Sick chickens..

[KristiH]

I have a pen of BB Reds that are sick and dying on me. I have 4 of them - 2 hens for years and 3 weeks ago got a hen and rooster. Everyone was fine. Then the weather changed and got cold for 3-4 days. Warmed back up and is cold again.

The rooster stopped crowing, stopped eating much, was listless. One hen had an injury I thought and has had a very swollen eye and I was treating it. Getting the gunk out, used hydrogen peroxide - no luck. Tried penicillin directly in the eye - no change. Put Terramycin (sp) in the water. Had been feeding feed with Nutra Boost all along.

This morning the rooster's dead and another hen is getting the goopy eye. So I'm now believing it's part of a disease process as opposed to an injury as I originally thought. I've no idea what is wrong as I've never had a sick chicken before. I have 2 other pens of chickens that I keep in different pens and all are fine at this point.

Advice greatly needed and appreciated.

Thanks,
Kristi

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Sounds like a respiratory infection.

Here is a link with diagnosis charts at bottom:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Some diseases will render birds asymptomatic carriers, and then they can get sick again when stressed.

Some people treat with antibiotics and others cull for respiratory disease.

You may want to look up mycoplasma gallisepticum (chronic respiratory disease).

I believe there is a blood test for it, and if you need to you can contact your state vet or county extension agent regarding sending off a necropsy to determine cause of death the next time one passes.

I am sorry for your loss.

 

[KristiH]

Thanks for that information. Sadly I feel it is the mycoplasma gallisepticum after having read the description. If that is the case I'm in trouble as they will be carriers for life.