Respiratory infection

[Curtisclan]

Hi all. After 10 years of keeping chickens, I find myself dealing wi th a sick chick for the first time.She’s about three weeks old and has little bit of a cough or sneeze going on. She’s also breathing with her mouth open. As of right now there is no discharge from her nose or eyes but there is a definite “rattle” to her breathing. I’ve quarantined her so hopefully it won’t spread to anyone else. .. Any recommendations on how to treat ?

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any antibiotics? Did you hatch this chick or buy her from someone? If you could get Tylan (tylosin,) oxytetracycline, doxycycline or another antibiotic that treats mycoplasma (MG,) I would use it. Brooder pneumonia or aspergillosis is another respiratory disease that is common in brooders where there has been mold or wet bedding. No treatment is given except supportive care, keeping the nostrils and eyes clean. Infectious bronchitis, a virus, can also be common, and there is no treatment. Symptoms are sneezing and congestion for about a month.

 

[Curtisclan]

There ended up being 6 chicks all together that were showing signs of sickness. All but one are 3 weeks old. The other one was just a few days and did not make it. I bought these chicks from a neighbor. I saw her chickens and all seemed healthy when I bought them.
Today after speaking with her she agreed to take back the sick chicks and also gave me some Duragard she had on hand in case I need to treat the rest of the chicks I bought from her. Is it ok to give them the duragard so young?
So far none of the other chicks are showing signs of sickness. Should I wait before starting treatment? Or just start it because of exposure?

 

[Eggcessive]

There can be MG, IB, or other respiratory diseases in a flock where none of the older birds may look or seem sick. Chickens can carry those diseases as silent carriers. IB makes flocks positive and carriers for up to a year, while MG makes them carriers for life. MG can also pass through hatching eggs and can show up in the first few weeks of life. If you would have a chick die, that is a good time to send the body into the state vet for a necropsy and a diagnosis of which disease they had.

I would learn about Denagard, which treats MG, both to treat an acute outbreak, but also is used in a lower dose once a month for 3 days as a preventative. I would use it on the chicks in their water.

If your chicks are having signs of IB (infectious bronchitis,) they will be sick for a month because it is a virus which antibiotics will not treat. Here are some links about Denagard dosage:
https://www.premier.com.gr/?product=denagard-12-5-solution-2
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/denagard-confusion-please.1141363/

 

[Curtisclan]

Thank you !!!

 

[Eggcessive]

You’re welcome, hopefully it helps. This link below is something handy to read about the symptoms and treatment of the most common respiratory diseases—mycoplasma gallisepticum, Infectious bronchitis, infectious coryza, ILT or infectious laryngo tracheitis, and aspergillosis:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Curtisclan]

Definitely good info to have on hand!! I took the sick ones back to the lady I got them from. I didn’t want to deal with treating sick birds since I’ve got 30 eggs incubating with 9 set to hatch early next week. I just was feeling overwhelmed at the thought of caring for newborns and sick ones at the same time.
I’m definitely keeping a close eye on the ones I still ha e since there was some exposure before quarantine but so far every one else looks good

 

[Folly's place]

Hope that you are going to avoid disaster here! If any get sick, you can have testing done, on either live birds, or have a necropsy done, at your state vet lab.
Biosecurity! Read up on it!
Mary

 

[Eggcessive]

The ones that were not taken back could still get sick or be carriers, since they were exposed. Just watch for symptoms, and seek testing. A necropsy is the best way to obtain testing. Culling sick birds is the way many deal with illnesses. Use good biosecurity methods between the chicks and others.

 

[quackersandfern]

It could be a number of things. Have you tried using the chicken symptom checker tool to get an idea of the possibilities? http://www.poultrydvm.com/views/symptoms.php