Please help this is my 5 yr olds hen..

[Redheadedgator]

I live in south Ga where every vet says they don't treat chickens. I have a hen about 7 months old that is in with 8 others. I removed her this morning she has been sneezing for a day and her eye became bubbly. I am treating all the chickens with Duramycin? In the water. This morning my hen was cold ( it was about 40 degrees this am) we did have a heat lamp on the pen. She was alone in the corner with her feathers poofed out.
She is now coughing and has a yellow mucus in her beak. No swelling. The feather around her face are crusted and she does have an odor.
I tried to get her to eat oatmeal this morning but she has not ate or drank today. She was drinking a lot yesterday.
As crazy as it sounds...I gave her a breathing treatment and she really enjoyed it. She even clucked at me afterwards wanting me to come back. She has been coughing a lot more now.
I have no resources in my area and will have to order anything I need to buy. Can anyone give me advice? My 5 yr old daughter is so upset and now here sits her sick hen in my livingroom.
Thank you for any help!!

 

[groundpecker]

Keep treating your hen for a few more days. I would carefully watch the rest of the flock, they too can get infected. I would suggest treating the whole flock now.

 

[dawg53]

I live in south Ga where every vet says they don't treat chickens. I have a hen about 7 months old that is in with 8 others. I removed her this morning she has been sneezing for a day and her eye became bubbly. I am treating all the chickens with Duramycin? In the water. This morning my hen was cold ( it was about 40 degrees this am) we did have a heat lamp on the pen. She was alone in the corner with her feathers poofed out.
She is now coughing and has a yellow mucus in her beak. No swelling. The feather around her face are crusted and she does have an odor.
I tried to get her to eat oatmeal this morning but she has not ate or drank today. She was drinking a lot yesterday.
As crazy as it sounds...I gave her a breathing treatment and she really enjoyed it. She even clucked at me afterwards wanting me to come back. She has been coughing a lot more now.
I have no resources in my area and will have to order anything I need to buy. Can anyone give me advice? My 5 yr old daughter is so upset and now here sits her sick hen in my livingroom.
Thank you for any help!!

I'm sorry to say that it sounds like she has Infectious Coryza and/or Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG.)...since you smell a foul odor. I'm leaning toward coryza. If she has been with or near your other birds, it's possible they couldve been infected as well. Here's a link to respiratory diseases in poultry, scroll down to Infectious Coryza/Mycoplasma Gallisepticum and read about symptoms, treatments etc...
I Recommend that you cull the sick bird and hope that your others havnt been infected.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Redheadedgator]

Thankyou for the help. I refuse to kill this chicken though. My daughter has sat with her all day.
She sneezed once and had some blood come out. I am hoping that it was due to irratation from coughing so bad. I am keeping her warm and have the duramycin in her water. We are just watching now....and trying no to lose hope.
I am treating all the chickens but none are showing any symptoms.

 

[bobbi-j]

Thankyou for the help. I refuse to kill this chicken though. My daughter has sat with her all day.
She sneezed once and had some blood come out. I am hoping that it was due to irratation from coughing so bad. I am keeping her warm and have the duramycin in her water. We are just watching now....and trying no to lose hope.
I am treating all the chickens but none are showing any symptoms.

This is a good opportunity for you to teach your child about the circle of life and that sometimes the kindest thing we can do for our animals is the hardest thing for us to do. Either that, or she can watch her pet chicken die what sounds like a very miserable death. Kids are very resilient if we allow them to be. Yes, she'll be sad. Yes, she'll cry. Yes, she'll eventually move on. Much of how kids deal with death is by watching how their parents react. We can't protect them from the hard things forever, and let's face it - people seldom outlive their pets. Eventually she's going to have a pet die. Am I cruel and hard-hearted? I guess you will have to make your own decision on that.

 

[Redheadedgator]

I don't think you are cold. I just have to do all I can. I had to take our dog to be put to sleep and my daughter understood that. I just wanted some advice to make sure I had exhausted all my options. Thank you.

 

[chickenzoo]

It sounds like a respitory infection ..illness. Mg or Coryza possibly. If these birds are pets, then treat your hen with a cattle med called Tylan 50. TSC has it if you have one. It's about $10 for a bottle. The durimycian is only for minor infections...this one is serious. If you have any Sulmet you can try that until you can get some Tylan. If you have any Baytril that can be used.... Children's flu med for a quick help. Tylan or Baytril are the best however and will give her the best chance. Keep her warm..... If she won't drink then mix a poultry vitamin or gator aid with some water and inject it under loose skin on her back shoulder area...about three ccs if possible. If no syringe dip her beak in a shallow dish of the liquid and rub the back of her head or neck to try to stimulate her to drink. Try to force feed scrambled egg or warm moist dog food...dry or canned. Know that you are only treating the symptoms, not the virus. They can remain carriers long after they return to normal and keep passing it on to other birds. Strong bio security practices need to be used. You may have to keep that hen forever far away from the others and always handle her last after your others to prevent spread. Or treat them as it shows. Sorry she is sick ..... It's tuff.