Sick 13 week old Chick I love

[Chicksluvsticks]

I am new to the forum and chickens. I have been reading and reading trying to diagnose Franchesca. She is a 13 week old speckled sussex. She came to me with a bit of a sneeze (my husband thought it was her trying to cluck). She has now developed a bit of clear discharge. She is shaking her head and scratching her eyes a lot. They are now foamy. She has a rattle to her when she breathes only sometimes. And when she is resting she opens her beak when breathing in while slightly lifting it and her neck. She is a little sleepy but also still runs around and enjoys being a chicken. Before the foamy eyes and discharge I treated her for worms thinking it was Gapeworm... But that is not the case obviously. She is still strong and I want to get her healthy before it is too late. She is not a show bird and is part of only a small backyard flock... so anything that can be treated is fine... even if she remains a carrier. I just haven't seen all these items together in a definitive diagnosis. I have duramycin 10 but not sure that is the right route after 3 days.

Symptom recap:
sneezes/chough
slight clear discharge
shaking head
scratching eye
foamy eye
rattle in breath sometimes when resting
opens beak to breathe in when resting
a little sleepier than usual but still strong

Thanks so much!

 

[Chicksluvsticks]

I would have thought it might be allergies but the wheezing/ rattling and the tiredness makes me think otherwise. Help anyone?

 

[Yay Chicks!]

I'm sorry you are having difficulty. I would like to welcome you to BYC and hope you get the help you need.

I have not experienced this, so can offer no direct advice. I did a search on here and kept coming up with an article by Nathalie Ross. Did you find and read that? Was that helpful at all?

Edited to say that the search term I used was 'respiratory illness.'

 

[kelar]

First, make sure she does not have lice or mites and treat for those if necessary. They are bad this time of year and can cause a lot of problems around the eyes and face. I'd guess she has a mycoplasma infection of some sort. I use Denagard for respiratory illnesses. You will probably have to order it online - it's not approved for poultry in the US - it is a medicine for swine pneumonia. Dose at the rate of 15 cc. per gallon of water for treatment - add sugar to the water since it is very bitter. Next choice would be Tylan. I have to order both of these meds online. In the meantime, keep her hydrated and well fed with vitamins/electrolytes in her water, you can also give her a few drops daily of children's poly-visol without iron & some scrambled egg.