silkies raspy breathing

[jem5803]

I have 5 silkies between the ages of 6-8 weeks old. three days ago one started with having trouble breathing, separated her and went to TS for duramycin started her and the rest of them on it. Today one of my smallest silkies has very raspy breathing, she has been on meds since sunday. What else can I do? Should I just keep all the silkies together? Please help, I am new with having chickens and this is so heart breaking. I did see corid at TS but it was labeled for cattle. Should I change meds?

 

[BantamLover21]

I have 5 silkies between the ages of 6-8 weeks old. three days ago one started with having trouble breathing, separated her and went to TS for duramycin started her and the rest of them on it. Today one of my smallest silkies has very raspy breathing, she has been on meds since sunday. What else can I do? Should I just keep all the silkies together? Please help, I am new with having chickens and this is so heart breaking. I did see corid at TS but it was labeled for cattle. Should I change meds?

First of all, whater type of bedding are you using, and does the bedding seem dusty or smell strongly of ammonia? Certain types of bedding (namely cedar shavings), a lot of dust, and high ammonia levels can cause respiratory problems in chickens of all ages. If not any of those things, then I definitely suspect a respiratory disease.

The Duramycin is a good antibiotic to start out with. However, it is not the strongest or most effective antibiotic when it comes to treating more severe respiratory diseases. If you could find it/order it online, I would recommend getting some Tylan50 in its powdered, oral form. Tylan is a strong antibiotic that is very effective when treating infections. It also comes in an injectable form, but, while that form works fast, I don't think its good to be giving injections to chicks. Corid is used for Coccidiosis, not infections, so don't switch over to it.

It sounds like the illness is spreading or has spread to all of your chicks. Therefore, I wouldn't bother isolating the sick ones; just treat all of them with the same medication. I would put some vitamins/electrolytes in the water to help boost their strength, too.

Keep in mind, though, that many respiratory diseases are viral, and antibiotics don't work against viruses. So if the disease affecting your birds is viral, you can't really do anything except give supportive care (nutritious feed, vitamins, warmth, etc.) and hope that their bodies can fight off the disease.

 

[Eggcessive]

Tylan 50 can be given as an injection into the breast muscle 1/4 ml daily over 3-5 days for bantams. If take great care giving it by mouth, you can do it that way too. Tylan powder is easier to give by mouth in the water for 5-7 days.

 

[jem5803]

Thank you so much for all your advice. I'm going to the mill tomorrow to see if they have Tylan50. Its so up setting to hear them wheezing. I only use pine chips for the bedding and clean the coop every two days. Again thank you for all you help.