Update: two chickens passed.

[Kyonarai]

Hi there again, just a quick update on the illness we're dealing with. The two delaware pullets with runny noses, dull smelly feathers, and black spots on their combs both passed within a day of each other, so now I am left with one sick cochin (9 week old bantam) and I think also a sick leghorn roo, because his crows have started sound hoarse. I'll have to catch him when he roosts tonight to be sure.

I called a local feed store who also raise back yard chickens, and they said it sounded like the wet form of fowl pox, and gave me a vaccine to treat everyone with. So that's what we're assuming now. I'm also going to add some raw apple cider vinegar to their water and hope that helps.

So far the cochins only symptoms are clogged nostrils(silently breathing through mouth, not gaping or gasping, just opening it a little to breath) and course, smelly feathers with a little bit of feather loss on her back. Also her crop felt pretty empty, although I saw her eat a little when I gave them fresh food this morning. So far seems active and still scratching/foraging, and was flying all over the place when I brought her inside trying to get a better look at her.

What do yall think?

 

[Eggcessive]

You may well have wet fowl pox, but it sounds like you might have coryza or some other serious respiratory disease. Coryza has a fowl odor associated with it. You might just have a few coincidental lesions of dry fowl pox that are leading you to think it is wet fowl pox. Coryza can be treated with Duramycin10 in the water, and Tylan injectable given by shot or orally. Here is a link to read about respiratory diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Kyonarai]

Well, so far none of the other cochins are showing any symptoms at all. The one sick cochin is not gasping, and the eyes are not swollen at all. Also still eating a drinking, though she seems thin(prominent keel bone). Rooster from what I've seen is still fiery and active, just had a hoarse crow the last few days it seems like. Though he is young and new to crowing, so that might be also.

It's the feathers that seem to be stinking, not the face, but I get if the pullet was cleaning herself and the nasal secretion got on her feathers, that would explain it.


Tell it to me straight, would it be best to cull her to prevent the other three from becoming infected?

 

[Eggcessive]

If they have been around this bird and the other two that died, I am sure they have been exposed. Water, food, and droppings all get contaminated, plus all respiratory diseases can be spread by droplets in the air. Some people recommend putting any birds down with respiratory disease, but many people like to give the birds a chance.Just remember that there is some disease in your flock now, and the other birds may become immune, but any other birds that come in will be exposed. Culling is a personal choice, but I always feel it is best to put a bird down that is suffering or that will cause harm to the flock.

 

[Kyonarai]

Some *possibly* good news today.

We finally caught my leghorn rooster last night. I had my hubby and brother in law chase him down because his crow sounded horrible. Super hoarse and squeaky, so I knew he was sick too. Figures, as he's part of a flock of three that free range my property 24/7, and had access to the other chickens through the fences. I haven't caught his hens yet, but we're working on it.

Anyways, he has distinctly obvious symptoms of fowl pox. His comb is covered in white/grey dots that are raised from the skin. So hopefully, that means I am just dealing with dry/wet fowl pox in all my chickens, and not fowl pox AND some respiratory illness/coryza.

In any case, everyone has been started on Tylan 50 injections, including the younger bantam cochins. They're about as big as a six week old standard chicken now, and I was unable to find any water soluble antibiotic for them to take, so I settled on the weaker form of Tylan injectable, and am giving them .02cc per day, for 5 days, and then seeing how they look.

Also acquired a new bantam polish roo, who is an adult, so I'll have to keep an eye on him also, even though he is in his own bachelor pad at the moment. Trying my best to keep cross contamination to a minimum. The 4 cochins for now are still living together, and I am just giving them all antibiotic at the same time, which will be followed by the fowl pox and *hopefully* coryza vaccine if I can get ahold of it for a decent price. I got them for very cheap, and they are super bonded and freak out when one is missing from the group, so I figured since they had all definitely been exposed to each other for at least a solid week, there was no point in separating them now.

Wish me luck!

Any advise on medicine dosage would be helpful as well. I'm giving it to the cochins subcutaneously instead of intramuscularly, as they are too small to really get a good shot at the muscle, and I'm worried about puncturing something, having never worked on chickens before. The one who is sick is particularly underweight and hard to get a needle in at all, as her skin rolls, so I'm erring on the side of caution at the moment.