Sick Flock? Treat or Cull?

[shy519]

Hello all! I posted very recently about my breeding roo who passed away overnight due to an unknown illness. The whole flock seems to be sick, but with different symptoms. They are all wheezing and/or coughing with a loud mucus-sounding cough. Other than that they seem to be acting normal. Poop is normal, eating normal, drinking normal, etc. Any advice? Thank you?

 

[cavemanrich]

I would not resort to culling all that quickly. In the past, I had some sick chickens. I tried my best to comfort them and gave them good nutrition and extra vitamins. I did not have access to meds nor did I know what to use. Most recovered on their own. I am not in financial position to take a $10 chicken to a vet and fork over $150. Situation is different for peeps that have large flocks, and they need to know what the ailment is. They have a lot more at stake. I did encounter once a respiratory disease in my small flock. Not sure which it was. Lost 3 chickens, but the rest were not affected. There are options to send your chicken for a necropsy, but I don't know exactly where. Dept, of Agriculture labs,?? University of science labs??? and it would have to be near you in your State. It may be possibly free of charge though. Maybe someone that has done it can chime in.
WISHING YOU BEST...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello all! I posted very recently about my breeding roo who passed away overnight due to an unknown illness. The whole flock seems to be sick, but with different symptoms. They are all wheezing and/or coughing with a loud mucus-sounding cough. Other than that they seem to be acting normal. Poop is normal, eating normal, drinking normal, etc. Any advice? Thank you?

It sounds like they have a respiratory illness. Several can present with similar symptoms, so without testing, it would be hard to know exactly which one you're dealing with. Infectious Bronchitis (IB), Mycoplasma (MG), Infectious Coryza and ILT are a few of the more common illnesses. Antibiotics may help treat any secondary infections, but won't cure the illness. You can try injectable Tylan50 to see if that makes any difference, you can find it at most feed stores like Tractor Supply. Dosage is .10ml per 1pound of weight given 2-3times per day for 5days. Watch to see they eat/drink well.

As for culling - get some testing done. A lot depends on what you have and what your goals are. Respiratory illnesses are contagious and generally all birds that have been sick, recovered, housed together, etc. regardless if they ever show any symptoms are considered carriers for life. If you are planning on breeding, selling, giving away/trading hatching eggs, chicks, started pullets, etc., then having testing is important. If you are keeping them for your own use as a closed flock, then can try to manage illness/symptoms as they arise. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

It looks like MO has at least 2 labs - give them a call or check out their site for more information, they can tell you what they do. http://agriculture.mo.gov/animals/health/diagnosticlabs.php