Sick Silky cockerel

Drarig99

Songster
5 Years
Oct 21, 2017
55
34
108
My 5 months old Silky doesn't feel. It started about 4 days ago. It began with him having a little unbalanced problem. He was alert, eating and drinking well. When feeding him treats, like if he had vision problems, he couldn't reach for the food, peeking just beside it. I gave him vitamin E, plus Tylan just in case he would have a secondary infection (I have a flu problem with my flock) for 3 days. No sneezing, no sign of respiratory problem. Today, he stand still, with discharge from his left eye and nostril. I put Erythromycin in his eye a couple of hours ago and now, it is very swolen. His mouth seems ok, with only a little white spot on his palate. Someone has an idea on what's going on with him?
 

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Update on my Silky: he started having some respiratory difficulties, plus having a big crop filled with air (he burped when I manipulate it and it mades gurgling sounds). He doesn't want to eat or drink. Here some pictures of inside his mouth.

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It sounds like he might have mycoplasma gallispticum (MG) which causes conjuntivitis and sinus infection. It will make him a carrier for life, if it is MG. Do you notice a bad odor? Coryza can have worse symptoms than MG, and cause the bad odor. Can you get some Tylan 50 injectable at your feed store, plus some 3 ml syringes with 20 gauge needles? You can give the Tylan orally, 1/4 ml (0.25 ml) by mouth twice a day for 5 days. Make sure that he is drinking plenty of fluids, and you can dip his beak into water for a second at at time to get him drinking. Offer some treats of chopped egg and sometimes they will eat feed with a lot of water added. Plain yogurt, around a tsp daily while he is on Tylan can help.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Synonyms: MG, chronic respiratory disease (CRD), infectious sinusitis, mycoplasmosis

Species affected: chickens, turkeys, pigeons, ducks, peafowl, and passerine birds.

Clinical signs: Clinical symptoms vary slightly between species. Infected adult chickens may show no outward signs if infection is uncomplicated. However, sticky, serous exudate from nostrils, foamy exudate in eyes, and swollen sinuses can occur, especially in broilers. The air sacs may become infected. Infected birds can develop respiratory rales and sneeze. Affected birds are often stunted and unthrifty (see Table 1).

There are two forms of this disease in the turkey. With the "upper form" the birds have watery eyes and nostrils, the infraorbitals (just below the eye) become swollen, and the exudate becomes caseous and firm. The birds have respiratory rales and show unthriftiness.

With the "lower form", infected turkeys develop airsacculitis. As with chickens, birds can show no outward signs if the infection is uncomplicated. Thus, the condition may go unnoticed until the birds are slaughtered and the typical legions are seen. Birds with airsacculitis are condemned.

MG in chicken embryos can cause dwarfing, airsacculitis, and death.

Transmission: MG can be spread to offspring through the egg. Most commercial breeding flocks, however, are MG-free. Introduction of infected replacement birds can introduce the disease to MG-negative flocks. MG can also be spread by using MG-contaminated equipment.

Treatment: Outbreaks of MG can be controlled with the use of antibiotics. Erythromycin, tylosin, spectinomycin, and lincomycin all exhibit anti-mycoplasma activity and have given good results. Administration of most of these antibiotics can be by feed, water or injection. These are effective in reducing clinical disease. However, birds remain carriers for life.

Prevention: Eradication is the best control of mycoplasma disease. The National Poultry Improvement Plan monitors all participating chicken and turkey breeder flocks.
 
It sounds like he might have mycoplasma gallispticum (MG) which causes conjuntivitis and sinus infection. It will make him a carrier for life, if it is MG. Do you notice a bad odor? Coryza can have worse symptoms than MG, and cause the bad odor. Can you get some Tylan 50 injectable at your feed store, plus some 3 ml syringes with 20 gauge needles? You can give the Tylan orally, 1/4 ml (0.25 ml) by mouth twice a day for 5 days. Make sure that he is drinking plenty of fluids, and you can dip his beak into water for a second at at time to get him drinking. Offer some treats of chopped egg and sometimes they will eat feed with a lot of water added. Plain yogurt, around a tsp daily while he is on Tylan can help.

Thanks Eggcessive. That's also what I'm thinking. I already tried Tylan orally for two days and by injection this morning, without any effect. It keeps on getting worse. If I can't save him, do you know if I can send his body for a necropsy if I gave him tylosin?
 
What dosage are you giving? You can be pretty safe with Tylan, even increasing it to 3/4 ml 2-3 times a day if needed. Air sacculitis and other respiratory diseases (viruses or fungi such as aspergillosis) can cause secondary infections that might require more broad spectrum antibiotics, which you could get by taking him to a vet. If you do lose him or cull, then getting a necropsy would be a good way to get a diagnosis. They should be able to give you a reason for death. I really hope he gets better. Here is a link that has instructions plus contact info: http://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
 
I only was able to have Tylan 200 from the vet as it seems the Tylan 50 is back ordered for some months. I gave him 0.25cc orally for two days and 0.1cc IM this morning. As I won't be able to reach my vet before monday, I thought I could also put oxytetracycline powder in is water. As it's Tylan 200, can I give him more than once a day do you think?
 
Do you notice a bad odor? Coryza can have worse symptoms than MG, and cause the bad odor.

No bad breath. He's feeling a bit better tonight. He ate well, stretched and cleaned himself. I keep my fingers crossed! Thanks again Eggcessive! ☺️
 
Finally, everything makes me think that I'm dealing with avian pneumovirus.

About John, my silky cockerel: Sunday, he started having swolen infraorbital sinuses plus having more trouble breathing. I gave him Tylan shots in the morning and at night.
Also on Saturday, I noticed that, Oreo, my 5 months old Lakenvelder hen, was having important tracheal rales. I gave her a shot of Tylan. Sunday morning, her head was really swolen. I gave her Tylan IM on the morning and at night.

Last week, Dyno, my 2 months old Barred Roch, kept his eyes closes as if he was tired. He was eating and playing like normal. But Saturday, he looked like he was having a torticolis. Sunday, I gave him a shot of Tylan. Same thing on Sunday.

After talking to my vet yesterday, I gave them all about 1.5mg of Prednisolone (pill) morning and evening. Today, the three of them got Tylan and Prednisolone orally. John the Silky and Oreo the Lakenvelder are feeling a lot better tho Oreo's head is still swolen. Dyno's torticollis is the same.

When I read about avian preumovirus, all the symptoms I'm dealing with are on the list of this condition: facial congestion, conjonctivite, nasal and ocular discharge (from watery to purulent), sneezing, infraorbital swelling, swolen head, tracheal rales, torticollis, loss of balance, head shaking, depression. I also lost some youngsters with some of these symptoms in the last couple of months.

Anyone had to deal with pneumovirus before? Is there an end to this s..t?
 
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John's swolen infraorbital sinuses and sinuse discharge

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Oreo's swolen head

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Dyno's torticollis
 

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