suspected CRD or coryza

[farmer egg]

hi all, I just need to bounce some ideas around on what might be my best way forward.

I already had a very healthy flock of 15 hens.

I was able to source some new birds cheap. I kept them separate for a week... a few days after I introduced them, my daughter noticed bubbles in the eye of one of the new girls.... then I took a bit more notice and saw they had manky stuffy swollen beaks and a foul smell at he face.... some were in worse condition then others. some were also sneezing and coughing.

how do i move forward? I have put about 20 birds in a separate coop and have started treating them with oxymav B. today is day 2 of meds. i think i see improvements? if my original birds are healthy will they defiantly catch it?. should i consider culling the all the new birds or at least the worst of the new birds? i feel like its to late cull any birds because the disease is already in my farm.
catch it?
i want to be able to bring new birds home. i am so angry someone would knowingly sell infected birds.

a penny for your thoughts please.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It sounds like infectious coryza. I would take the sickest one or two birds, and refrigerate them, and send them in to your state vet for a necropsy. It is possible to have more than one disease, but you need to know what you are dealing with. Close your flock--no new birds in and none going out from now on, until all birds have passed away. Sulfa drugs such as Sulmet or Sulfadimethoxine (DiMethox, Albon) can be used to treat symptoms. Use Tylan if you can't find those. Sorry about your flock. Quarantine should be at least 30 days when adding new birds. Here is some reading about coryza and a lnk for your state vet:
http://www.usaha.org/Portals/6/StateAnimalHealthOfficials.pdf
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/82/infectious-coryza/
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/p...verview_of_infectious_coryza_in_chickens.html

Infectious Coryza

Synonyms: roup, cold, coryza
Species affected: chickens, pheasants, and guinea fowl. Common in game chicken flocks.
Clinical signs: Swelling around the face, foul smelling, thick, sticky discharge from the nostrils and eyes, labored breathing, and rales (rattles—an abnormal breathing sound) are common clinical signs. The eyelids are irritated and may stick together. The birds may have diarrhea and growing birds may become stunted (see Table 1).
Mortality from coryza is usually low, but infections can decrease egg production and increase the incidence and/or severity of other diseases. Mortality can be as high as 50 percent, but is usually no more than 20 percent. The clinical disease can last from a few days to 2–3 months, depending on the virulence of the pathogen and the existence of other infections such as mycoplasmosis.
Transmission: Coryza is primarily transmitted by direct bird-to-bird contact. This can be from infected birds brought into the flock as well as from birds which recover from the disease which remain carriers of the organism and may shed intermittently throughout their lives. Birds risk exposure at poultry shows, bird swaps, and live-bird sales. Inapparent infected adult birds added into a flock are a common source for outbreaks. Within a flock, inhalation of airborne respiratory droplets, and contamination of feed and/or water are common modes of spread.
Treatment: Water soluble antibiotics or antibacterials can be used. Sulfadimethoxine (Albon

, Di-Methox

) is the preferred treatment. If it is not available, or not effective, sulfamethazine (Sulfa-Max

, SulfaSure

), erythromycin (gallimycin

), or tetracycline (Aureomycin

) can be used as alternative treatments. Sulfa drugs are not FDA approved for pullets older than 14 weeks of age or for commercial layer hens. While antibiotics can be effective in reducing clinical disease, they do not eliminate carrier birds.
Prevention: Good management and sanitation are the best ways to avoid infectious coryza. Most outbreaks occur as a result of mixing flocks. All replacement birds on "coryza-endemic" farms should be vaccinated. The vaccine (Coryza-Vac) is administered subcutaneously (under the skin) on the back of the neck. Each chicken should be vaccinated four times, starting at 5 weeks of age with at least 4 weeks between injections. Vaccinate again at 10 months of age and twice yearly thereafter.

 

[farmer egg]

Thankyou.
the place I got the infected birds from will take them back, and give me my money back (we'll see what happens when I get there tomz )

once the infected birds are gone, and I treat my birds with ab's, how long before i can introduce new birds? will my farm ever fully recover from something like this? do I treat my girls as tho they are all infected even if they are not showing symptoms...... im just trying to understand the gravity of the situation.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry that you had to deal with this--you're not alone. If your healthy birds have shown no symptoms yet, then you may be lucky. I would really keep a close eye on them for the next couple of weeks for any coughing, chest rattles, nasal or eye drainage. Coryza exposure can cause symptoms within a couple of days. Fortunately after cleaning and disinfecting equipment, the disease cannot survive more than a couple of days. But I would be cautious to add more birds too soon, until you determine that none of the remaining birds get sick. Any exposure to the sick birds can cause others to become carriers whether they get symptoms or not. Testing through your local extension agent or through the state dept. of health is how you determine what disease you are dealing with. A necropsy of a sick bird that has died is probably the best way to diagnose. Infectious bronchitis, MG, coryza, and ILT are some of the most common diseases, and sick chickens can have more than one of these at the same time with secondary diseases. Here is a good link to read about those with symptoms and treatments to learn: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[farmer egg]

thank you so much. I appreciate it a lot