Treating what seems to be a recurring respiratory illness - possibly environmental?

[Lyris]

I've long since accepted that I have what appears to be an eventually fatal respiratory illness within my flock. Sneezing, coughing, congested breathing... It's responsible for the deaths of four of my chickens and seems to be antibiotic resistant. A couple of my chickens ended up with another home (they're aware of the illness and my chickens are the only ones they have) I've kept in contact with them and it appears they've had much better luck than I have. Aside from some minor sneezing during times of stress, they haven't had a single problem. Mine never fully get rid of it and it just gets worse. I'm wondering if it's possible that there's something in my environment that's possibly making it worse.
My chickens sleep in an old wooden shed I've repurposed for them. The shed itself is big enough that I could lay down in it comfortably. It's as tall as my house and has actual windows. Despite the many different types of perches and roosts I've given them they all prefer to sleep on the built in bookshelves so I have mini perches on various shelves for them. is it possible the old wood could be making their issues worse? Maybe dust? Could I put something over the wood (straw, sand?) to help keep down dust or any illnesses? I can't make major renovations to it since 1) I'm incredibly poor right now and 2) It's actually a structural part of my carport.

I'm not sure if this should go into illnesses or coop design, so sorry if I get it wrong.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm sorry you're dealing with illness.

It's possible something in the environment is exacerbating the respiratory illness. Poor Ventilation, mold/mildew, excessive ammonia from droppings are a few irritants to consider.

You mention your coop does have windows, these may let in air, but does your coop also have ventilation up relatively high to allow ammonia, dust, etc., to escape - air flow.

If you have any wood inside the coop that is moldy or mildewed and there's not a lot of ventilation, it's possible that this can be a contributing factor.

If you have photos of your coop (inside and out) you wish to share, we may be able to offer some suggestions about how to remedy any seen issues.

I've long since accepted that I have what appears to be an eventually fatal respiratory illness within my flock. Sneezing, coughing, congested breathing... It's responsible for the deaths of four of my chickens and seems to be antibiotic resistant. A couple of my chickens ended up with another home (they're aware of the illness and my chickens are the only ones they have) I've kept in contact with them and it appears they've had much better luck than I have. Aside from some minor sneezing during times of stress, they haven't had a single problem. Mine never fully get rid of it and it just gets worse. I'm wondering if it's possible that there's something in my environment that's possibly making it worse.
My chickens sleep in an old wooden shed I've repurposed for them. The shed itself is big enough that I could lay down in it comfortably. It's as tall as my house and has actual windows. Despite the many different types of perches and roosts I've given them they all prefer to sleep on the built in bookshelves so I have mini perches on various shelves for them. is it possible the old wood could be making their issues worse? Maybe dust? Could I put something over the wood (straw, sand?) to help keep down dust or any illnesses? I can't make major renovations to it since 1) I'm incredibly poor right now and 2) It's actually a structural part of my carport.

I'm not sure if this should go into illnesses or coop design, so sorry if I get it wrong.

 

[Abigrayl]

I had a respiratory illness that was recurring. Eventually I took them to the university vet. I took the 3 sickest who kept getting it again although they never died, some would. He euthanised those 3 and I didn’t have a problem fr years after that.

 

[CraziChknLady]

Hate to say it sounds like Mycoplasma, but unfortunately there's about 5 other similar respiratory diseases, like Coccidiosis , it could be. Especially if it keeps coming back, that's very common with the Mycoplasma.

Do the sickest ones just have the symptoms you mentioned? Any rales, gaping/ opening their mouth, swelling around eyes or nose? Are they eating normally? How does there poo look?

