Very Sick Meatie

[tlee1956]

One of my red rangers has a horrible honking cough/ sneeze. I immediately isolated her and started a course of terra vet at 1 1/2 Tblsp per gallon. I haven't detected any sneezing or rattling with any of my others (layers, meaties and two ducks), but have yet to go out and do a bird by bird check. I'm going to dose the entire flock with 1 Tblsp/ gal in the meantime. We've had terrible wet weather and I think this is what's exacerbated this condition. Any advice about othet treatment or precautions to take will be welcomed. Only been at this for a year and need any help I can get!

 

[tlee1956]

Checked all the other birds. Everyone is active, eating, no raspiness in their breathing, no unusual fluffed up feathers. Hard to say anything about droppings cause the rain's been washing them out. Am I overreacting if I start giving them antibiotics? I never used medicated feed for my chicks, and now I've calmed down a bit after finding my sick gal I wonder if that's necessary since the obviously ill bird is isolated.

 

[louclare]

I had a bird that got a cold once, it got really bad and she almost died but we managed to nurse her back to health. If her feet and legs feel cold (compared to the other birds) that could be a sign she is sick. You could also try taking her temperature to see if she has a fever. You are doing the right thing with the antibiotics, it is usually ok to up the dosage a little bit for the sick bird. If she gets a lot worse you might want to take her inside and tap her in stock towel. If she won't drink the medicine you can mix in a little sugar or use a syringe to squirt it into her mouth. Hope this helps!

 

[louclare]

Checked all the other birds. Everyone is active, eating, no raspiness in their breathing, no unusual fluffed up feathers. Hard to say anything about droppings cause the rain's been washing them out. Am I overreacting if I start giving them antibiotics? I never used medicated feed for my chicks, and now I've calmed down a bit after finding my sick gal I wonder if that's necessary since the obviously ill bird is isolated.

It is a good idea to dose the whole flock because disease spread quickly among birds and many of the others have probably come in contact with the germs.

 

[tlee1956]

It is a good idea to dose the whole flock because disease spread quickly among birds and many of the others have probably come in contact with the germs.

Thanks for the help. How many days should I dose them? I'm going to go change their buckets out right now and keep them all penned up for a few days so they drink only the medicated water. They're gonna be mad at me cause they free range during the day!
Only 4 of mine are laying, the rest are too young. How long will I need to dispose of the medicated eggs?

 

[louclare]

I would keep them on the medicine around one week maybe little longer. If the sick one is still showing symptoms she might need to be on it for longer. I think you can't eat the eggs for 10 days after? But I can't quite remember. Also remember to change the medicine after 24 hours because I think it stops working if it is mixed with the water for that long. Hope this helps!

 

[louclare]

Just looked it up and it looks like 2 weeks for the eggs.

 

[tlee1956]

Just looked it up and it looks like 2 weeks for the eggs.

Thanks again!