sick chicken HELP!!

[DVK]

so a few days ago I bought an Orpington chicken, over the days she hasn't been eating much, just a few pecks here and there but wasn't ever interested in the chicken food (she does drink though). I also kept noticing her sneezing once in a while. today she is limping badly yet she had no cuts and her leg looks fine. the most worrisome part is her breathing, its like she has bubbles in her lung ( idk how to explain) like every time she inhales you can hear small bubbly pops. anyone know what it might be and is it contagious?

 

[dawg53]

It sounds like a respiratory disease and they are contagious to other birds.
Here's a link regarding respiratory diseases. Take a look at Infectious Bronchitis (IB,)
Coryza, and Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG.)
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[chicknmania]

so a few days ago I bought an Orpington chicken, over the days she hasn't been eating much, just a few pecks here and there but wasn't ever interested in the chicken food (she does drink though). I also kept noticing her sneezing once in a while. today she is limping badly yet she had no cuts and her leg looks fine. the most worrisome part is her breathing, its like she has bubbles in her lung ( idk how to explain) like every time she inhales you can hear small bubbly pops. anyone know what it might be and is it contagious?

She is very sick,. If she's with others in your flock, you need to quarantine her immediately in a warm pen or crate where she has some privacy, and then disinfect everything possible with Oxine or bleach. Not sure what it is, could be multiple things. Where did you buy her?

 

[DVK]

She is very sick,. If she's with others in your flock, you need to quarantine her immediately in a warm pen or crate where she has some privacy, and then disinfect everything possible with Oxine or bleach. Not sure what it is, could be multiple things. Where did you buy her?

bought her from a random person on craiglist. its funny, i contacted them today and asked if any of their chickens have been ever sick. they never replied.
they live in a dog kennel rn in the grass. cant pour bleach because itll kill the grass and harm our dogs ill have to see with oxine tho. ty for the help.

 

[DVK]

It sounds like a respiratory disease and they are contagious to other birds.
Here's a link regarding respiratory diseases. Take a look at Infectious Bronchitis (IB,)
Coryza, and Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG.)
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

omg im so scared now, i really hope it's not contagious, i love my chickens o(╥﹏╥)o
i feel like the person who sold me them knew they were sick because they were really cheap, they never even wanted to tell us about their scaly mites. something that is giving me some hope is that the other chickens I bought her with are really healthy. anywho, is it expensive to bring a chicken to the vet?

 

[chkva]

omg im so scared now, i really hope it's not contagious, i love my chickens o(╥﹏╥)o
i feel like the person who sold me them knew they were sick because they were really cheap, they never even wanted to tell us about their scaly mites. something that is giving me some hope is that the other chickens I bought her with are really healthy. anywho, is it expensive to bring a chicken to the vet?

It's about the same price as bringing a dog. They usually charge a fee for the visit then whatever else the chicken needs. My vet charges $53 for the exam then the tests and such are an additional charge.

 

[chicknmania]

bought her from a random person on craiglist. its funny, i contacted them today and asked if any of their chickens have been ever sick. they never replied.
they live in a dog kennel rn in the grass. cant pour bleach because itll kill the grass and harm our dogs ill have to see with oxine tho. ty for the help.

We get Oxine from www.firststatevetsupply.com. It is a little pricey but a small amount goes a long way; it's ten times more powerful than bleach. You can mix a small amount in a spray bottle with water and spray everything; even mist the birds with it and put a few drops in their drinking water. We've had a gallon bottle that's lasted us years. As far as I know, it won't hurt the grass.

 

[chicknmania]

It's about the same price as bringing a dog. They usually charge a fee for the visit then whatever else the chicken needs. My vet charges $53 for the exam then the tests and such are an additional charge.

If you have a good relationship with your four leg vet sometimes they will look at a chicken for you if it's not something too complicated, and a four leg vet is cheaper than a bird vet; here, anyway. Our vet is 45.00 for a visit, plus meds, but sometimes he'll just charge for meds, for a chicken.

 

[chicknmania]

omg im so scared now, i really hope it's not contagious, i love my chickens o(╥﹏╥)o
i feel like the person who sold me them knew they were sick because they were really cheap, they never even wanted to tell us about their scaly mites. something that is giving me some hope is that the other chickens I bought her with are really healthy. anywho, is it expensive to bring a chicken to the vet?

And lesson learned (sorry). We quit buying chickens from auctions even....after we had a terrible experience with ILT, 13 years ago. Now, we buy only chicks from a hatchery or reputable store, or, if we buy from a poultry show or breeder or something like that, (even someone we know) all birds MUST be quarantined for a minimum of three weeks, usually a month. Not only is it safer for all birds concerned, but it's kinder, too. Just think...how would you feel if you were forced to go live with a bunch of strangers you didn't know, and couldn't get away, lol! OR had a stranger suddenly start living in your house! New birds in a pen not too close, but close enough to the existing flock where they can see and hear their neighbors, and get used to their new surroundings, and vice versa. Then, after a month, before I actually let the birds mingle, I'll move the new birds pen closer to the old flock, so they can socialize through the wire. You can do that easily if you can build a simple chicken tractor, that can be moved around.

Good luck to you, I hope she gets well and your other birds are ok. If she dies, you might look into a necropsy also; prices vary in different States. Please keep us posted.

 

[chicknmania]

Lastly, she probably needs an antibiotic, which you in most cases need to get from a vet, in the USA anyway, if it's an oral antibiotic; but you should be able to get injectible Tylan from a feed store, and if you can, that's something else to pursue. Only saying that because it does sound like a respiratory illness and whether or not it's an infection, an antibiotic might help her combat secondary issues. Normally it's injectible in the breast muscle for three to five days; I know you can give injectible Tylan orally too but there i'm not sure of the dose, but you should be able to find out on here by typing it in the search bar.

I think there's also an antibiotic on line called All in One for birds. I have never bought any, so no idea if you need a scrip for it, but probably. You could check it out though.

In the meantime, try to coax her to eat by offering bread crumbs soaked in buttermilk, or scrambled eggs, yogurt, finely chopped grapes, applesauce mixed with crumbles, anything she likes that has some fluid in it too. You can gently dribble fluids into the side of her beak, with a dropper, making sure she swallows..a little at a time.