I've previously had respiratory issues ( didn't end well) and usually my go to things are:

-Add oregano and red pepper flakes to food. Usually if they won't eat the layer pellets, I switch them to chick starter or layer crumbles and add Kalmbach Hen House Reserve on top, Sometimes mealworms and/ or black oil sunflower seeds.
Making oatmeal and adding in an egg or the mealworms/ sunflower seeds works too.
-Add Poultry Cell or the Duravet to water. ( the duravet smells very strong of oregano)
Apple Cider Vinegar works in a pinch too.
-Add a few drops of vet RX. (Helps if you can't find the Duravet or the vitamin/ electrolytes
- Treat with Corrid
- Treat for worms. ( Sometimes worms like gapeworm can cause respiratory issues)
- Increase food for Calcium, Protein, Vitamin B and Vitamin D

If you treat with Corrid first, then it goes away, would mean they had coccidiosis. They do get more lethargic though as far as symptoms . Mycoplasma comes and goes depending on stress and weather. Infectious Bronchitis, Laryngitis or Gapeworm affect the throat/ voice too.Easier to tell in roosters. Hard overall to tell what it could be without testing or a necropsy though. I've previously used a testing facility that had either blood or swab testing. They have kits in qty of 3, 10, or more. I was able to mail it in. I think they do have a combo test that tests 5 things which can be pricy or a pay per test if you only need a few done. I'll have to see what the website was.

Sometimes I found it's better to just
treat for several things at once. Especially if the first dose wasn't enough or the first dose was for treatment and then subsequent doses for maintenance. Or depending on flock size. My old flock was hard to separate 10 chickens when you got 60 and by the time you figure out what the illness is or when they finally show symptoms. Unfortunately they hide illness so well.

 

[Lyris]

I'm sorry you're dealing with illness.

It's possible something in the environment is exacerbating the respiratory illness. Poor Ventilation, mold/mildew, excessive ammonia from droppings are a few irritants to consider.

You mention your coop does have windows, these may let in air, but does your coop also have ventilation up relatively high to allow ammonia, dust, etc., to escape - air flow.

If you have any wood inside the coop that is moldy or mildewed and there's not a lot of ventilation, it's possible that this can be a contributing factor.

If you have photos of your coop (inside and out) you wish to share, we may be able to offer some suggestions about how to remedy any seen issues.

I'm kinda embarrassed to share pics since I know it's not the best for chickens, but it's what I have. I used to have a proper coop until a family of raccoons discovered them. Out of necessity I let them share a shed with my garden tools and I just never got around to making them an official coop. I've always kept it clean for them and removed any chemicals though.


This is the outside of it.

This is where some of them like to sleep. I tried taking out the shelves and putting in 2x4s and they wouldn't use them. The paint bucket is so a big fat one can jump up when she wants to. I have a flock of three who insist on sleeping on the highest shelf in the further back bookcase. I've recently painted the bookshelves to keep out recurring mites that were living in the wood. Sometimes I have a mouse problem in the very back corner. My cat mostly keeps them out.

As of this exact second this is what the inside proper looks like. There's an article space up above that I've never been into. I know it's not ideal, but they free range during the day so it just never occured to me to make it pretty. I have three hens who refuse to use anything except that wonky perch in the back. I've tried making it prettier, sturdier, and move it without success. The garden tools are in there because it rained before I could finish cleaning out my other shed. They're empty of chemicals. The empty paint bucket is for my big fat hen again. She's very physically dense.

Hate to say it sounds like Mycoplasma, but unfortunately there's about 5 other similar respiratory diseases, like Coccidiosis , it could be. Especially if it keeps coming back, that's very common with the Mycoplasma.

Do the sickest ones just have the symptoms you mentioned? Any rales, gaping/ opening their mouth, swelling around eyes or nose? Are they eating normally? How does there poo look?

I've previously had respiratory issues ( didn't end well) and usually my go to things are:

-Add oregano and red pepper flakes to food. Usually if they won't eat the layer pellets, I switch them to chick starter or layer crumbles and add Kalmbach Hen House Reserve on top, Sometimes mealworms and/ or black oil sunflower seeds.
Making oatmeal and adding in an egg or the mealworms/ sunflower seeds works too.
-Add Poultry Cell or the Duravet to water. ( the duravet smells very strong of oregano)
Apple Cider Vinegar works in a pinch too.
-Add a few drops of vet RX. (Helps if you can't find the Duravet or the vitamin/ electrolytes
- Treat with Corrid
- Treat for worms. ( Sometimes worms like gapeworm can cause respiratory issues)
- Increase food for Calcium, Protein, Vitamin B and Vitamin D

If you treat with Corrid first, then it goes away, would mean they had coccidiosis. They do get more lethargic though as far as symptoms . Mycoplasma comes and goes depending on stress and weather. Infectious Bronchitis, Laryngitis or Gapeworm affect the throat/ voice too.Easier to tell in roosters. Hard overall to tell what it could be without testing or a necropsy though. I've previously used a testing facility that had either blood or swab testing. They have kits in qty of 3, 10, or more. I was able to mail it in. I think they do have a combo test that tests 5 things which can be pricy or a pay per test if you only need a few done. I'll have to see what the website was.

