Sick pullet, please help!

[EdistoChicks]

2 weeks ago we put all the birds into a new coop. On the second night one of the pullets had an abrasion to the beak like it got stuck on something and peeled. It only affected the top of the beak near the end. During the same time she appeared to have a problem with her crop being abnormally large. She got better from that and now she has a droopy light colored comb, and sounds like she is wheezing. Could this be a cold or because of the beak injury? I want to separate her from the flock but we only have one coop and the weather will be in the high 50's tonight. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Melissa

 

[BitsyB]

I wish I knew more and could help you, but sadly I am not experiened in doctoring chickens yet (but I know my time is coming eventually). I anwered so your request will stay in the recent posts category.

I'll hope for the best for your girl...

 

[rosco]

possibly a staph infection from the cut. i think people here are having good results with a particular gram+ antibiotic. Corrid maybe. this might be a subdermal infection whereas i think they are using Corrid to fight intestinal cocci infections. not clear on the backyard vet stuff yet.

others here will know better than me.

is there a way to tell if it is hotter than the others (fever)? esp near the beak abrasion.

 

[zoo2u]

If one of my chicks looks bad, i usually bring them in, put them in a small cage with a heat lamp. Baytril is the antibiotic we use. I had two last week that were sneezing, fluffed up, and i brought them in, heat and baytril they are now back with the flock. i have another that just got completely zapped, didn't think she would make it but have been tube feeding her every 4 hours since last Friday, she is 100% better now, thankfully. Best of luck, but i would pull and put on or under heat.

 

[EdistoChicks]

I have some tetracycline on hand. Could that be used if it was staph? If so and I do use it how long should I discard her eggs? Thank you!

 

[EdistoChicks]

She is way too big to be inside the house. We have a screened in cage that has a roof, would that be sufficient if I added a heat lamp?

 

[Judy]

Chickens don't get colds, and corid is not an antibiotic, it acts inside the cocci to block their thiamine uptake. She could have any of several respiratory diseases that chickens sometimes get, though. You would need to know which one to treat properly. The best route would be an avian vet, of course, but most people on here find that too expensive. The wheezing could be something caught that will pass, gapeworm, or any of a number of other things. I would look inside her mouth to see if you can wee any worms; gapeworm is easily seen this way. You could get an antibiotic from the feed store -- some are tylan, sulmet and baytril -- if you want to gamble that you will pick one that will help. However, most chicken resp. diseases are viral, and no antibiotic kills viruses. If she has a resp. disease, the others will also most likely get it. The droopy comb is simply a symptom of being ill, probably a little dehydrated, and the pale color probably indicates the area is not getting enough oxygen, possibly from a respiratory problem. Another possibility is that she has a heart problem which is causing both the wheezing and the pale comb.

Not really much help, but gives you a little overall info. I don't know anything specific about these resp. diseases as I have never dealt with them. In many places there is a govt. agency or university that may be helpful; you could contact your county extension agent to see what might be available locally.

 

[rosco]

Why is gapeworm thought to be the cause in so many seemingly respiratory illnesses? they must be prevalent in the deep south.

i'm new to this but have read that gapeworm makes the bird stretch its neck and open its mouth as the esophagus is being crowded by worms. not really wheeze as the bird will do with a respiratory illness. again, i'm new and have little feel for this material

 

[Candiss]

It sounds like a respiratory infection to me, I am by no means an expert but I think I would get some TYLAN, if you can.

Candace

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

I have been thinking pretty much the same thing, gapeworm does not seam all that common in chickens. Respritory problems are many and the fall weather as well as moulting seams to bring outbreaks or flare-ups in birds with chronic infections.