Respiratory illness

[muircheartaigh]

I recently purchased two separate orders of birds and have found one bird from each purchase seems to be ill or not as healthy as the other birds.

1st case: I have a barred rock hen that cannot vocalize and wheezes when sleeping. Her plumage is beautiful and apart from a floppy frost bitten comb she looks well. She scratches with vigor, drinks, and eats well although I find her a bit ligher in weight than the other birds.

2nd case: I have a Rhode Island Red hen who distances herself from the flock inside the coop, has caked plumage from fecal matter, is weak (doesn't land strongly on her legs when given an assisted jump), and spends alot of her time with her eyes nearly closed. She also wheezes/snores after nightfall.

Looking for any lay/professional diagnoses of what these birds may be going through. I am worried about the bird in the 2nd case and would like to recuperate her with any type of natural remedy out there. Can I wash the bird? If so, how would I go about doing it?
If need be, I can post pics and hopefully the visual symptoms could lead to suggestions to bring the bird back to good health.

Thanks!
JM

 

[Judy]

This post has good info

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ow-a-buggery-nose-on-my-roo/0_20#post_9778598

 

[muircheartaigh]

Can anyone comment on the nature of necropsy with birds in the maritime provinces? What are the costs of veterinary visits? Antibiotics? Vaccinations? within the maritime provinces. I've only come across information pertaining to state practices in terms of determining causes of death post-mortem.

Secondly, would anyone advise cull over treatment in a flock size of 18 - 24? I don't even know where to begin in treating the bird, especially given the broad spread list of poultry disease.

Continuing to worry about the two previously mentioned birds...

 

[casportpony]

Maybe this will help you, it's a cut and paste from another post of mine

When mine get sick, this is what I do:

• Thorough exam which includes inserting a gloved, lubed finger into the cloaca, check for cuts, bruising lumps etc.
• Dust for mites/lice with poultry dust even if I cannot see any. DE does not work.
• Weigh on digital kitchen scale (see avatar), record weight and weigh daily. any weight loss is bad.
• Place bird in a warm, quiet place on towel with food and water that it can't drown in.
• De-worm with Safeguard or Panacur, liquid or paste 50mg/kg by mouth and repeat in 10 days.
• Once warm, if not drinking, and crop is empty, hydrate with warmed Pedialyte or lactated ringers with a feeding tube - 30ml/kg every 6-8 hours.
• If not eating after 24 hours and crop is empty, tube feed baby bird food mixed with Pedialyte
• Inspect poop.
• If I suspect a stuck egg, treat for egg binding.
• If I suspect a bacterial infection, treat with antibiotics.

From: http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/avmed/cam/07_emergency_and_critical_care.pdf
Supportive Care
SICK-BIRD ENCLOSURES
Sick birds are often hypothermic and should be placed
in heated (brooder-type) enclosures


b (Fig 7.7) in a quiet
environment (see Chapter 1, Clinical Practice). A temperature
of 85° F (29° C) with 70% humidity is desirable
for most sick birds. If brooders are not equipped with a
humidity source, placing a small dish of water in the
enclosure will often supply adequate humidity. A moist
towel that is heated and placed on the bottom of a cage
or incubator rapidly humidifies the environment, as indicated​

by the fogging of the acrylic cage front.

FLUID THERAPY
Oral Administration
Oral administration is the ideal method of giving fluids.
This method is more commonly used in mildly dehydrated
birds or in conjunction with subcutaneous (SC)
or intravenous (IV) therapy. Oral rehydration (30 ml/kg
PO q 6-8 h) also may be used in larger birds (eg, waterfowl)
that are difficult to restrain for parenteral fluid​

therapy.