Sometimes I found it's better to just
treat for several things at once. Especially if the first dose wasn't enough or the first dose was for treatment and then subsequent doses for maintenance. Or depending on flock size. My old flock was hard to separate 10 chickens when you got 60 and by the time you figure out what the illness is or when they finally show symptoms. Unfortunately they hide illness so well.

I've been fighting this thing for years, even back when I had a different coop. Up until now it's just been congested breathing and sneezing. This week several of them have developed squirting diarrhea and are isolating. I'm thinking that's unrelated, but you never know. I've spent thousands of dollars at the vet and on various antibiotics without luck. It's awful. I guess I could treat for Corrid as well, but isn't that hard on their systems?

 

[CraziChknLady]

I'm kinda embarrassed to share pics since I know it's not the best for chickens, but it's what I have. I used to have a proper coop until a family of raccoons discovered them. Out of necessity I let them share a shed with my garden tools and I just never got around to making them an official coop. I've always kept it clean for them and removed any chemicals though.


This is the outside of it.
View attachment 4246991


This is where some of them like to sleep. I tried taking out the shelves and putting in 2x4s and they wouldn't use them. The paint bucket is so a big fat one can jump up when she wants to. I have a flock of three who insist on sleeping on the highest shelf in the further back bookcase. I've recently painted the bookshelves to keep out recurring mites that were living in the wood. Sometimes I have a mouse problem in the very back corner. My cat mostly keeps them out.
View attachment 4246993

As of this exact second this is what the inside proper looks like. There's an article space up above that I've never been into. I know it's not ideal, but they free range during the day so it just never occured to me to make it pretty. I have three hens who refuse to use anything except that wonky perch in the back. I've tried making it prettier, sturdier, and move it without success. The garden tools are in there because it rained before I could finish cleaning out my other shed. They're empty of chemicals. The empty paint bucket is for my big fat hen again. She's very physically dense.

View attachment 4247001



I've been fighting this thing for years, even back when I had a different coop. Up until now it's just been congested breathing and sneezing. This week several of them have developed squirting diarrhea and are isolating. I'm thinking that's unrelated, but you never know. I've spent thousands of dollars at the vet and on various antibiotics without luck. It's awful. I guess I could treat for Corrid as well, but isn't that hard on their systems?

I've never heard that Corrid be hard on their systems..between my current flock and previous one I didn't seem to have any issues. Have you ever done a deep clean? Like clear everything out and spray down with cleaner ( not bleach) and make sure to scrape off the roosts too. If you have mice, it's possible they can carry things too.
Make sure all food is put away over night and any kitchen scraps picked up.
It's also possible that if they free range they could have gotten something from a wild bird or from its droppings.
It looks like your shed is a wonderful idea! It does need ventilation though. That's so important! Various ways you can do that. I've seen just holes, cutting out sections and installing hardware cloth, windows, etc. winded up getting some vent covers on sale and using those. It's got the hardware cloth and the vent holes have a sort of cover thing. Make sure to have some type of substrate on the floor ( bedding like sand, shavings, hemp bedding, whatever you want). I totally understand about spending money for vets and antibiotics. That was my flock last year and part of this year until July. I had 2-3 vet trips, numerous antibiotics, deworming, at least 2 different mites, then had vitamin deficiencies, lash eggs, dog attack and racoon attack. Last year and part of this year was hell and then had to cull anyway due to Mycoplasma. Had 40-60 and in the end had 20,until the culling. Horrible. I don't wish that on anyone.
If it is something they carry and keeps coming back then it might be something like Mycoplasma or another respiratory that they carry and lies dormant. Then flares up due to any number of reasons like stress, weather, etc.