rescued hens, need advice on several things

[2jsbabyfarm]

Well, I went to buy some pullets and found the poor girls being kept in horrid conditions. My heart was breaking as I left with 5, yet there were many more needing help. So what started as a flock expansion has turned into a bit of a rescue operation. The conditions were mud, no shelter, over crowding, dirty water, barely any feeding. I bathed them all up and noticed lice on a few so I plan to dust them and quarantine them. Their stools also have blood so I have started corid as a precaution. One is sneezing and has a runny nose. Not sure if this is a product of te cold damp conditions, or wter and soap in the nose from having a bath...hoping and pretty sure it is not coryza(sp?) Basically I want to know what sorts of things to watch for in birds coming out of a situation like this? Could a runny nose be from the conditions? Can I feed them as I would my healthy birds? If they have been malnourished I dont want to overfeed them! Any help would be appreciated!

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

Oh for petes sake this has posted 3 times, I apologize for whatever is going on!!!

 

[ten chicks]

Well, I went to buy some pullets and found the poor girls being kept in horrid conditions. My heart was breaking as I left with 5, yet there were many more needing help. So what started as a flock expansion has turned into a bit of a rescue operation. The conditions were mud, no shelter, over crowding, dirty water, barely any feeding. I bathed them all up and noticed lice on a few so I plan to dust them and quarantine them. Their stools also have blood so I have started corid as a precaution. One is sneezing and has a runny nose. Not sure if this is a product of te cold damp conditions, or wter and soap in the nose from having a bath...hoping and pretty sure it is not coryza(sp?) Basically I want to know what sorts of things to watch for in birds coming out of a situation like this? Could a runny nose be from the conditions? Can I feed them as I would my healthy birds? If they have been malnourished I dont want to overfeed them! Any help would be appreciated!

Make sure you quarantine them for at least 4 weeks,the longer the better(i prefer 2 months),do not use same feed utensils,transfer feed to another container(one container for new girls and one for girls you already have)so that there is no cross contamination between chickens. I would wear gloves until you know they are fine,several health issues can be carried on hands,cloths,shoes,etc.

Feed them a high quality feed,give them healthy snacks,fruit,vegetables,meat,tuna,etc. You will not overfeed them so do not worry.

Make sure you are using the correct dose of Corid 9.6% liquid is 2 tsp per gallon of water,Corid 20% powder is 1 tsp per gallon of water. You should see no more blood in 24-48 hours if it is Coccidiosis. Do not give vitamins during treatment(interferes with the ability of medication to work)give vitamins after treatment is complete. Watch your other girls for coccidiosis as chickens are only immune to the strains they have had exposure to and new chickens can bring new strains.

Watch the sneezing/runny nose this is not normal,could be from water/soap but it is doubtful.

Good luck with girls,i hope they recover and start to enjoy life,disgusting how some people have no respect for animals.

You might also want to worm them.

 

[Cknldy]

Check out the 'road less traveled' thread. It is closed so you can't add any post and towards the end you'll have to overlook off- subject stuff but if you start at the beginning I'm sure you will find some great advice for your situation! good luck.

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

Thankyou!! I have to wait to worm them until after they have gone through the corid right?? Thought I read that somewhere. This morning the runny nose seem to have cleared off, I did not notice an odor either when it was running yesterday. They are begging for attention but are in mich better straights than yesterday!! The previous owner did not see any fault in how he was keeping them, its sickening!!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Thankyou!! I have to wait to worm them until after they have gone through the corid right?? Thought I read that somewhere. This morning the runny nose seem to have cleared off, I did not notice an odor either when it was running yesterday. They are begging for attention but are in mich better straights than yesterday!! The previous owner did not see any fault in how he was keeping them, its sickening!!

Yes, you should wait until after you've finished with the Corid to deworm. Otherwise, its just too much stress on the chicken.

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

Well im afraid i am probably going to need to cull them. They have runny noses, sneezes, bubbly eyes....all points to a respiratory infection, coryza im guessing. I cant keep 2 seperate flocks, nor do I want my oroginal flock getting it..not sure what to do =/

 

[Eggcessive]

If they don't have the smelly odor and swollen eyes or faces, it may not be coryza. It could be mycoplasma G. (also called CRD.) That can be managed, but your others will be exposed and become carriers. If I were you, I would call the state vet to find out about a necropsy or testing to be done on one of the sick chickens, just to know what you are dealing with. However, if I were you I would also consider culling, because I would not want to expose my healthy chickens to disease. Many people on BYC can't bear to kill a sick chicken, and while I want to help them find out what medications to use, it needs to be done at times when you are endangering the lives of your healthy chickens or a neighbor's. Some will doctor up their chickens and then take them to shows later, or even worse sell chicks or hatching eggs that are carriers.

 

[2jsbabyfarm]

This is probably an amatuer question, as I haven't dealt with this before..but could it be from the conditions they were I, the cold mud and filth?? And likelyness of being riddled with worms? Or is it very definitely a respiratory infection? I will cull if I have to but I dont want to do in good birds if I dont

 

[Eggcessive]

Worms and filth can contribute to disease, but respiratory disease comes from infected chickens or wild birds. Contact your state agricultural veterinarian tomorrow and tell them that you would like to find out what disease they have. Tell them the exact symptoms. They may tell you how to get them tested for mycoplasma or coryza locally. Also, some states like California do free necropsies to diagnose your birds. Others charge a small fee, and some will euthanize the chicken if you bring it to them. There are instructions on BYC how to ship a chicken for a necropsy. Here is the state vet locator, just click on the link: http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/AnimalHealth/statevets.aspx