What can you do for a "cold"?

[JediJinx]

Ok, I have been doing some reading on respiratory ailments and I am still unsure of what my chickens have. 3 of them (pullets about 5 months old) are sneezing and occasional cough but not much else. The nostrils are wet but no thick goo, no eye discharge, no swelling, etc. They have been like this for about 2 weeks or so. Today I laced their water with a vitamin powder, and have been giving them tomatoes and apples and raisins in hopes the vitamin c will help. I have done no isolation, so I am expecting the rest to catch this eventually too. Is there anything else that can be done? It is about 48 degrees here and very windy and cloudy/rainy. Their coop is a small raised coop really just for sleeping in. They don't seem to be hanging out inside of it unless it's raining. I am thinking of making a windbreak (plywood) to help them stay out of direct wind.

 

[Sustained]

Chickens don't get colds the way we do. The best thing to do until you're sure what's wrong is to quarantine the sick pullets. Have you looked into infectious bronchitis? If not, you may want to google it. Coryza is also another possibility. does the discharge from the nostrils smell bad? Like rotting flesh? It doesn't have to be very strong but if you smell the discharge closely you'll be able to detect a rotten smell to it. I'm no expert but those would be my 2 best guesses. A bedding allergy is always possible too but unlikely if more than one is sick.

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds a bit like infectious bronchitis or IB, which is a virus that has to run it's course over about a month. It does tend to affect most of the flock eventually, and all chickens will be carriers for up to a year afterward. They may need a little extra heat in the coop because of chilling. To be positive what you are seeing, a blood test would be best. They can be tested for MG, ILT, or coryza.

 

[JediJinx]

Eggcessive, since you are in OH too, can you tell me where/how to send blood for testing? I am considering culling one of them that seems sickest

 

[Eggcessive]

I have not personally gotten a chicken tested, but here is the info to call about getting it done:

Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (ADDL)

Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
8995 East Main Street
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-3399
Phone: (614) 728-6220
Fax: (614 ) 728-6310
Email: [email protected]

And here is the whole link to read: http://www.ohioagriculture.gov/addl/

 

[JediJinx]

Thanks so much!

Another question, after reading some on Coryza and IB and MG, I am terrified that this will end up being something we will have to cull the whole bunch!! Which resp diseases are such that the surviving birds will be carriers for life?

Here is a few more details on the situation. The two original pullets who have been sick for a while have been with us for several months - one came as a little chick in May. The third individual (I am still not sure this is a female) is about 4 months old came to us only last week so he/she is new. This one seems to be sicker than the others and also has watery droppings/diarrhea. Still no thick mucus in nostrils, it is watery. Maybe they have something different. I plan to watch them all carefully tomorrow.

So I am thinking of having them all three tested. If it turns out something that will infect everyone, then I am in big trouble with the husb and kids. Starting over would be a horrible experience for them, Ugh.

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes with most respiratory diseases, all chickens in the flock should be considered carriers for life if there is MG, coryza, or ILT. Infectious bronchitis makes carriers for up to a year. Testing would be a good thing to do. The third chicken you added could possibly have coccidiosis, since he or she came from other soil where they developed some immunity to the cocci in the soil there, but have none to what you have. Corid for 5 days in the water would treat that, and it wouldn't do harm even if they don't have it. To try and prevent respiratory diseases, besides trying to get the most healthy stock, is to provide excellent overhead ventilation in the coop, keep temperatures from being too hot, keep dust and ammonia odors down, and prevent wetness and mold by avoiding hay andstraw, and using pine shavings to keep conditions dry.

 

[JediJinx]

I called the OH Dept of Ag and they said the samples have to be submitted by a vet. So our local vet does indeed treat poultry and I spoke with her about the situation. I am taking some of the birds for sample collection Mon to test them. They do a comprehensive respiratory panel, plus the Coryza is a culture sample of sinus swab.

BTW Today was sunny and about 68.

I talked to a boy today whose parents raise chickens and he said they always use tincture of black walnut in their drinkers when they get sick. Anyone heard of that? I am sure this is not a "cure" for either disease, just wondering.