Respiratory issue in hen

[SilkieSisters]

I have a one year old hen who has shown symptoms of a respiratory infection for a week now and a 3 days ago I started her on antibiotic injections (liquamycin). Yesterday she spent the night inside and i put vetrx in a vaporizer for her. I have no clue whats wrong with her because she has a lot of symptoms but also a lot of healthy signs.

Her symptoms: mucus in her mouth, crust around nose and bubbly eyes sometimes, swollen abdomen (pretty sure - she seems to have gained weight), ruffled/messy feathers & feather loss (idk if its related or molting because a lot of new feathers are growing in), sneezing & constant yawning here and there, floppy & pale comb (shes a leghorn with a large comb but its more floppy than usual)

However . . . she still fills her crop every night and drinks regularly, her droppings are perfectly healthy and consistent, shes not lethargic, still flies to roosting bar every night, and she still goes around fighting other hens / making her usual noises

I'd appreciate any clarity/help!

@Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive

 

[Eggcessive]

The bubbly eye, crusty nasal drainage, and sneezing sound like mycoplasma gallisepticum, but testing would confirm it. There also can be secondary infections that can complicate things. Do you notice a bad odor around her face? The yawning might be a sign of a crop problem. Can you check her crop early tomorrow morning before she has eaten or drunk anything? It should be mostly empty and flat, but if it is full and hard, doughy or puffy, there is a problem. Crop problems can happen alone due to impactions, sour crop from long standing impaction, slowdown, or infection, and many reproductive disorders may be a cause. Molting seems to be a time of stress when MG or other diseases can bring out symptoms if the chicken has been exposed before. The liquimycin can treat symptoms of MG, but she will remain a carrier for life. What dosage are you giving? Your others may already have been exposed when she was.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are some articles that you might want to read:
https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-...tion-m-g-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry your hen is sick.

Is it the same one that had the puffy eye a while back? https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/puffy-eye-oozing.1337251/

 

[SilkieSisters]

Here are some articles that you might want to read:
https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-...tion-m-g-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/extension.umd.edu/files/_docs/programs/poultry/FS-1008 Recognizing and Preventing Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

I read those and looked at more pictures of MG and it really doesn't seem like this is what is wrong with her.

 

[SilkieSisters]

I'm sorry your hen is sick.

Is it the same one that had the puffy eye a while back? https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/puffy-eye-oozing.1337251/

No, this one was sick a bit ago and I had a thread going for her then but she got better and now she has all these symptoms.

 

[SilkieSisters]

It's weird because she has a lot of healthy signs too but her abdomen has worried me, its not red but its enlarged I think. plus she feels pretty heavy for a leghorn . . . idk if its because she eats a lot of food.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It's weird because she has a lot of healthy signs too but her abdomen has worried me, its not red but its enlarged I think. plus she feels pretty heavy for a leghorn . . . idk if its because she eats a lot of food.

Does the abdomen feel like it has fluid in it?

 

[Eggcessive]

How much Liquimycin are you giving how often? Dosage is important. Are you talking about her lower abdomen or her crop? The lower belly could be full of fluid (ascites) or she might have a reproductive problem such as internal laying or salpingitis.

The symptoms you have described do sound like you have a respiratory disease in your flock, and that is why you are seeing birds from time to time with the eye symptoms. I would try to get a sick bird tested, which you can do yourself through Zoologix or through your state vet or NPIP tester.
https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm

 

[SilkieSisters]

How much Liquimycin are you giving how often? Dosage is important. Are you talking about her lower abdomen or her crop? The lower belly could be full of fluid (ascites) or she might have a reproductive problem such as internal laying or salpingitis.

The symptoms you have described do sound like you have a respiratory disease in your flock, and that is why you are seeing birds from time to time with the eye symptoms. I would try to get a sick bird tested, which you can do yourself through Zoologix or through your state vet or NPIP tester.
https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm

For the first 2 days I gave her 2 injections a day for 2 days (12 hrs apart) and 1 a day from now on for the next 7-8 days . . . I've been giving her 0.5 ml per injection. There's definitely respiratory issues going around but right now she seems to be the only one affected. Everyone else has cleared up. Also a few years ago I had a hen die from sour crop which was extremely squishy in her crop and gave off an unforgettable horrible foul smell. Last week I had a hen die from impacted crop and she was too far gone by the time i noticed. Im familiar with both of those crop issues and she doesn't have either of those. I was talking about her lower abdomen, but its not red but seems larger than it should be.