I am absolutely brand new to silkies....and chickens.
I decided to buy 3 silkies at an animal auction last week. It was fun but I will never do it again, because you dont get to handle the birds before hand, there are hundreds of birds all in one place, I didnt know until after I had bought the birds that chickens can get and spread illnesses so easily and you have no idea where you get them from.
So I did it backwards, I bought birds and then started research. wrong move I know.
I ended up with two silkies that are sneezing. they have been staying in my garage separated from the others. one silkie rooster that appears to be healthy besides a little bit of lice and 3 OEB hens that also appear to be healthy.
I had no idea that chickens get sick so easily or I may not have gotten any of them. I am hoping for advice.
The more I read, about chicken illness, the more I seem to be confused.
I am hoping someone can give me some advice with their experience.
1. I brought 7 birds home separated by cages but in the car together. a 1.5 hour ride.
from everything I have read, it seems like since the two were sneezing, everyone else is going to end up diseased or sick.
I put the sneezing silkies in the garage, but my property is small and if it is something viral, than I dont see how just separating them is going to help. they are 10 feet from the other birds just inside the garage.
I started all the chickens on sulmet (in water) and put a cool mist humidifier with ACV in front of the sneezers.
i am careful not to over mist them.
I the black silkie stopped sneezing within two days but the white chicken is still sneezing and has a little mucus on his beak.
I was lucky enough to find out who the breeder was of these two and got her number. i told her the next day that her birds were sneezing and she said "that is the problem with auctions, they can catch anything". from what i have read, they would have had to of been sick before she took them to the auction. I am thinking about giving her back her chickens since she said she would take them. however it is a 2 hour drive to her house (one way)
what do you guys think? did i infect my whole flock with these two sneezing chickens? no one else is showing signs (so far)
should i attempt to mend them and hope they arent ->carriers<- ?
i have read that it is very hard to diagnose respiratory infections.
what should I do? does anyone have experience with this?
also....
how do you guys keep the poo off the feather on the feet?