sick hen please help

[sneaton1]

how long would it take for healthy hens to show symptoms if theyre around a sick hen?

 

[jjthinkagain]

You really need to give a ton more info for folks to ably help you.
What ails the sick hen and for how long? Please be as detailed and specific as possible.

JJ

 

[sneaton1]

i have black star pullet thats 4 months. i just got her 4 days ago and on day 2 i noticed one eye was swollen(she could still see), i thought it was a wasp sting or a pecking injury because it was hot around the swelling(i have one bossy hen and i just found a small wasp nest in the coop). the next day the other eye was swollen but she was still acting fine(no other symptoms). today she has no swelling but she is acting really lazy(walking around and standing alright but not really hungry or thirsty) and has been keeping her eyes shut alot(she had some clear fluid running out of one eye when she opened up her eyes after keeping them shut for a couple hours).


what could be the cause of the symptoms?

would my other two hens already be showing symptoms if it were contagious (its been 2 1/2 days)?

 

[MotherJean]

Probably one of the respiratory viruses. Not a good thing. No treatment for the virus, but they sometimes develop secondary bacterial infections that do respond to antibiotics. Problem is, many of these viruses are highly contagious and even if your chickens recover from the illness, they can remain carriers of the disease. This poses a real problem in bringing any new birds into your flock. The incubation period for one of the more serious diseases (infectious laryngotracheitis - ILT) is 6-12 days. That seems about average for many viruses and bacteria...1 to 2 weeks incubation.

 

[sneaton1]

does it hurt the eggs? these are the only chickens i need until they die so im not bringing new ones in. i just need to be able to eat the eggs

 

[MotherJean]

It's recommended that you not eat the eggs while chickens are being treated with most antibiotics and for some period of time after (the withdrawal period). That varies according to the drug. Most of those respiratory viruses are species specific and cannot infect humans. Bacterial infections, however, are a whole different matter.

 

[sneaton1]

if they are carriers does it hurt egg production? today her eyes are fine,she is still acting lazy and not wanting to eat or drink on her own so i ve been giving her water thru a water dropper

 

[schellie69]

If you have these chickens for eggs and one has an illness that will affect your entire flock I would be concerned with eating the eggs Also if they do get better they could be carriers for life and eventually these chickens will stop laying eggs and you will have to buy more chickens which means you could be infect your new flock. I would start to think if these ones are sick what the best course of action would be for you.

 

[sneaton1]

i gave her some yogurt and gatorade and it seemed to perk her up, and i think she actually ate some of her feed. is there any way that she could be allergic to the food i have? when i got her she was on starter feed and i switched her to layer. could this have caused any of the symptoms im seeing?

 

[sneaton1]

if the chickens get better and are just carriers will this affect the eggs.(can i eat them?).