Selling Chicken Now... But Today They Are Coughing! What now???

[cammartinez]

My farm worker just told me the chickens are coughing. Like half of them. We were in the middle of trying to sell them.

If we treat them... I guess we have to stop selling right??? If so, how long would we need to wait for?

People come to our chicken house to get chicken. I found out he was letting the people inside the house... even though it was not the main area where the chickens are. Some chickens go into that area.

Now they are sick. Any advice about when they will be safe to sell?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

After you figure out what they have and they are cured.

Or you can tell people they are sick and you don't know what they have. Yeah, OK, not a good plan.

Where are you located?
Your quickest way out of this is to send one of the sickest birds to your state or national poultry lab for euthanasia and necropsy, treat accordingly and you're done.
In the future, outsiders shouldn't walk anywhere chickens are. I have disposable plastic boots I make people put on when they get out of their vehicle and they still aren't allowed near the runs or forage area.


The thing is that many things that cause coughing aren't treatable with antibiotics. They might not even be bacterial, it could be viral, fungal, protozoal, environmental or nutritional.
However, since outsiders have been in the hen house, it is most likely viral or bacterial.

 

[cammartinez]

Unfortunately we are in Africa. Things are not too advanced here...

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Yeah, but they raise a lot of poultry.
Africa's a big place. What country?

 

[cammartinez]

Cameroon... We are not in a very developed place. Whenever we talk to the local vet, she just seems to go more on visual problems, behavior etc. Not once has anything ever been tested.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

I'm so sorry, it sounds like a respitory infection. After it is treated, the chickens will be carriers of the disease for the rest of their lives. It may be best to cull them and restrict visitor access to the chickens.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

There is a national veterinary lab run by the govt. of Cameroon where you should be able to take/send a bird for necropsy.
http://www.ars.usda.gov/gfra/files/presntationlanavetanglais.pdf
How far are you from Garoua?

 

[cammartinez]

I live super far away from there.

I can ask the vet if she is able to run tests or not though. Maybe she just never offered.

 

[cammartinez]

leaf blade... does that mean they can't be eaten???

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I live super far away from there.

I can ask the vet if she is able to run tests or not though. Maybe she just never offered.

Yeah, it's a shame it is stuck in the far corner of the country.
I would still call them and maybe they can tell you about a lab closer to you.