Rooster with respiratory problem

[sallywbstr]

My family has a 6 year old Chantecler rooster who came down with an unidentified respiratory problem this winter. Though Chanteclers are generally tough, he is from a very inbred strain, which might be contributing to the problem.
He was lethargic, sniffling and short of breath (i.e. his face would get purple when he exerted himself), his sinuses were swollen and his eyes were bubbly. His crow and his regular voice were sounding croaky. The two hens with him seemed to have mild sniffles, but nothing else.
We first tried putting VetRx on his nostrils hoping that it would help, but to no avail. Then we tried putting high doses of Vitamin C in their water. This helped to relieve the shortness of breath and the lethargy; the hens' sniffles also abated. But still he was not fully recovered- I worried that he was being put off by the sour taste of the ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). So we stopped the C and began administering a mild antibiotic in the water, along with an electrolyte, for two weeks. The hens totally recovered, and he continued to improve, but still his crow sounds like a creaky door and his eyes are bubbly. The swelling has gone down but I'm not sure its completely gone.
I have read that Tylan 50 works well, but I am not able to find a definitive dosage and\or a definitive injection site. Do you have any suggestions?

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your rooster. Mycoplasma (MG) or other respiratory diseases could be the problem. Tylan 50 or 200 can be given to treat MG or coryza. Soemtimes they can be complicated by secondary infections of E.coli or something else where a more broad spectrum antibiotic would be needed from a vet. Air sacculitis, where the infection spreads to the air sacs is a possibility if he is much sicker than the hen. How much does he weigh? Tylan 50 can be given orally or by injecting into the breast muscle 1/4 inch deep. Dosage for a 5 pound chicken is 1 ml, for a 7-8 pound guy, give 1.5, and for a 10 pound rooster give 2 ml twice a day for 5 days. Also give him some plain yogurt in his food for probiotics. If he doesn't start improving in a day or two, I would take him to your vet.

 

[sallywbstr]

I think we'll try injecting Tylan 50, but I am wondering if it's worth trying really high dose injections of vitamin C. It has been known to cure viral respiratory problems in humans and dogs....and it seemed to help in the birds water. I'm assuming though that the acidic taste put him off, though, so he didn't drink enough of it.
I'm really just looking for an alternative to antibiotics...I don't want to take the risks unless it's absolutely necessary.

I'm also wondering if he might actually have Newcastle's rather than MG....we recently lost a bird to some strange nervous problem. Also, a few years ago, he and one of his hens had weepy, bubbly eyes that we cured with antibiotics...and then the whole family had conjunctivitis (the human version of Newcastle's).
Will Tylan work with Newcastle's disease?

 

[Eggcessive]

If you end up injecting the Tylan50, 2 ml is quite a lot to inject into the breast muscle. Many people use it orally, and you can also use Tylan 200, which is 4 times as strong, but more costly. Actually Newcastles is a virus, but actually 3 strains, and the worst strain is not seen in the US, thank goodness. The others are more mild. With any type of respiratory disease, there can be neurological consequences including wry neck and seizures in the end stages. Conjunctivitis and sinus infection is a big part of MG and other diseases. Antibiotics are very necessary for the bacterial diseases such as MG and coryza, but do not affect viruses. Many people do use garlic, oregano oil, tumeric, and other herbs to help fight infections. You may find some good threads about their use by searching at the top of this page. You may want to get him tested, since it would be good to know what they have. Most respiratory diseases make the whole flock carriers for life, and you may see it when any are stressed, such as in winter or during a molt. The disease will remain in the flock until the last bird is gone. Any new birds added when any are left, and they will become carriers. Once all birds are gone, if it is MG or coryza, it only takes a few days for the disease to die out.