Possibly coryza in two hens

[FarmeRoach]

Hello,
Here is my back story.. nearing a month ago, I acquired two sick hens at an auction. One (Maybelle) I knew was sick, by the way she breathed, the other hen in the crate with her (Elsie) seemed ok. I believed Maybelle had a "simple" respiratory disease, which I have experience with in my current flock of 7 gals. As soon as I got them home, I treated both of them with .5 mL of Tylan 50. They are adult hens, I am unsure of their age and breed. I will post pictures of them. I wanted to give a low dosage, because I was unsure of their past and both had no meat on their breast.
So in the past couple of weeks, their health has wavered between better and not so good. Elsie is the larger of the two, in weight and size, has less symptoms. She does have a sound when she breathes, they increase when she relaxes to sleep. She has healthy stool, the discharge from her nose is clear and has no smell and she has a healthy appetite and drinking habits.
Maybelle, is in worse shape. She was the one I knew.was sick, due to mouth breathing in the crate. After further inspection, one of her nostrils was swollen to the point of being inside-out (similar to an inside-out bellybutton), she had a foul smell from the discharge from her other nostril. Her stool is, not always, but a lot of the times long string like pieces. About a week ago, bubbles showed up in the corner of her eyes. Dispite all that, she does has a healthy appetite and drinking habits. She has been receiving an oral dosage of 1 mL of Tylan 50 once a day, whereas Elsie has not had any dosages in over a week.
So, with all of that said, their health seemed to be improving and I believe Elsie still is, however Maybelle had a very small vent prolapse (compared to what I saw on youtube) and I was able to help her recover by rubbing her breast, which she really enjoys. I do this several times a day, to help her relax.
I have submitted a vet appointment request to a place about an hour away that sees chickens. They are closed now, so I am not sure when the actual appointment will be.
I am very worried about Maybelle.. I have grown very attached to both of them, but especially her since she just hangs out in my lap and let's me pet her.
I will attach pictures in the comment section of both of them. Maybelle is the white one, Elsie is the brown one.

 

[FarmeRoach]

The first picture is one of Maybelle's swollen nostril, which has decreased greatly. The second is Elsie and the third is the two of them together. Perhaps someone can tell me the breed?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your hens. Are these your only 2 chickens or poultry? As you probably know, most respiratory diseases are chronic and with them for life. Survivors and other birds in the flock should be considered carriers for life. The symptoms and pictures appear to look like mycoplasma gallisepticum or MS, except for the bad odor from the one’s nostril. Many infections including e.coli and pseudomonas bacteria can smell awful as well, but coryza is said to produce a bad odor. Since Elsie, did not have this odor, I am guessing it might be MG instead of coryza. The sunken eye of conjunctivitis and eye bubbles are classic for MG. Testing through your local or state vet would be a good way to figure out the culprit. Tylan 50 can be given orally without the needle, and dosage is 0.25 ml (1/4 ml) per pound given 3 times a day for up to 5 days. It doesn’t cure MG, but it can treat symptoms. As long as you don’t add any new birds until these 2 hens live out their lives you should be okay, but any new additions will get what they have. Here is an article that you may want to read:
https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

 

[FarmeRoach]

I do have other hens, these two have been quarantined from my flock. Can you tell me anything else about MG and would Tylan 50 be the best way to treat it until I hear from the vet?

 

[FarmeRoach]

So I just noticed that Elsie has a large, soft swell on her right side. Behind the crop, her armpit area. She is keeping this wing lifted slightly

 

[Eggcessive]

Tylan is very helpful to treat MG symptoms, but it is given best at the dosage I gave you. Doxycycline, oxytetracycline, and enrofloxacin are some of the other antibiotics that MG is sensitive to. Coryza is better treated with sulf antibiotic such as Bactrim, sulfatrim, and sulfadimethoxine. If I had coryza and other chickens, that is a disease I would cull for.

Chickens can carry a respiratory disease in their bodies that may lie dormant until some stress causes symptoms to suddenly show. Cold winter weather, molting, and a sudden move to a new home can be stressful.

Unfortunately at poultry auctions and shows, a healthy chicken can be exposed to many different respiratory diseases, just sitting in a cage next to other birds.

 

[FarmeRoach]

I will keep them quarantined and care for them until the vet can see them. But in case they seem like they are suffering, what is the best method for culling? and did you see the update on the swelling on Elsie?

 

[Eggcessive]

If it is not a full crop, I could only guess that it might be a leaking air sac or possibly infection in an air sac. Some people use the cervical dislocation method for culling, while some of us cut the jugular veins, and others use a hatchet or loppers on the neck. It is never an easy thing to cull chickens even when it is necessary. Sorry that you are dealing with this.

 

[FarmeRoach]

If it is not a full crop, I could only guess that it might be a leaking air sac or possibly infection in an air sac. Some people use the cervical dislocation method for culling, while some of us cut the jugular veins, and others use a hatchet or loppers on the neck. It is never an easy thing to cull chickens even when it is necessary. Sorry that you are dealing with this.

I appreciate you sharing your knowledge, and thank you for your sincere apologies, they mean a lot to me

 

[dawg53]

Even though you have your healthy birds away from quarantined Elsie and Maybelle, keep in mind that respiratory diseases can be spread via your person; clothing, shoes, hands, feeders/waterers and even equipment or tires. A change of clothes/shoes and personal hygiene is best after handling sick birds before visiting/handling your "clean" birds.