PLEASE HELP I'm afraid my hen is going downhill!!

[wodetonfarmer]

My 15 week old hen developed a swollen eye 2 days ago, I isolated her, started her on tetracycline (diluted in the water) and have been putting antibiotic ointment on her eye. Her eye has been improving but this morning she started sneezing and now she's making a low clucking noise, opening her beak to breathe and sounds kinda wheezy What should I do?! The other chickens show no sign of illness but now I wonder if I should treat them, too? Please help- I'm a first time chicken owner and don't want to lose my girl!!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would get some Tylan 50 and needles and syringes. You can give it orally, but it doesn't work as well or as fast. The dose is 1/2 ml for full grown or large chicken, and 1/4 ml. for banty or small chicken given as a shot into breast muscle daily for 3 days. Orally, same dose, given daily for 5-7 days. Watch the others closely for symptoms, and you probably could treat them all with the tetracycline, but if they get sick I would switch to Tylan 50.

 

[casportpony]

Read this:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

-Kathy

 

[Haunted55]

Does she sound worse at night when on the roost? It may be Infectious Bronchitis and I agree that an antibiotic is warranted just to make sure she and the others do not get a secondary infection. If it is IB, the antibiotic doesn't cure it. It just keeps them safe from anything bacterial. If there is a foul smell near the head I would think Coryza. So many of the diseases they get start the same and progress from there. I personally use Duramycin-10 and I would also treat everyone in the flock. These respiratory things are highly contagious and I think it is better to err on the side of caution than to wait and see and then have everyone of them full blown. If the symptoms looked like Coryza, you could start with the Duramycin as well but may have to switch to Sulmet or Tylan. Usually though, the tetracycline will take care of the outbreak if given early enough.

 

[wodetonfarmer]

I didn't notice any breathing trouble before bed last night. There is no foul odor so based on my reading I'm thinking MG? I'm going to give the tetracycline to the rest of the flock today (in their water) and start Tylan injections on my sick girl and hopefully that will take care of it. Thanks everyone!

 

[Eggcessive]

I would guess it is mycoplasma, but there are others. Coryza is usally foul smelling, and I.B. is usually just sneezing and nasal discharge. If you lose any, consider getting a necropsy from your state lab. Click on this to find out contact info for necropsy in your state: http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalHealth/statevets.aspx Good luck!

 

[casportpony]

I would guess it is mycoplasma, but there are others. Coryza is usally foul smelling, and I.B. is usually just sneezing and nasal discharge. If you lose any, consider getting a necropsy from your state lab. Click on this to find out contact info for necropsy in your state: http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalHealth/statevets.aspx Good luck!

If that link doesn't work easily, try doing a search with your state and veterinary diagnostic laboratory. For example, "Ohio veterinary diagnostic laboratory" finds this:
http://www.agri.ohio.gov/addl/

"Oregon veterinary diagnostic laboratory" finds:
http://vetmed.oregonstate.edu/diagnostic

"California veterinary diagnostic laboratory" finds:
http://www.cahfs.ucdavis.edu/

Don't know if the first two are what Ohio and Oregon residents would use, but the CA one is what we use.

One could also just send a blood sample instead of a chicken.

-Kathy