Raspy breathing, cull cook or cure ?

[happymomndad]

I have many hens of anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 years. A few of the older hens stated sneezing and having loose raspy breathing so I gave them a 10 day cycle of duramiacin in thier water as recomended by my local feed store. I have found a few coments on here that sugest to cull any hen with respritory issues. If I decided to do so are they safe to eat ? If not for us then are they safe for the dogs or pigs ?
None of my younger hens seem to be afected. We started with all adult hens from several diferent sources, some of wich were less than desirable. After a lot of tlc a proper nutrition they have become quite nice little layers. This is our first year with hens and our first experience with respitory illness. Any advice is welcome, I would love to know how to prevent this in the future.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Welcome to BYC. If you decide to cull, they are safe to eat after the 3 weeks withdrawal period after the last dose of duramycin. It's best to quarantine new chickens before introducing them to your existing flock. You dont know what diseases or parasites could be introduced. Thirty days quarantine is usually the norm. Keep the newbies as far away from your flock as possible. Biosecurity is important in preventing the spread of diseases. A change of clothes is recommended as well. While in quarantine, it gives you the time to inspect the new ones for external parasites and worm them. Inspect them closely and carefully for anything out of the ordinary and treat accordingly. Most diseases will show up within the 30 day period of quarantine. There is no guarantee that quarantining will work because there are diseases that have longer incubation times as well. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[happymomndad]

Thank you ! I most likely will. These were the first we got (3 diferent farm all in 1 week about 6 months ago) All of the new ones we have gotten have been chicks and have been in the brooder for 2 months. All of the young ones seem to be unafected (thank goodness). I noticed 5 that still sound like they have loose stuff in thier lung. I think I will seperate them but I dont wat to pump more meds into them if its pointless.