Urgent-Online vet recommendations? Very concerned about illness in my flock!

[3qkate]

The chicken’s eye looks a bit crusty in the first pic, but what is it looking like in person? The second pic shows some eyelid swelling and conjunctivitis, which may be from a respiratory disease such as MG. MG symptoms can be treated with certain antibiotics, such as tylosin in the water, available here or from a vet:

You may also flush the eye and apply Terramycin eye ointment twice a day.

Feather picking or the start of molting could be responsible for the feather loss.

I would get them drinking some fluids or electrolytes. Offer moistened chicken feed a little scrambled egg bits. Make sure that you have good ventilation in your coop, it is not too hot, minimize dust and ammonia odor. Also look them over for moving lice and mites on their skin under vents and elsewhere.

This is super helpful! I haven’t seen crust but I do see swelling. I’ll get to work on all the things you mentioned- Would you recommend starting the antibiotic before seeing the vet?

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is where to get the Tylosin, but it might be quicker from a local vet.

 

[3qkate]

Here is where to get the Tylosin, but it might be quicker from a local vet.

Thank you- I'm not seeing a link if you included one.

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

You could have multiple things going on with your hens. I haven't read all the previous posts, but the eye issues could also be mycoplasma. Worms are also a possibility. Check your coop at night for mites. Look under the roosts with a strong flashlight and see if you see tiny red moving dots. If you have these, let us know, as it could be an emergency for your hens.

Disinfect all your feeders and waterers. Let them dry completely before refilling with clean food and vitamin/electrolyte water. Determine if all are eating and drinking and pooping normally. Inspect their poop for abnormal findings.

Supplement with some scrambled eggs, Greek yogurt etc.

Its good to have something like Emer-Aid Omnivore intensive care diet on hand for emergencies. You mix it will water and it provides glucose and needed nutrients.

Monitor and provide as many details as you can, so we can try to help.

Hope they do ok!

 

[3qkate]

You could have multiple things going on with your hens. I haven't read all the previous posts, but the eye issues could also be mycoplasma. Worms are also a possibility. Check your coop at night for mites. Look under the roosts with a strong flashlight and see if you see tiny red moving dots. If you have these, let us know, as it could be an emergency for your hens.

Disinfect all your feeders and waterers. Let them dry completely before refilling with clean food and vitamin/electrolyte water. Determine if all are eating and drinking and pooping normally. Inspect their poop for abnormal findings.

Supplement with some scrambled eggs, Greek yogurt etc.

Its good to have something like Emer-Aid Omnivore intensive care diet on hand for emergencies. You mix it will water and it provides glucose and needed nutrients.

Monitor and provide as many details as you can, so we can try to help.

Hope they do ok!

Thank you so much! This is also super helpful. I'll do these things and report back

They all seem to be eating and drinking well. I haven't noticed anything too out of the ordinary with poop. Occasional runny poops can be normal, right?

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

Thank you so much! This is also super helpful. I'll do these things and report back

They all seem to be eating and drinking well. I haven't noticed anything too out of the ordinary with poop. Occasional runny poops can be normal, right?

Yes, they can be normal. Good that they are eating and drinking! Keep us posted!

 

[3qkate]

Yes, they can be normal. Good that they are eating and drinking! Keep us posted!

@Eggcessive and @Buffy Brahma Mama, I have a little update if you're willing to weigh in more. No sign of mites that I can see, on the hens or in the coop. I cleaned everything again, sterilizing the water now, putting electolytes out next. There is definitely no crust in the eyes, that was just a bad pic. Everyone is perky enough to free range today and hopped right out of the coop. There seems to be a lot of runny stools in the run, a lot of white and pale yellow but also a fair amount of the usual stuff. One major thing of note- when I was cleaning the poop trays from under the roost bars I noticed that while there wasn't a ton of poop there, nearly every poop was covered in mold. Some were big furry domes even though we don't wait long between cleanings. I haven't seen that before. We use shavings in those trays and I wonder if we got a moldy or contaminated batch? Can mold cause these symptoms? Thanks in advance!

 

[Eggcessive]

Thank you- I'm not seeing a link if you included one.

Sorry that I left off the link, but I just checked, and they have sold out since yesterday.
https://www.jedds.com/shop/tylan-soluble-100-g/It may be available from other sources, but this one is 100% tylosin, not a weaker version.

The mold on the droppings tray may be from just hot humid weather or the bedding could be damp. Include pictures of any abnormal droppings.

 

[Buffy Brahma Mama]

@Eggcessive and @Buffy Brahma Mama, I have a little update if you're willing to weigh in more. No sign of mites that I can see, on the hens or in the coop. I cleaned everything again, sterilizing the water now, putting electolytes out next. There is definitely no crust in the eyes, that was just a bad pic. Everyone is perky enough to free range today and hopped right out of the coop. There seems to be a lot of runny stools in the run, a lot of white and pale yellow but also a fair amount of the usual stuff. One major thing of note- when I was cleaning the poop trays from under the roost bars I noticed that while there wasn't a ton of poop there, nearly every poop was covered in mold. Some were big furry domes even though we don't wait long between cleanings. I haven't seen that before. We use shavings in those trays and I wonder if we got a moldy or contaminated batch? Can mold cause these symptoms? Thanks in advance!

I would still suspect mycoplasma, and possibly some other issues at the same time. The vet can take an eye swab of the chick that is the most ill to test for mycoplasma, if you wanted to know for sure if it was that. You don't really need to know the specific type if it is that (there are 4 I believe), and one is most prevalent in chickens.

There is no cure for it, but chickens can do well and recover. You can also treat the symptoms and any related infections they may get from it with antibiotics as mentioned by eggcessive.

Keep checking the poop for worms and you can bring a sample of that to the vet to test for parasites as well. Try to get a sample about 4 hrs or less before you go to the vet.

They could get other lung and respiratory issues from fungus in shavings - aspergillosis in particular.

Hope they do ok and keep us posted!

 

[3qkate]

I would still suspect mycoplasma, and possibly some other issues at the same time. The vet can take an eye swab of the chick that is the most ill to test for mycoplasma, if you wanted to know for sure if it was that. You don't really need to know the specific type if it is that (there are 4 I believe), and one is most prevalent in chickens.

There is no cure for it, but chickens can do well and recover. You can also treat the symptoms and any related infections they may get from it with antibiotics as mentioned by eggcessive.

Keep checking the poop for worms and you can bring a sample of that to the vet to test for parasites as well. Try to get a sample about 4 hrs or less before you go to the vet.

They could get other lung and respiratory issues from fungus in shavings - aspergillosis in particular.

Hope they do ok and keep us posted!

Well, I went to the vet today and she thinks it's MP. She advised that the swab probably wasn't worth it because this is the most common and most likely issue. She wants me to treat with Tylan. So my next question is, have any of you dealt with this in your flocks? My head is spinning over what I was told. On one hand, it sounds really common. On the other the official recommendation is to depopulate my flock. I have so many questions!