Washingtonians

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Yes ! Anyone with a sick bird isolate it immediately !
I have an isolation "ward" and 1 flock of BBS Marans effected but many have "recovered"
I am dunking gum boots everytime I walk by the dish pan full of bleach water, and spraying everything with bleach water at least 20% mixture, let it almost dry (at least 10 minutes on the equipment) before washing off with chlorinated water, stack and air dry away from effected birds.
I shower and change clothes before I go into any other coops/pens...and usually have DH attend to the other coops, and he is not allowed in the "sick" wards.
Anyone else suspect a "cold" ?
Newcastle is so super easy to vaccinate with, with nonfat dry milk and a bucket of non chlorinated water...weakened live virus lets the birds immunal system build up antibodies against the disease.
And here I was so super worried about Mareks !!!!!!!!!!
And stupid me, I saw the dead songbirds out here, remember ?
DH said they were probably hit by a car ?

They were not hit by a car.

I have to contact proper channels and get some testing done now to make sure.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Thanks, guys!
Will keep you all psted, and in the meantime, get some B-1 Newcastle vaccine (I use Jeffers.com if your feed store does not carry it) and give it to your flock.
It is so much easier to vaccinate the birds than to watch them sick, antibiotics, deaths...I am incinerating 2 pullets right now.
Sometimes they stay ill for a week and recover, sometimes overnight they die.
I have none with paralysis or neck twisting, so this must be the "weaker" of the Newcastle strain...
It is tiring, and not much else I can do for them.

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
Ultasol, we all need to be scared !
I went to several shows.
I am mindful of my shoes/clothing/equipment/and other birds.
Still, there is wild birds...and my flock effected are the ones I allow to free range.

 

[Chickielady]

I am going to contact my vet here, who just served as a Fair vet, she may be able to test, or they can refer.
Some links I am finding say there is no cure...some I have found say alot of birds can recover and thus carry antibodies to the disease..apparently there are several strains, some mild ...one that is deadly and can hit hard and fast.
I cannot locate the link to report to UW.
Anyone have, please contact me.
Things are grim here.

 

[ultasol]

No need to freak out. Stay calm. Remember, we are all responsible to make sure we remain able to keep non-commercial flocks of chickens. In order to do so, we need to remain calm and start with basic testing before we self-diagnose.

Contact your vet and see if you can get a bird tested. Go from there. In the meantime you can dose with Tylan50.

Every sniffle is not an emergency but should be watched and quarantined.

 

[Tailfeathers]

I agree there is no need to freak out or start freaking everyone else out. After reading thru the last couple of pages, here are a couple of things that may be helpful:

1) Giving the birds yogurt is probably doing more harm than good. Yogurt often causes diarrhea and that is the last thing you want for a sick bird.
2) You may or may not have Newcastles and there are two types. One is reportable the other is not. My first guess is that you do NOT have Newcastles since you reported no signs of any nervous reactions like dragging a wing or leg.
3) The problem with chicken diseases is that so many of them carry the same symptoms. Your birds could have IB, ILV, CRD or just a cold. All of those carry similar symptoms as the Newcastles but without the nervous reactions.
4) Vaccinating all your birds now may be a waste of time. If the birds have already contracted the disease and are in the early stages of development, the vaccine is too late. The disease may already be incubating.
5) The mortality rate for Newcastles is moderate to low. The good news is that any survivors will be resistant to future susceptiblity. Though they may be carriers for a month or so.
6) One of the best things you can do now for them now is to keep them warm, hydrated, and well fed. I believe it was in a recent issue of the PP that I read something very helpful on this. Understanding the chicken digestion system, you want to liquify their food as much as possible so that it runs through the crop, gizzard, stomach, and gets into their intestines as quick as possible. I make up a really wet mash of watered down applesauce, feed, and the appropriate amount of antibiotic. They attack it with gusto. Which reminds me, I need to read up on Cayenne Pepper. I seem to recall that is a good thing too. You might want to check that out.
7) The only way to be certain what you have is to take the bird to the State or UW and have them tested. But be forewarned, if you have Newcastles Exotic, you are probably going to have them come in and destroy your whole flock.

