Sick chicken with swollen face

[Hazel304]

So long rant as short as I can put it. Got some new chickens rooster started having a raspy breathing no other symptoms noticed and was perfectly fine day before, gave some apple cider water mix while calling vets with no avail died that night, now one of my other roos have been acting strange unable to get close, and my hen has a slight cough I guess you would call it with a swollen face this morning. Pic available any help would be appreciated until I can find a vet in my area for chickens, hen Is roughly 3 yrs of age and unsure of weight. Haven't noticed any eating or drinking today she's just laying around being shunned by the rest of flock.

 

[azygous]

You have a rampant respiratory infection loose in your flock. You will need to treat all chickens that have symptoms, although all have been exposed.

Tylan 50 is your best bet. Luckily it can be found at most feed stores. Get some needle syringes, too, as the medicine works much quicker when injected into the breast muscle.

 

[Bantamgirl715]

You need to isolate anyone who is sick. It's obviously respiratory and highly infectious.

 

[Hazel304]

I've dealt with chickens for a few years now and have never had this issue before, I have a video of the roo that died (days after buying him) but my net won't let me upload. When quarantine should I use the red earth I bought or no.

 

[azygous]

To post a video, load it to YouTube first, then copy and paste the URL here. The video will then be ready for us to watch.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you brought in new chickens, and shortly after the others started getting sick, they probably came with a respiratory disease, such as MG or coryza. Chickens with either of those are carriers for life. You can treat the symptoms, but those diseases may be around your chickens whenevr they are stressed during cold westher or molting. Tylan 50 given orally or by injection works against MG. Sulfa drugs such as bactrim and sulfadimethoxine can treat coryza symptoms. I would close the flock to new birds, then when all birds are gone, disinfect equipment, wait a month or so, then get healthy chicks from a hatchery.

 

[getaclue]

Are you in California?

 

[Hazel304]

West Virginia

 

[Eggcessive]

I am from WV originally, and they don’t even bother doing necropsies. They tell you to contact your local vet, and most do not even know much about poultry. A necropsy by the state vet is usually the best way to identify a disease in the flock.

I would get some Tylan 50 and give it 3 times a day by mouth at a dosage of 1/4 ml per pound of weight for 3-5 days. If it helps symptoms, it may be MG. If the sick birds smell terrible, then you may be seeing coryza. Personally, I would cull birds with coryza. I don’t know if there is a way to get a sick bird tested there, but the NPIP does test flocks there for some diseases. I knew a lady near Charleston that got tested yearly.

Here is a good link to read about symptoms of both mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and infectious coryza to try and figure out which one you are dealing with, and you might also look at ILT and infectious bronchitis, the viruses that sometimes cause diseases:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Hazel304]

I know the day the roo got sick it smelled like rotten eggs so far I haven't noticed any smells from the others that's sick.