suspected coryza - a few questions

[onmelissa]

I read the thread about the lady that saved her flock with gallimycin and vaccinations. I have everything in my cart, ready to check out, but it will be $100, maybe more with shipping. The vaccine info says to "use entire contents when first opened" and that they must be re-vaccinated in 3 weeks. Do I have to buy a secind bottle? I only have about 15 birds total.

Can I just cull the 2 symptomatic birds (one with stinky mucus and one has a faint wheeze)? If no one else has shown symptoms, does that mean that they haven't "caught it", even though they have been around the stinky bird?

 

[welasharon]

I had a hen come down with coryza. I culled her and took everything out and burned it. I then bleached everything that I could not burn twice and let it dry well. Even the soil the best I could. The remaining cock and hen have done fine for over a year now with no problem. I have no clue where it came from. These are o shamo and the trio were together from birth. I never add any birds to them as they would kill it. I am still stumped as to where she got it.

 

[Sugartree11]

You would have to buy a second bottle. And no guarantee it will work. The birds that show no symptoms may still be carriers of the disease. Especially if they have had contact with the sickly birds. Coryza is extremely contagious. They typically show symptoms when they get stressed and their immune systems are low.

I recently had to cull my entire flock bc of Coryza. I treated 4 separate times and hoped it would irradiate the disease. But it did not. Although birds were not showing any major symptoms, several still had the smell. I did not want a closed flock. Even my large birds that had no symptoms at all had stopped laying. They were my babies and I loved them so. IT was a VERY difficult decision and it was heartbreaking for me.

I am now starting over with chicks.

You may want to send a sample to your local University for testing. They typically test for free or very cheap. And it would let you know if it is actually Coryza. If it is, the best option is to cull the flock and start over. If you are happy with a closed flock, you don't have to do that, but they will probably start to get sick any time they get stressed at all. Just my experience.

 

[onmelissa]

You may want to send a sample to your local University for testing. They typically test for free or very cheap. And it would let you know if it is actually Coryza. If it is, the best option is to cull the flock and start over. If you are happy with a closed flock, you don't have to do that, but they will probably start to get sick any time they get stressed at all. Just my experience.

Does anything else stink? I've read that only coryza causes stinky snot.
The testing here is $50.

IF I were to start over with chicks, how long would I need to wait?
And my dilemma with starting over is that there's no guarantee that we wouldn't end up with something else. I can't have a closed flock because I have no close neighbors and can't have roosters. I'll always have to bring in new stock.

 

[onmelissa]

sugartree, what treatments did you do?

 

[Sugartree11]

As far as I know, only Coryza has that rancid smell. Thats expensive for testing. There is a lab in Caelynn that you can ship a sample to that will test for everything for about $20. But if the smell is there, its prob Coryza.

I gave 2 courses of Tylan, A course of Sulmet, and I tried Gallimycin. They seemed less symptomatic, but the smell stayed. That was how I knew they still had it. I even bathed them hoping the smell was just clinging to them. But alas, they stunk to high heaven the next day. Only from their faces.

I know mine got it from a chick I brought home from a local farm swap. Ill never do that again.

Some places say to wait 6 months between culling and bringing in new chicks. But the Merck website as well as other "official" sites, say that 60 days is sufficient. I bleached EVERYTHING. And I bought some oxine that I am spraying all over everything as well. I am even spraying my yard since the free ranged for part of the day.

It will have been about 75 days when my new babies are big enough to go outside. I may keep them in just a bit longer to be safe, but from what I have researched, it should be fine. Most diseases can be treated, but since Coryza is chronic and requires a closed flock, I couldn't do it. If they have Coryza, any new chicks will be infected and possibly die when introduced. It will be an ongoing issue for you.

My chickens are supposed to be here for egg production ( they end up being spoiled rotten, but I'm not supposed to be so attached lol) So when this disease caused my girls to stop laying, it was just one more reason to start over. I can't justify keeping 25 hens and only getting 1-2 eggs a day. IT was one of the hardest decisions I have had to make. But nothing worked. I spent tons of money trying to save and treat them. But it was in vain.

I hope you have better luck!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry about your sick birds. Coryza fortunately lasts only several days in the environment--on equipment, shoes, clothes, etc. Honestly I would cull the 2 sick birds, and then clean and disinfect the premises. Hopefully no one else will get it, but I would maintain a closed flock until the birds you have die. Vaccination should be done 4 weeks before a chicken is exposed to it. It is also possible for your birds to have 2 diseases at once, such as bronchitis or MG/CRD because there can be secondary infections. MG lasts in the environment about the same time of several days. Here are just a couple of links to read on coryza:
http://www.extension.org/pages/68127/infectious-coryza-in-poultry#.U9prJfldVWM
http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/pou...overview_of_infectious_coryza_in_poultry.html
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[welasharon]

. Most diseases can be treated, but since Coryza is chronic and requires a closed flock, I couldn't do it. If they have Coryza, any new chicks will be infected and possibly die when introduced. It will be an ongoing issue for you.

This is why I culled. I didn't want to continue dealing with this.

 

[onmelissa]

Here's my plan as of now. I'll cull the two symptomatic birds plus one old hen that has stopped laying. I'll burn the straw and roosts in the coop they sleep in and sanitize the water/ food dishes.

These chickens are young...3 or 4 months old and they don't interact with my 3 older girls, but they have 3 companions that are asymptomatic...I'll watch those really closely. And try to bolster their immune systems naturally with some garlic.

About closing the flock...I just got 2 new pullets but they're still in quarantine and I wouldn't think that they've been exposed. And I just ordered some eggs. It will be a few months before they're ready to be on the ground.
I should be ok by then, right?

Or should I cull all but the quarantined birds?
Oh, and I have a silkie pen also, but they've never been in contact with the other birds or shared waterers or dishes.

And I have 3 ducks. Can they catch this?

 

[onmelissa]

I just thought of something as I read through the thread again.

This smell is familiar to me...it smells like psuedomonas, which is a strong slightly sweet stink. But psuedomas is usually green (in humans anyway). Could I be misdiagnosing?

What exactly does coryza smell like?