Smoke Effects on Chickens?

[kurby22]

I just acquired an Isabel Lavender Mottled English Orpington pullet and a hatch mate on Saturday from a breeder I know and trust that lives up in the hills where smoke from a nearby fire was REALLY awful. The mottled pullet had a runny nose when I brought her home and seemed a bit stressed out. The discharge is clear and other than seeming a bit mellow, she is acting fine. Eats, drinks, and forages, with no other signs of illness - poop is normal, eyes are clear, and she's emptying her crop each day. SO, I'm wondering if the smoke was bad enough that perhaps she just got a bit more affected by the smoke than the other pullet? She doesn't seem to have the issue as much...or is it the beginnings of a URI? How long would it take her to recover from smoke issues? It's only been a couple days, but she does NOT seem to feel super lively. I was going to put some Vet Rx in their water, would some Nutridrench help too? I added pics just cuz she's pretty and so sweet.

Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I don't see any harm and trying the VetRx and giving PND.

See if she improves over the course of several days or if other symptoms develop.

It very well could be due to smoke but you want to observe for a while.

 

[21hens-incharge]

We had horrible smoke last summer here. It was bad enough ash was covering everything.

What I observed was my hens moving slower, acting a bit lethargic and some sneezing. I would keep a close eye for other symptoms and try the vetRX.

I hope she is ok. She sure is pretty.

 

[kurby22]

Thank you! I am watching them both daily to make sure nothing progresses beyond a runny nose and a bit of lethargy. Added Vetrx and Nutridrench to their water and am hoping we are good! Watched them eat and drink and they came over and sat with me for awhile. Super sweet chickens.

 

[kurby22]

Well it seems that smoke impacts were not the only things wrong with the chickens. They have gotten progressively worse and the smoke and the heat have not helped at all! I tried to treat the worst hen with Tylan injections and made matters worse by damaging the tissue around the injection site and now she's got bruised and damaged tissue to deal with as well. UGH. My vet also said that she wanted me to use something besides Tylan because she sees too many chickens that have a resistance to Tylan. Fingers crossed for her...that I didn't do more damage than good.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Well it seems that smoke impacts were not the only things wrong with the chickens. They have gotten progressively worse and the smoke and the heat have not helped at all! I tried to treat the worst hen with Tylan injections and made matters worse by damaging the tissue around the injection site and now she's got bruised and damaged tissue to deal with as well. UGH. My vet also said that she wanted me to use something besides Tylan because she sees too many chickens that have a resistance to Tylan. Fingers crossed for her...that I didn't do more damage than good.

I'm sorry to hear they are not doing well.

Haven't heard of chickens having resistance to Tylan, will have too look into that one - thanks for that info. Tylan is known for injection site necrosis since it has to be administered 3 times a day - that's a lot of needle sticks! Tylan injectable (like Tylan50 or 200) can be given orally and is generally well tolerated.

What antibiotic did your vet recommend? Did she say what respiratory disease that they have?

I treatment helps and they are able to fully recover. Please keep us posted.

 

[kurby22]

Thank you! I’m sad too, sick chickens make me sad. She has this very sad sound she makes and she spends a lot of time just sleeping :-(

Yeah she said they’re starting to see it more because it’s so commonly used for any kind of URI symptoms. The injection site is black and she’s worried I may have punctured something cuz I couldn’t find enough muscle. :-( I tried super hard to only go in a tiny bit at an angle, so fingers double crossed :-(

I paid to have a blood panel done to figure out what she has because my other chickens have started sneezing too, biosecurity is tough when you have young kids and baby chickens! But it’s going to take a week since she went in on a Friday—so I will definitely keep you posted when I find out. She wanted me to use Denengard since it can tackle mycoplasmas which she said are most common, but since I also had Enrofloxacin at home she said I could use that instead. She recommended a bit stronger dose than the package, 1.5 teaspoons per gallon instead of 1 tsp. So we will see how they do on that, since the Tylan didn’t seem to be doing it for them.

Hopefully I have good news in a few days but I’m preparing for the worst, poor baby girl :-(

 

[FatChicksDigMe]

Is she feeling better? I live in the central valley and the smoke was bad here too.

 

[kurby22]

Is she feeling better? I live in the central valley and the smoke was bad here too.

Sadly no! I had to take her to the vet and it appears that all the stress triggered a bout of mycoplasma and IBV :-( So I guess it’s a good thing I am now at my maximum for chickens…as I will need to close the flock! They’ve been on a week long dose of Baytril and I’m finally seeing some improvements, but since it’s partly a virus it just has to run its course ;-( poor babies!

 

[kurby22]

Is she feeling better? I live in the central valley and the smoke was bad here too.

The smoke where you are must be getting worse with the new fires? It’s so gross! :-(