Slime in beak and barely moving

[Anna_]

A bunch of my chickens. How are around five months or less are just unresponsive. Their eyes are closed they have slime in their beaks. We gave a couple of anabiotic’s and some other good stuff, but they are still not doing well. They just lay dead. Is there anyway to save them or is it too late and I’m also very scared that it might spread to other chickens so I just want to make sure how to stop it.

I already put electrolytes in clean water for the other chickens.

note here are a couple problems
1. a week ago I saw a chicken with a bubbly eye and I gave her some saline solution with other vitamins and she was very well the next day. then yesterday I found another one also gave her some of the saline solution and let her go, but today there are couple of them with the bubbles in the eye and I chickens who are laying down.
I also had my older chicken who is around two years old die in the morning with her head under her wing

2. Our ducks live with our chickens. so there may have been a time when some chickens would drink from the ducks pool. Right now I have them separated the whole day and gave them clear water with electrolytes.

3. Somebody also told me to give meat to my chickens like raw meat. They said apparently I was supposed to help them somehow, now me of course, I’m new at this I didn’t think twice and did that. So this may be also some kind of food poisoning.

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC!
Sounds like your birds are dealing with a respiratory disease.

What antibiotic did you use?


Are you in the US?

I wouldn't give raw meat to my chickens but I would give them cooked meat although that isn't going to help a respiratory disease at all.

 

[Anna_]

Welcome to BYC!
Sounds like your birds are dealing with a respiratory disease.

What antibiotic did you use?


Are you in the US?

I wouldn't give raw meat to my chickens but I would give them cooked meat although that isn't going to help a respiratory disease at all.

Yes we are in Florida. baycox, glucose, and something else that I do not know the name of it’s like this little blue tablet where are you only use a little bit of it. we’re cat breeders, so we have a bunch of stuff on hand that works perfectly for our cats and if we ever use it on our chickens we use a very small dosage.

Also, a couple of my chickens have died from respiratory disease. Is it genetics or is it common in birds?

 

[Lillith37]

It does sound like respiratory disease which can be caused by several kinds of bacteria and viruses.

A lot of chickens will recover but remain carriers of the illness so be very careful about adding new birds to your flock or if you rehome any of your existing ones now. If you have had birds die in the past from respiratory illness and you had these currents ones at the same time, it’s likely your previous birds infected these ones. I think birds can be carriers and not show symptoms, or symptoms can flare under stressful conditions. It’s the same as certain viruses etc in people.

Your older chicken may have died because her immune system wasn’t as robust as the younger ones.

How is the ventilation in your coop? Having proper ventilation is important in addressing and preventing respiratory illness.

How many chickens do you have? They need to stay warm. Are they eating and drinking still?

There is also a product called VetrX which is like Vicks for chickens and it can help a lot to support chickens with respiratory illness.

FWIW I feed my birds a little bit of raw liver once a week, it’s their absolute favourite.

 

[Anna_]

It does sound like respiratory disease which can be caused by several kinds of bacteria and viruses.

A lot of chickens will recover but remain carriers of the illness so be very careful about adding new birds to your flock or if you rehome any of your existing ones now. If you have had birds die in the past from respiratory illness and you had these currents ones at the same time, it’s likely your previous birds infected these ones. I think birds can be carriers and not show symptoms, or symptoms can flare under stressful conditions. It’s the same as certain viruses etc in people.

Your older chicken may have died because her immune system wasn’t as robust as the younger ones.

How is the ventilation in your coop? Having proper ventilation is important in addressing and preventing respiratory illness.

How many chickens do you have? They need to stay warm. Are they eating and drinking still?

There is also a product called VetrX which is like Vicks for chickens and it can help a lot to support chickens with respiratory illness.

FWIW I feed my birds a little bit of raw liver once a week, it’s their absolute favourite.

Great ventilation in our coop. There are at least 2 to 3 walls open. Just chicken wire. They are also free range.
I have around +100. The birds that aren’t feeling well is around 18.
Since we are in Florida is very warm, but the sick birds are not drinking or eating at all. They still have food in their stomach from yesterday or in the morning but they are still not eating. It was also very very hot yesterday so this could be from heat stroke.

 

[Lillith37]

Okay if there’s any possible way to separate the ones that aren’t feeling well to try to limit the issue for the time being, that would probably be best. That way you can also encourage them to drink water. I’ve read that diluted apple cider vinegar can help clear the mucus but it’s not something they should have constantly.

Do your chickens have access to shade and cooler areas? Sometimes especially when the heat spikes it can affect them more.

 

[Anna_]

Okay if there’s any possible way to separate the ones that aren’t feeling well to try to limit the issue for the time being, that would probably be best. That way you can also encourage them to drink water. I’ve read that diluted apple cider vinegar can help clear the mucus but it’s not something they should have constantly.

Do your chickens have access to shade and cooler areas? Sometimes especially when the heat spikes it can affect them more.

I immediately separated them. They were in a cool, place, the whole entire time. All my chickens have a cool spaces.

Okay if there’s any possible way to separate the ones that aren’t feeling well to try to limit the issue for the time being, that would probably be best. That way you can also encourage them to drink water. I’ve read that diluted apple cider vinegar can help clear the mucus but it’s not something they should have constantly.

Do your chickens have access to shade and cooler areas? Sometimes especially when the heat spikes it can affect them more.

I immediately separated them. They were in a cool, place, the whole entire time. All my chickens have a cool spaces. I also have little hanging sprinklers for them.

 

[Lillith37]

That’s good. Sounds like you’re doing the right things. I would focus on keeping the sick birds hydrated. Offer water and dip their beaks in to encourage them to drink. You could also offer hydrating foods like watermelon or cucumber if they like that sort of thing.

Check all their crops in the morning to make sure they are properly empty.