there specific measurements or do I do it by eye?)

Faraway travels are not a good idea right now because of the corona virus fiasco in my region, so meeting a veterinarian will have to wait. This is the first time I hear of Tylosin though, is that a general or specific brand of antibiotic for respiratory infections?

 

[azygous]

I think chicken broth comes in just one speed - regular strength. Do you have a section in your run or coop where you can feed your patient without the others gobbling it all up before she gets what she needs? If not, all the chickens can have it. The patient will consume what she needs, no need to try to measure.

Tylosin is a broad spectrum antibiotic and popular for treating bacterial infection stemming from a respiratory disease. An easy to administer form is the powder, you mix it into drinking water. You can order it here, https://www.jedds.com/shop/tylan-soluble-100-g/ but you will need to call and be sure they will ship to Quebec.

Respiratory illness doesn't always cause leaking eyes and nares and coughing and sneezing. Your hen may have a chronic low grade infection. The Tylosin should clear it up. However, it can recur if the hen is stressed, and it could pop up at any time in your other chickens as respiratory virus is contagious and they've all been exposed. That is, if this is a respiratory infection. I can't think of anything else that would cause the mucous, though.