Post-antibiotic quarantine?

[akatrielle]

Hi there,

All my 5 chickies seem to be doing TONS better than last time I posted. But now I have a re-integration question...

Little Delilah (who has been quarantined 3 weeks now) has finished her 2 weeks of oral antibiotics and other than the occasional sneeze is showing no relapsing symptoms.

The other 4 are done with 2 weeks of duramycin and are also greatly improved. Also occasional sneezing/head shaking, but no other symptoms.

Given that they are all off of antibiotics and on the same vitamin/nutrition regimen, can I put them back together? Should I keep Delilah separate for more than a few days just in case? If so, what is a good amount of time to keep her apart to make sure she doesn't relapse? She's so lonely in quarantine.

Thanks for your expert information - I love these guys and want to keep them healthy and happy!!


~ Jessa

 

[ruth]

You didn't say what infection they had that you were treating with antibiotics but if they've been on them for two weeks or more and are still sneezing and shaking their heads I wouldn't put them back with my flock at all.

 

[akatrielle]

The vet was unsure of the exact cause, but said the most likely was bacterial pneumonia. They had been exposed to some molded pine shavings shortly before they fell sick.

The symptoms were perpetual sneezing, gaping, runny nose (clear discharge), and lethargy. With Delilah there were some neurological side effects like disorientation, dizziness, shivering, one wing drooping and strange head/neck jerks. They never stopped eating and drinking regularly, their poop has been normal (other than getting a little runny from the antibiotics).

NOW, they have all their energy back and are showing hardly any signs of illness, other than an occasional sneeze (one or two a day that I've noticed), and one bird who is shaking her head fairly regularly.

I'd love to know if there is anything else I should be doing to hasten their recovery. I have them on vitamins (polyvisol baby vitamins and vit E oil), and am giving them VetRX if they seem to have any nasal discomfort.

This IS my whole flock - three of them are 7 weeks old, and 2 are 3 weeks old. So if they're all sick and have the same thing, and all of them are off antibiotics, I'm feeling like I might as well put them all together. I guess I feel like at this point if they get better, that's wonderful...but if they get worse, I don't know that there's anything else I can do.

Any opinions/thoughts/suggestions?

~ Jessa

 

[ruth]

Well if the whole flock had the same illness there was no reason to quarantine so, yes, you can put them back together. I did go and read some of your other posts/threads about this issue. Since they were only 4 weeks old and all of them started coming down with the same symptoms I don't think it was pnemonia. Did the vet do a test? There are many chicken diseases that have these symptoms and unfortunately, antibiotics aren't much help. So you can put the little group back together but I'd keep an eye on them. Sneezing and head shaking isn't "normal" healthy behavior. Don't add any new birds to the flock.

And, it's much easier for people to follow a case and offer help if it is kept in one thread. You can always update the title as need be.

Best of luck with your birds. I hope they make a full recovery.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
I'd give it another week. Use vitamin A supplementation. Rule out any environmental issues. What were their symptoms before if this is the improvement?

Also use VetRx to swab their nares well and the roof of the beak on the inside to help with the sneezing.

I suspect they're carriers of whatever they were 'healed' from. I suspect the antibiotics fixed what it could and then possibly, depending on what they have, that they're still going to show symptoms as that's what carriers sometimes do ( and other times they're asymptomatic).

You can try it. If they relapse, treat again with something different and stronger. Tylan for example. Or get one tested at a vet (ask for "culture and sensitivity specifically - they don't volunteer them unfortunately and not many customers know to ask for them). Don't let them just send you home with antibiotics.

 

[akatrielle]

Thank you!

There's Vitamin A in the poultry nutrition flush I'm giving them (just got it in the mail so I can stop giving them polyvisol baby vitamins). Should I be giving them a specific A supplement on top of that?

How should I swab the roof of their mouths with the VetRX? Q tip? Finger?

The one who's shaking her head a lot is also much thinner than the others. I figured it was the Easter Egger frame versus the Australorps she lives with, but her breastbone is really prominent. Could this be from whatever they've got? She eats voraciously when snacks (boiled egg, mash with yogurt) are given, but is less excited about the regular crumbles. Should I be giving her extra electrolytes or vitamins, or just monitoring her food intake?

Thank you so much again for your expert information! I have owned chickens before, but they never got sick, so this is new territory for me.

~ Jessa

 

[threehorses]

The vetRx you put equal drops of vetrx and very very hot water in a cup. Stirring well emulsifies the oil into the hot water and cools to a safe temperature, warm. Use qtips to swab and clean out the nostrils and wipe/press against the cleft opening in the roof of their mouth - a new Vetrx mixture wet q-tip end for each place.

How much vitamin A is in the poultry nutrition flush you received? And if you give in the water, I wouldn't stop using polyvisol as A is an oil vitamin, best served by giving in association with food. It degrades in light and thus in the waterers. So heads up on that just in case.

I'd still make sure she does get a good dose of vitamin A, but of course because it's oil (and not water based, and thus not excreted if there's excess) you don't want to over do it.

did you check the head shakers for parasites, just in case? And 'pin feathers' (new feathers in their casing) on the heads? The thin one could be using her nutrients to fight her illness and not to keep weight. Or if they're older than a few months without a worming history, it could be that. Or if they have diarrhea, that causes nutrients to move too fast through her system - so there's another option. If she's at all sick, she should be getting some form of vitamins - preferably with food. I usually save in-the-water vitamins for birds who might be sick but aren't really symptomatic yet who could use a little immune booster.

I'm glad to help. I hope what i've typed makes sense as I'm a little sleepy right now.

If it doesn't, please PM me or ask here - or whatever you need to get as much information as you need.