Respiratory illness

[Hennypennyx4]

Question! We don’t have any vets around my area that treat chickens , I have 6 hens 5mo that are battling a horrible respiratory infection I’ve been treating with injections of Duramycin and vetrx anything else I can do to get my ladies healthy again??

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Question! We don’t have any vets around my area that treat chickens , I have 6 hens 5mo that are battling a horrible respiratory infection I’ve been treating with injections of Duramycin and vetrx anything else I can do to get my ladies healthy again??

Welcome To BYC, I'm sorry that your pullets are not well.

What symptoms are you seeing?
Any photos?
Where do you live? (state?)

Are they improving with the Duramycin?
A lot depends on the respiratory disease you are dealing with. Symptoms from Mycloplasma usually respond well to antibiotic treatment. Infectious Bronchitis is a virus, so usually that will have to run it's course over several weeks, but antibiotics can help with secondary infection.

If there is a foul odor, that could be Infectious Coryza and sulfa drugs would be needed.

You can try using Tylan50 to see if that makes a marked improvement. Dosage is 0.25ml per pound of weight given orally 3 times a day for 5 days.

If there is pus in the eyes, that needs to be flushed out and removed. An eye ointment like Terramycin can be put in the eyes.

See that they are eating/drinking well. If some are reluctant to eat much, check inside their beaks just to make sure there's no mucous, plaques, sores, etc. You can also entice them with some egg, fish or meat. I would also give them a boost with poultry vitamins a couple of times a week.

Keep in mind, that most all respiratory diseases make birds carriers for life even if they recover. Here's some info

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Hennypennyx4]

Welcome To BYC, I'm sorry that your pullets are not well.

What symptoms are you seeing?
Any photos?
Where do you live? (state?)

Are they improving with the Duramycin?
A lot depends on the respiratory disease you are dealing with. Symptoms from Mycloplasma usually respond well to antibiotic treatment. Infectious Bronchitis is a virus, so usually that will have to run it's course over several weeks, but antibiotics can help with secondary infection.

If there is a foul odor, that could be Infectious Coryza and sulfa drugs would be needed.

You can try using Tylan50 to see if that makes a marked improvement. Dosage is 0.25ml per pound of weight given orally 3 times a day for 5 days.

If there is pus in the eyes, that needs to be flushed out and removed. An eye ointment like Terramycin can be put in the eyes.

See that they are eating/drinking well. If some are reluctant to eat much, check inside their beaks just to make sure there's no mucous, plaques, sores, etc. You can also entice them with some egg, fish or meat. I would also give them a boost with poultry vitamins a couple of times a week.

Keep in mind, that most all respiratory diseases make birds carriers for life even if they recover. Here's some info

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Thank you so much for this great information!
Symptoms are mucus from beaks coughing , sneezing, labored breathing, lethargic ! Some were even coughing up blood !
Happy hen probiotic and hydrater have been added to waters and apple cider vinger along with the vetrx orally and in the water . I live in Vermont it’s crazy not a single vet is available to help me and I’m hoping I can get a handle on this before it’s to late

 

[Eggcessive]

Coughing up blood or bloody nasal drainage can be a sign of infectious laryngo tracheitis or ILT, a virus. I have never seen it, but apparently they may sling the bloody mucus on the walls of the coop and run, and they have “pump handle respirations” which an arched neck. Testing may be done to confirm this. Of course, they could have something like infectious bronchitis, and sometimes may have a secondary infection. Zoologix can do testing for all respiratory diseases for $95, or you may contact your vet or the state vet to ask how to go about it at much less cost.

 

[chickens really]

Thank you so much for this great information!
Symptoms are mucus from beaks coughing , sneezing, labored breathing, lethargic ! Some were even coughing up blood !
Happy hen probiotic and hydrater have been added to waters and apple cider vinger along with the vetrx orally and in the water . I live in Vermont it’s crazy not a single vet is available to help me and I’m hoping I can get a handle on this before it’s to late

That sounds like ILT a herpesvirus in chickens. No cure for respiratory disease. Only secondary infection. Antibiotics are needed.

 

[Hennypennyx4]

So I’ve been reading up on this ILT and I want to cry ! What should I do, do I have to cull the whole flock?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So I’ve been reading up on this ILT and I want to cry ! What should I do, do I have to cull the whole flock?

I'm so sorry!
It would be a good idea to get some testing done before making a hard decision like this.
I had a very hard time even finding info/if you even have a state lab that can do testing for you. This is what I found, you may want to call and see if they perform testing for individuals.
https://agriculture.vermont.gov/contact-us
Another option would be contacting a neighboring state to see if they can do testing for you. Sometimes that can be cost prohibitive. I don't know the fees, but likely NY (Cornell) will do "out of state testing".
https://www.vet.cornell.edu/animal-health-diagnostic-center

An independent lab like Zoologix can do a respiratory disease panel for you, I believe someone said that was $95.00 but calling and asking won't hurt. http://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm
VetDNA also has some testing. I think each swab submittal is $20.00, but don't hold me to that and I'm not sure how accurate their testing is(?) Some here on BYC have used this lab as well. http://www.vetdna.com/test-type/avian-bird

Were your birds responding to antibiotic treatment at all?

 

[chickens really]

So I’ve been reading up on this ILT and I want to cry ! What should I do, do I have to cull the whole flock?

No you don’t have to cull them. Although you shouldn’t introduce any new birds or sell any.
I had to run heat in my coop to control the illness.

 

[Hennypennyx4]

Okay!!! Great news no I don’t sell any of them and don’t wish to have anymore than what I have !
Disinfecting the entire coop treating everyone ! I love my birds can’t imagine having to cull them! Thank you for all the great info!

 

[chickens really]

Okay!!! Great news no I don’t sell any of them and don’t wish to have anymore than what I have !
Disinfecting the entire coop treating everyone ! I love my birds can’t imagine having to cull them! Thank you for all the great info!

Well disinfecting them won't help. You can use antibiotics in the water till symptoms subside and you may still lose a couple but probably not all the birds. They will remain carriers and you can hatch out your own in the spring but just can't sell them as pets.
If you did decide to Cull the flock then you need to wait at least 6 to 8 weeks before you bring in other Birds..personally is a choice you have to make. My flock went to a friend that has the same disease because we got the birds from the same guy..