Chronic lifelong respiratory illness, it's good to get the testing done to find out what you are dealing with.
Mycoplasma which is commonly seen is usually treated with Tylosin or Tiamulin. Tetracyclines can also be used to treat symptoms of MG.
Amoxicillin is not used to treat most respiratory illnesses, especially MG since it has no cell wall, so the medication will not be effective.
Another common respiratory disease, Infectious Bronchitis which is a virus, is not treated with medication unless there's a secondary bacterial infection, then often Tylosin or a Tetracycline is given to see if that helps.
Will she drink on her own?
She's not barfing up, was she before? I'd check her crop first thing in the morning before she's had anything to eat/drink to make sure the crop is emptying overnight.
When was her last egg?
Gurgling can be from number of things - when I've observed gurlging within my birds, it was usually an underlying reproductive issue causing symptoms for the crop and/or fluid in the abdomen (symptom Ascites).
The black looks like it's dirt, does it wipe off? Could be from her wiping her face if she's got mites.
I wonder why the vet put them on Amoxicillin then. That was the first thing she did. I don't know if she's ever laid an egg. I think she got sick around the time her sister began laying. She's maybe laid two eggs? If so it's been a long while. I do have some antibiotics from Jedds, but I don't know how effective they are since they're not regulated. (Doxycycline, Amoxy-Tyl, the Factor 5 powder. I swear I also have some Doxy-Tyl but I can't find it) They're all in powder form.
She's a thirsty girl, but her thirst is decreasing. Her crop empties in the morning. I'm about ready to feed her for the first time today. She will look at the food with interest, move towards it, then change her mind. She hasn't barfed up, but where she's eating so little it was a concern that the food wouldn't settle well and we'd have to build up to a full meal.
The black stuff doesn't seem to rub off. I was thinking of maybe using a little coconut oil to see if it comes off.
I have lost three weaker chickens to a possible wasting illness although I can't confirm it. I adopted the flock all at once. One of them was blind and went with a rescue who deals with blind chickens. That one did for sure pass away from tumors. I don't know if they did any testing though. I think they found the tumors pre-death. I had another one who lasted a while, got gradually weaker, and then died. She was never tested, and my flock at the time showed no other signs of illness. I think this was like a year later. I just had another one pass at the vet's office. The vet noted how weak she was and how underweight she was. None of them laid eggs. The one who just passed did have breathing issues. She always had a weak immune system. I think it also killed another baby chick who also had breathing problems, but I don't know for sure.
Today I'm shipping out samples to Research Associates Laboratory (VetDNA) to get a respiratory panel done. They will be testing for....
Avian Influenza, Aspergillus fumigatus, Bordatella avium, Avian Coronavirus (Infectious Bronchitis), Infectious Laryngotracheitis (Ga-HV1), Avibacterium paragallinarum (Infectious coryza), Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT), Avian Mycoplasma (M. gallisepticum/M. synoviae)
I'll probably also add in Marek's just to be sure. But if it was Marek's, I should see more death, right? Out of 20+ I've only had those die, excluding a raccoon attack.
These are the two with issues. The brahma isn't suffering nearly as much as the lavender girl. The brahma is still a greedy snot who will eat everything not nailed down and is often in dust baths. I think she's starting to eat less (tired maybe) but I can't be sure. They've had a lot of stress lately. (Said raccoon attack, babysitting some of my old flock for a few days, hauling her two hours away to a vet...)
