Respiratory Issues with our new additions

[Telegrand]

Hello everyone- we have had our new flock for about 3 months now and just wanted to say how much I appreciate reading everyone's experiences here. I'm sure that many like me haven't posted but have learned a lot from you. Thanks! My young son wanted to raise hens and sell the eggs ( his first entrepreneurial venture). He did his research and we started with a small flock of layers. Well- as you can imagine he got very excited (and me too if im truthful) about his early success and wanted to add a few young americanas - Easter eggs are just too cool. We got our young pullets from the same person- raises wonderful healthy hens on a farm not far from here. After reading here how to go about adding new chicks we seperated a small pen near our larger and everything seemed to be great for a week or so until we noticed they were sneezing, raspy breath and light gurgling. We moved them to the other side of the yard in their own pen and started an antibiotic in the water. This was 7 days ago. So here are my further questions that in haven't been able to determine reading others posts (sorry if I missed the answers). After 7 days they seem better but not 100% - still a little drainage and raspy. How long to keep on antibiotic? Even if it clears up do I need to be worried about them being carriers? And will they always be "sickly". I don't want to take a chance with our older established flock but I think it would be very discouraging to have to cull them-- it's been such a tremendous and rewarding experience for the both of us. If anyone has any advice - even it's hard advice to hear- it will be appreciated!

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/disea...ction-mg-chronic-respiratory-disease-chickens

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
diagnosis charts at bottom

sounds like it could be mycoplasma gallisepticum (chronic respiratory disease) but I am not sure

You can have a blood test done by some vets I believe to test for MG or send a culled one off for necropsy to know for sure.

Some people just keep a closed flock and others cull the whole flock...it can render them asymptomatic carriers and pass thru the egg to the chick if it is MG.

 

[Eggcessive]

Your antibiotic should say on the label how long you can give it--for example, tetracycline (Duramycin10) can be given 7-14 days and at 2 different dosages.

 

[Michael Apple]

If we culled every chicken that showed signs of CRD, there wouldn't be any chickens. ChickensAreSweet is absolutely right about MG though. You can control symptoms much better with LS-50 or Tylan water soluble powders . Tylan 50 also is found as an injectible. 1/2 cc under the skin in the back of the neck every day for 5 days is the dose for it. If a bird is 5 lbs or larger, an additional 1/2 cc should be given in the breast nnuscle.

 

[Telegrand]

Thanks for the recommendations-- the package wasn't really clear on length of time for dosage and on here I read anywhere from 7- 14 days. We don't plan to ever sell or raise chickens (no roosters allowed where we live) so I guess we'll just have flare ups from time to time . Their eyes and nostrils have always been very clear so I'm hoping its something minor. Thanks!!!!