God Bless,

 

[Chickielady]

Quote:
I am OK, no freaking out here...if it was myself you were referring to...and my vet, as well as every other vet, is out for the 3 day week end so we are waiting.
This situation has been on going off and on for several weeks now.
I have given Duramycin for 6 days, then Sulfamet, and have Tylan ordered and on the way.
Newcastle is such a rare thing up here in the PNW...so I am watching and will test tomorrow ASAP.
I have been reading the illnesses on this web site and there seems to be alot of ppl with the same "cold" going on...and one recommended Baytril, a fantastic antibiotic, however I have none...I do have a steril bottle of PenAquas...though I do not know if that is a good idea.

 

[Chickielady]

Thanks for all the info everyone, but I am not the yogurt person, that was someone else who also has a sick hen and sounds like similar symptoms, and yes there is so many respiratory diseases that have so many like symptoms.
I have been watching this come and go for weeks...birds get it, get better, and seem happy and healthy, and then get it back again.
Symptoms:
Initial sneezing, coughs sometimes, snot, can crust over the nostrils, then eyes close, and the bird is droopy, hanging head but standing...then loss of appetite:no eat or drink.
Those that were not into the lovely mash I made them, (with antibiotics in the mash) I diluted further with soy milk, enough to put in a big syringe, and squirt-fed each slowly so they had food daily and they all recovered.
Then a week would pass and several more would have it, and 2 days ago a beautiful healthy 6 mo pullet got it, and dispte feeding and antibiotics, she died, no neck twisting...very little rales in her case, just got weaker and weaker and died.
Then this morning a perfectly healthy flock of Ameraucanas, 3 mo old, seperated by wire and tarped to prevent fence fighting...1 had the symptoms this morning, "pump handle respiration" and chirping upon inhalation...dropped dead in 1 hr.
Some have recovered, some in the flock have never gotten it, and some seperated by fence have gotten it and died the next day.
Seems to be affected by age/bird's immunal system...and if this is END...and I do not notify the authorities, then what kind of fool am I ?
I would have to sacrifice my flock in order to protect the rest of the birds here...including yours.
Hiding this disease (if it is END) from the authorities is wrong and unfair to others.
But we shall see, I will let you all know what is happening tomorrow...take care and thanks for all the help.
I am very interested in all the others who seems to have the same symptoms.
After the 2 deaths, the remaining 2 ill seem like they are "coming around". and then there is 3 more who seem like they are alittle "off" and may be coming down with it, but like I said, this has been going on like this for 3 weeks or more and I originally suspected IB...and that may well be all it is.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

Wow, I have been out fishing and there seems to be all kinds of controversy here. I have not read all the posts...but let me reassure everyone that NONE of my birds are going anywhere. She is quarantined, in fact she is in a dog crate in my house, staying warm. We had a yellow jacket problem in the hen house, I heard someone sqwaking and she came out with one eye shut. She ate some scrambled eggs this morning and has been drinking water. I have not been around other birds nor will I. She definitely does not feel good, but after I also got stung just below the arm pit by the same haord of yellow jackets...I can understand why. I had left her with her siblings up until several hours ago because I did not want her getting depressed and I do not believe that she is ill with a virus. But, again, I was asking for ideas to get her to eat as it looks like she was stung under the eye or in the mouth. She ate the scrambled eggs out of my hand earlier.

 

[Chickielady]

Yes, it has appeared that some have mixed up our posts.
Hope you and your bird are OK !
How did you get the hornets out of the henhouse !?
We got rid of some a few years ago that were nested in our covered boat, lucky we did find them before we were out on the lake !
We attacked (sprayed) them at night while they were all in their nest asleep.
My problem is the "cold" and we will test tomorrow, it may be Cory, IB or hopefully not worse.
But if it is I am prepared to do in this flock.