Please help with my sick chickens

[Emmamiko]

I noticed almost a week ago one of my chickens was lethargic and sounded congested . I separated her, and began to give tylan 50 with probiotics, electrolytes and vitamins. I also gave her vetrx. Well it spread to almost the rest of my chickens. Did the same for all of them. They are all back to feeling better, except for 2 of my girls. I’ve continued giving them this treatment but it doesn’t seem to working. They have watery poop. Want to sleep all day. I can pick one up and she will just immediately fall asleep while I’m holding her. They are eating and drinking very minimal. One is still laying. I checked there crop. One is completely empty, the other has a small like bump you can feel but it’s very small. I also felt for eggs and I don’t think they are egg bound. There is no lice or mites. I feel helpless not knowing how to get them feeling better. One just stands and sleeps, and the other just lays and sleeps the majority of the day. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately as of right now we can’t afford to take them to the vet. They are golden comets, about 5-6 months old.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you describe all of the symptoms you have seen in the sick chickens? Was there any bubbles or foam in one or both eyes, or any swelling of the face or eyelids? Any respiratory disease, which are caused by bacteria, virus, or fungus, can cause lethargy. Only the bacterial diseases, such as mycoplasma or coryza will respond to antibiotics. How much Tylan and how often were you giving it? Viruses have to run their course over weeks to months.

 

[azygous]

Since it's possible for a chicken to develop a secondary bacterial infection from a CRD (chronic respiratory disease), most often E.coli, sometimes another antibiotic can help. The runny poop in the two hens can be a symptom of such a secondary infection. A different antibiotic may help if you've already treated with a tylosin drug for the recommended duration. You can try a tetracycline or a sulfa antibiotic for a secondary infection.

You will be facing flareups of the CRD from time to time since the bacterium remains in the infected chicken for life, and you may need to treat again. In order to avoid secondary infections, it's important to keep everything as sanitary (pick up poop) as possible while chickens have active symptoms.

 

[azygous]

Call and ask. Any "cycline" will probably work. You can also call a pigeon supply shop and ask for pigeon sulfa.

The way a secondary infection works is a bacterium, usually a common garden variety germ like E.coli or salmonella, present in feces, will attack a sick chicken when their immune system is being hammered by the first bacterium. So now you are treating two different bacteria. All bacteria are not created equal, so while one antibiotic works on one, it often won't work on the second one.

When humans get sick, our doctor may test our poop or swab our throat to see what bacterium is making us sick and then tailor the antibiotic to the bacterium. But we often can't afford to do that for our chickens. So we guess according to the odds.

If it turns out it's a virus that's making us or our chickens sick, we are really up a creek because viruses often are shape shifters and that's why we can't treat most of them. It's just too hard due to their constantly changing nature to nail them down to develop a medicine for them. (Covid is an example)

 

[azygous]

Your doxy isn't formulated for mixing in water, but you can divide it into 25mg doses and give two doses per day directly into the chicken.

What I do is to dump the powder from a capsule and divide it into four equal piles. Then I dip a little piece of bread in olive oil and sop up the dose. This is as easy as pushing a pill into the beak or the chicken may be happy to eat it out of your hand.

The poop indicates the bird is sick, not much else. We need lab tests to tell what's going on in the poop. However, the bright yellow can indicate a reproductive infection may be going on in the individual that made that poop.

 

[Tookie]

How are they doing?
Do you think its a respiratory illness?

 

[Emmamiko]

How are they doing?
Do you think its a respiratory illness?

I did think it was respiratory because of the congestion. That’s why I started them in tylan. But now the 2 that are still sick have no congestion just very lethargic.

 

[Emmamiko]

Do you have any Nutri-Drench?

I don’t

 

[Tookie]

I don’t

If possible try and get some to give to them.
I'll tag the experts.
@azygous @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[Emmamiko]

I was giving them right under 1 ml twice daily, orally. Along with oral vetrx. At first they were just lethargic with congestion in there chest. Only a few of my chickens got a little runny nose. The two that are still sick never got a runny nose. There chest sound clear now. They are just very lethargic. They will move around some. But mostly sleep. One sleeps standing up, the other just sleeps regularly. There is no face swelling, nothing abnormal with eyelids. I did buy safeguard today and gave them that as well, and will continue to do so for the 5 days in case of any worms. I can take close up picture of my two when I get home and maybe I’m missing something that i Just don’t know what to look at.