respiratory disease again, are my 3 month olds doomed for death?

[lildinkem]

I think too many breeders fall back on TYLAN to bail out for GENETICALLY unhealthy birds. Too many breeders use TYLAN for about everything under the sun that their birds get. Resulting in more Tylan Antibiotic resistant strains of disease.
Last year was my first year with chickens. I got something I brought into my flock, when I bought a trio of some production Buff Orps. I lost 10% of my flock. About 5 birds. Some others got sick, but lived and are ALL healthy today. All these birds have not had another illness like this since.
In MY opinion, stop treating the sick birds. You've done enough. IF their to live, they will make it, IF not not, move on. And IF they do live you will have stronger birds, that produce more disease resistant chicks. The answer is not BOOTIES, STERILE ISOLATION CHAMBERS to raise chickens. It is to produce healthy disease resistant birds, that don't have you runnin to the frige for some more TYLAN everytime you hear one sneeze. Again this is my opinion. I know others here will disagree. But, I don't have sick birds this year. And I've lost less birds this year, and I have 3 times more birds. Good luck with your little guys. I truelly hope you have some make it. And then move on from there with them in your breeding program. And eventually you will be SO much more content with your birds.

 

[Maryallison]

Thanks lildinkem for your post. To me it is refeshing to just hear that other people have gone through similar problems. We all deal with them differently too.

I guess that is how I am trying to decide what me and DH are doing. We are newer to chickens and I admit it is really hard to think that they get a "cold" and they are carriers for life & you might as well cull them.

I love these chickens even though I admit that after they get sick I do stop handling them.

I also live out in the country & have many visitors because I own a rabbitry. Many people walk by & are very interested in my chickens. So then I am faced with culling the sick ones cause I never want the healthy ones to come in contact with them. The idea of hatching and selling chicks seems very fun to me!

I guess like everyone else I will get through this. I was trying to count my hens tonight and I think I have less than 15.

I started with 24. Few got snatched by something in the night when they flew outta the coop area too. I feel like if I can just get to laying age I will be ok! I can make my own chickens!

 

[lildinkem]

Mary, the OLD OLD OLD timers who raised chickens back a hundred years ago would actually not worry. They in SOME cases would bring in sicker birds to their broody rooms for the air to give mild doses of these diseases that were seen in that era. Back then there were no syringes, no TYLAN. This was the way it was done. I have one 67 year ole friend, who is like a dad to me tell me this. His grandpa lived back then a hundred years ago. He vividly remembers the days when his grandpa told him how they did things back then. And this was one that stuck into his mind. And guess what? He has chickens, that rarely get sick. And when they do, they usually pull thru it. I am not saying you will eliminate any and every disease that gets shoved onto your birds. But, you will have less stress knowing your doing things the way it was done for centuries. And those who live will pass on the genetics to survive what your birds have right now.
You have done a great job trying. And still need to just let nature take over. And you will have some who never get this, but they have the genetics that you want to survive. Those are the birds that will be giving you the pleasure we all enjoy with our birds. Have a great day with your babies.

 

[Maryallison]

Thanks again lildinkem! You brought a tear to my eye! I really do think about it that way too. I was thinking that people in 3rd world countries have chickens that are lucky to even get fed and they are making it. And my pampered pets here and getting sick no matter what I do! I am overdoing it I guess.

I just wanta feel like I am at the point with my hens where I am just keeping myself stocked with hens that make me eggs & who love their mama!

 

[lildinkem]

Nah, your just a caring person who hates seeing their babies suffer. I could hope that everyone here would be a concerned like you are about their chickens. Unfortunately, more then there should be, ONLY care about the bucks. Your babies will be okay, there is a chicken heaven too. And I hope when I go, I see all my feathered and furry friends there.

 

[Maryallison]

awwwwwwwwww, ok now I really am crying. I do hope I see all my buns from the rabbitry & my feathered friends when I go too!

 

[Wynette]

I have to say, I agree with most of what lildinkem says; however, unless you know for SURE what respiratory illness you have, you really should not sell hatching eggs or stock to outsiders. THere are many diseases that pass through eggs, and if you have a respiratory illness that some survive through, they will be carriers for life, and COULD pass this illness along in their eggs. If you choose to hatch them only for your own, personal purposes - that's completely fine, of course! But, I strongly urge you to NOT sell hatching eggs or stock from birds that are in the same pen as the ill ones that do pull through. You'd just be passing a potential extremely harmful issue on to others, and I'm sure you don't want that to happen.

It sounds like you have things well in hand, and those from pens that are unaffected would still be just fine to sell hatching eggs or stock from. I, too, am glad to hear that you're so concerned and being such a good chicken momma, and I wish you the VERY VERY best of luck. I know when I went through a respiratory illness, I took 3 chickens to the vet. Each one was diagnosed differently, and hundreds of meds later, I ended up losing all 3 anyway. It was heartbreaking, and I just couldn't afford to keep taking the sick ones in. I began reading more, researching more, and that's when I decided I really needed to cull any that seemed ill. Since then, KNOCK WOOD, I haven't had any issues!

Good luck!

 

[Maryallison]

Hi there and thanks Wynette. I do not plan on ever selling of chicks or eggs from the chickens that have been sick. I had thought about keeping them for just eggs, but actually 5 of the 7 are roos!

This morning I even caught my 3 guineas. Them flying in my chick pen has to end. They look 100% healthy (And sound that way too--haha) So I am offering them free to anyone that wants them. I have had 1 person interested and I pointed out I had some sick chicks on the property. I like to be very honest with people. Even though the person I bought those chickens from and started this mess was no honest with me.

 

[Wynette]

Good for you, for stepping up and being open and transparent about your poultry dealings! If ALL folks were like you, we wouldn't have such rampant illness flowing around, IMO!

 

[4kidZ]

Quote:
I agree with everything above, as I saw it happen w/ a friends flock. ILT is deadly. Starts w/ bubbles in the eyes, sniffles and sneezing. Goes on to gurgling of the throat and then chickens whipping their necks to get the snot out and trying so hard to get air in their windpipe that they look like they have gape neck (sp?) Also, the eyes start getting so thick w/ mucus they stick together and if not opened and cleaned several times a day, they will stay shut.

This is QUITE different from CRD. It is deadly and there is NOTHING to treat it. I don't want to be the bad guy here, but want more people to know, so they don't pass on these birds or pass on to other birds. More and more evidence is showing that ILT can be airborne, now and transported from chickens in other cages. She contracted ILT at a chicken swap in NC. The only way she found out what it was, is she sent out the last bird that had died, to Wisconsin (I think) for a necropsy. They confirmed it, and she had to cull.

After culling, everything had to be sterilized and burned, as the ILT can live in the dropping for up to 10 days and in the snot, as well as the bird's throat, mouth, etc., for up to 80 DAYS! The only thing that kills it on housing, etc (not the bird, unfortunately) is DRY HOT SUN, LYSOL liquid and/or cresol.

You CAN keep the sick birds, but they need to be kept STRICTLY by themselves, and cannot be close to any other birds. I personally wouldn't chance it. Even w/ the thousands of dollars I have in my birds. It was a NIGHTMARE for her. Dead birds daily

Here is a link for some info.

2 things:
ILT cannot be transported to the egg of infected bird AND
there IS A VACCINE. Just no cure.

Good luck. Trust me when I say, most of us know how you feel.

~4kidZ