Three Sickos

[whosthisbroad]

We received our first three 6wk EE chickens from MPC not even 2 weeks ago. One of them did not make the first night.

We spoke to MPC about our loss, excellent customer service. They suggested that if we would like more than two chickens to go ahead and get at least two more chickens to bring into our flock.

We brought over two 10wk Wyandottes from a farm near our house, kept them separate for three days(farmers suggestion, I know now how wrong it is now) where they could see each other.

MPC called to see how our other chicks were doing. They're coughing, sneezing, gasping. Tell them that the Wyandottes are doing the same. MPC tells my husband that they have had some issues with some of the chicks dying from the same batch of EEs that we've received. They sent us some RopaPoultry Complete and Agaricus Bio to mix in our water, and advise us to pick up some Corin based on other symptoms we are able to observe, so we do.

The Wyandotte who claimed alpha status died yesterday morning. She was just fine on Thursday, whatever she had came on so fast. Saturday morning I brought her to the vet knowing they were probably just going to put her down. She died in the car before we got there.

The vet said that she was too thin to have gotten sick upon her arrival to our house.

So, now we have confirmed we have sick chickens from two separate places. I feel terrible that we didn't quarantine longer, but I'm not sure how much good it would have done. But what we can't confirm is what the heck they actually have!

Symptoms include(in the order we noticed them):
Coughing
Sneezing
Slight runny noses
Spitting up watered down food
Diarrhea
Bubbles in 7wk EE, noticed today

No raspy breathing, unless I'm mishearing it as weak coughing?

We suspect:
infectious bronchitis
MG
Coccidiosis
Gapeworm (which I know is rare, but my 3yo son gave them a couple dozen earthworms after a rain last week ....)

I really don't want to give antibiotics unless they really need it. What should my next move be??? Do they need a vet visit? Should I just keep up with the water additives a while longer and then do antibiotics if they don't help? I've searched other threads but I still feel as lost as if I hadn't.
Please help this newbie keep her first flock alive!

 

[Eggcessive]

It is always risky to bring in new birds from another farm without quarantine for at least 30 days or more. Respiratory diseases can spread within 2-3 days of exposure. It is best to get a necropsy on any dead birds where the state vet or poultry lab can test for diseases. I doubt if they got gapeworm from being given the worms. Respiratory diseases can look like that. The signs sound like mycoplasma (MG.) Are either of the products they sent you antibiotics? Most sick birds have diarrhea and don't drink very well, so I would try to get them drinking. Was it Corid they recommended you get to treat for coccidiosis? You could get Tylan 50 injectable, and give each chick 1/2 ml 2-3 times a day orally for an antibiotic. The Corid could go in their water at 1 1/2 tsp per gallon as the only water source for 5-7 days. I would close your flock to any new birds for the next year, and see how these do. Sorry that you had to go through such a bad first experience with chickens. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[IdyllwildAcres]

I would cull them all and start over. No way to start off, they will likely be carriers of something and you will be fighting it from here on out.

Gary

 

[whosthisbroad]

Thank you!

The vet did suggest the necropsy, however I opted against it because I didn't want to keep the bird in our fridge from Saturday until Monday and drive it 8.5 hours round trip to Madison, my nearest facility that offers that service. I am relieved you don't think gapeworms are involved! Also, MPC actually did suspect Coccidiosis, which is why they suggested Corid, so I edited my post to include that in our suspicions. I don't believe either are antibiotics, I showed them to the vet and she didn't recognize them. I'm thinking they're of the herbal/naturopathic variety. So, do I need to take them all in to get a RX strength, or can I find what I need at like a Tractor Supply Store? If you think I should take them in, I could just take one, assuming they all have what each other has, no?

The one thing I am really relieved about, is they do seem to drink a lot of water. I've spent a lot of time with them this weekend just observing them, sending out my positive vibes and chatting with them, trying to bond with them and let them know they are loved.

I will cull if I see them start to slip like I saw my other Wyandotte, now that I know more closely what to look for.

 

[whosthisbroad]

Gary, I worry about them being carriers too. I would like more than 3 in my flock but I won't risk adding more while any of these are alive. Thanks for your response!
PS... MPC said culling them is the most likely end to this scenario, I just am not ready to accept that just yet

 

[whosthisbroad]

Today the 7wk pullet with the frothy eye had diarrhea that was clear and frothy, from the thin yellow/brown diarrhea she used to have. She doesn't seem to be in any pain though, they all seem quite energetic.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can get the Tylan 50 injectable plus syringes (3 ml) and 20 gauge 1/2 inch needles at TSC without a prescription or bringing them in. Remove the needle from the syringe to give the medicine orally a drop at a time. Corid is also available there in powder or liquid form.

 

[whosthisbroad]

Thanks Eggcessive! We are treating the others with Corin until Wednesday. Is that enough or would you be giving them Tylan as well? All of them or just the frothy eyed pullet?

Also, if these three make it, as Gary stated above would my flock carry this to pass on to any new members later on?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would treat only chicks who have respiratory symptoms with Tylan. Well without testing you may never know what disease is causing this. It can be done by a local extension agent or by contacting the state vet. If one dies they can test with a necropsy also. But if they have MG or one of the carrier diseases, yes, they will pass it on. Some vets will tell you that MG is pretty much everywhere, that flocks will be exposed to it from wild birds or neighboring chickens. Some chickens will have good immunity to not get the disease while others will. You don't have to cull them now, but I would treat them and try to get testing done. If they keep getting sick or have poor immunity, culling may well be an option. Everybody does things differently. Just don't expose any one else's birds to yours where they could spread a disease. Vaccines are available, but you need to get tested before that is even worth considering.

 

[whosthisbroad]

Update

We put the rest of our chickens down Saturday. I called to see if they had any more information and they said they are now recommending euthanizing the birds from the sick batch immediately. So after many, many tears I brought them in.

They recommended that we sterilize our coop and run with 50/50 bleach/water, and use barn lime on the run floor. The coop is made of exterior painted cedar and the run frame is made of pressure treated wood. I'd like to use my pressure washer for this but I wouldn't put bleach in there, nor do we use bleach anyhow since I am extremely sensitive to it. Is bleach my best option and I should task my husband with speaking everything with a manual spray bottle, or is there another solution I could use that does a comparable job to bleach?