Hi all! I see that one of my ladies-I call her Booger-has had a runny nose, and has been sneezing occasionally. I thought it may have been from the dust of the straw or something, but it has been a few days, and I want to be pro-active.
(I got the following from the stickied thread in this section
1) What type of bird, age, and weight?
--Plymouth White Rock, Approx. 6 mo. old. I have no clue. She is the largest of my flock of 7 and is laying medium size eggs.
2) What is the behavior, exactly?
--Runny nose-clear, Sneezing occasionally. All else seems normal. I think she is the alpha-female. She runs to get treats (my boys catch Grasshoppers and other critters for them), eats well, drinks well, lays an egg probably every other day. Other than the symptoms, she seems to be thriving.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
--4-5 days
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
--Not that I have noticed.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma?
--No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation?
--Stress from the move?
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all?
--The feed she was on before I got her (layer pellets), treats/scratch (quinoa, millet, oats, various fruits (apples) and veggies (Fresh tomato cores), crushed up egg shells, pomegranate seeds (which they all LOVE!), grasshoppers, earwigs, various bugs the kids find and throw in there) I have been switching over to an organic layer mash, and the whole flock seems to be transitioning well (I have slowly added more of the new feed and less of the old as the days go on).
--I have been using water from our cistern (unfortunately, it is not well water like her last home, so it has chlorine, fluoride, etc. which weakens the immune system) with about a tablespoon of local honey and a tablespoon of raw ac vinegar (per gallon).
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. ?
--Normal. I even looked at pictures of chicken poop to make sure!
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
--Raw A/C Vinegar and Local Honey in their water (Approx 1 tbsp of each per gallon).
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
--I will either keep her and treat her naturally or cull her and throw her in the trash (sad, but I don't know if she is safe to eat.) so the neighborhood dogs won't go a-digging.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
--Not at the moment.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use.
--Straw bedding in the coop. I got the straw from the lady I got the pullets from and that is all she used. They have access to a fenced-in chicken run with grass, weeds, bugs, dirt, etc. The property has never had chickens on it before.
So, my question is--Should I cull her now or see if she gets better? I don't mind trying some grapefruit seed extract, or garlic, but I don't know if I should put my energy into her if she isn't going to get better. From what I have read, some recover, yet some don't and can infect other birds under stress.
Thanks in advance for your guidance!
(I got the following from the stickied thread in this section
1) What type of bird, age, and weight?
--Plymouth White Rock, Approx. 6 mo. old. I have no clue. She is the largest of my flock of 7 and is laying medium size eggs.
2) What is the behavior, exactly?
--Runny nose-clear, Sneezing occasionally. All else seems normal. I think she is the alpha-female. She runs to get treats (my boys catch Grasshoppers and other critters for them), eats well, drinks well, lays an egg probably every other day. Other than the symptoms, she seems to be thriving.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms?
--4-5 days
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms?
--Not that I have noticed.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma?
--No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation?
--Stress from the move?
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all?
--The feed she was on before I got her (layer pellets), treats/scratch (quinoa, millet, oats, various fruits (apples) and veggies (Fresh tomato cores), crushed up egg shells, pomegranate seeds (which they all LOVE!), grasshoppers, earwigs, various bugs the kids find and throw in there) I have been switching over to an organic layer mash, and the whole flock seems to be transitioning well (I have slowly added more of the new feed and less of the old as the days go on).
--I have been using water from our cistern (unfortunately, it is not well water like her last home, so it has chlorine, fluoride, etc. which weakens the immune system) with about a tablespoon of local honey and a tablespoon of raw ac vinegar (per gallon).
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. ?
--Normal. I even looked at pictures of chicken poop to make sure!
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?
--Raw A/C Vinegar and Local Honey in their water (Approx 1 tbsp of each per gallon).
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet?
--I will either keep her and treat her naturally or cull her and throw her in the trash (sad, but I don't know if she is safe to eat.) so the neighborhood dogs won't go a-digging.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help.
--Not at the moment.
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use.
--Straw bedding in the coop. I got the straw from the lady I got the pullets from and that is all she used. They have access to a fenced-in chicken run with grass, weeds, bugs, dirt, etc. The property has never had chickens on it before.
So, my question is--Should I cull her now or see if she gets better? I don't mind trying some grapefruit seed extract, or garlic, but I don't know if I should put my energy into her if she isn't going to get better. From what I have read, some recover, yet some don't and can infect other birds under stress.
Thanks in advance for your guidance!
