What does my chicken have?????

[gengargirl]

This does not sound like Marek's Disease, but more like a respiratory infection.

Per @azygous:

"Amoxicillin is a good all purpose, broad spectrum antibiotic. Fish meds work fine for chickens and don't require a prescription. The daily dose is 250mg for a standard adult chicken."

https://www.walmartpetrx.com/p-2377-fish-mox-amoxicillin.aspx

This pill is a 250mg pill. I'm really unsure of how long to give it/how often, so I'll tag some experts.

@casportpony @sourland @azygous @aart @Wyorp Rock

Thank you, I didn’t know I could give fish antibiotics to chickens. Good to know. She a pullet, not laying yet and I’m unsure of weight.

I agree likely a respiratory infection, just not sure why others didn’t get sick whatsoever (chickens are from different people too so should’ve been likely they’d get it) but it just hit her and only her. She didn’t come from a great owner though, very dirty and unkept coop, etc. I’ve wormed her too but vet visit never showed cocci so that was good. Yeah, just not sure why it’s only been her that’s got this. Maybe I just got lucky

 

[dawg53]

Birds wipe nasal discharge under their wings up against their body. The foul odor is typical for Coryza.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This does not sound like Marek's Disease, but more like a respiratory infection.

Per @azygous:

"Amoxicillin is a good all purpose, broad spectrum antibiotic. Fish meds work fine for chickens and don't require a prescription. The daily dose is 250mg for a standard adult chicken."

https://www.walmartpetrx.com/p-2377-fish-mox-amoxicillin.aspx

This pill is a 250mg pill. I'm really unsure of how long to give it/how often, so I'll tag some experts.

@casportpony @sourland @azygous @aart @Wyorp Rock

Thank you, I didn’t know I could give fish antibiotics to chickens. Good to know. She a pullet, not laying yet and I’m unsure of weight.

She was taken to the vet (who didn’t deal with chickens, none of them do around my area apparently) and given a strong vet dose of oxytetracycline hydrochloride.

Fish antibiotics can be used to treat certain infections in poultry, however it's not an effective drug when it comes to treating respiratory disease. Amoxicillin acts on the cell wall and MG has no cell wall - so having a good idea of what you are treating so you can use the correct medication is important - not just pulling some random post that "so and so says....". I found the link that was quoted and it's not in reference to treating respiratory illness whatsoever, but you can double check that. It's always good to follow up with your own research so you can be confident in what you are doing.
Here's the link https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/chicken-antibiotics.1226573/

I do agree about this being Coryza, it's good that your hen is improving on the antibiotics your vet gave you. Oxytetracycline can be used to treat symptoms of MG and possibly Coryza, but it works better when paired with a Sulfa drug when treating Coryza as mentioned previously.

 

[dennisma1]

Hey! Can I ask what makes you think it’s coryza? she only has nasal discharge, found the cause of smell which was matted feathers in under her wings, cleaned out and she smells okay now. Getting much better since the antibiotics, have started for another week and have been bringing her inside of a night as we have cold winters and she’s suddenly thriving. She never had watery eyes, facial oedema, diarrhoea or weight loss, she’s not laying yet so no issues in terms of egg shell quality/production, etc and didn’t have nasal swelling either, just simply the clear discharge.

As of yet she has not given the other hens this illness and my flock is from different places. Whatever it is has just affected her and ONLY her.

How is your chicken doing? I've had 10 year old favorites make remarkable recoveries from respitory infections to fly strike. Don't give up ! Everything is a learning opportunity. As long as she is separated the rest of your flock is ok.

 

[gengargirl]

How is your chicken doing? I've had 10 year old favorites make remarkable recoveries from respitory infections to fly strike. Don't give up ! Everything is a learning opportunity. As long as she is separated the rest of your flock is ok.

Better and not sneezing anymore but she has a limp badly (her left leg) so she’s back inside to recover from that as she can hardly walk. Feels like if it’s not one thing it’s another with her unfortunately

 

[Vickischics]

Better and not sneezing anymore but she has a limp badly (her left leg) so she’s back inside to recover from that as she can hardly walk. Feels like if it’s not one thing it’s another with her unfortunately

Unfortunately, that can happen. One thing after another until the chick is exhausted.
I wish you luck and it sounds like your keeping up with your chicken Husbandry and doing a great job. Wyorp Rock is a walking Vet Encyclopedia. Always provides evidence based treatment.

 

[dennisma1]

Better and not sneezing anymore but she has a limp badly (her left leg) so she’s back inside to recover from that as she can hardly walk. Feels like if it’s not one thing it’s another with her unfortunately

Sometimes it feels that way but it teaches you lot too. Any idea why she is limping?

 

[gengargirl]

Unfortunately, that can happen. One thing after another until the chick is exhausted.
I wish you luck and it sounds like your keeping up with your chicken Husbandry and doing a great job. Wyorp Rock is a walking Vet Encyclopedia. Always provides evidence based treatment.

Hi there,

thank you for your lovely comment. I think my over-the-too chicken husbandry was what kept my other girls lucky enough to not catch what Henrietta, my sick chook, had. I had isolated her so she could recover with her leg but unfortunately her sneezing and gasping returned and I booked in with an avian vet a mile away. In unfortunately had to put her down about a month or so ago. The vet had said, although I had tried everything I could, her feathers weren’t bright, she wasn’t growing as she should’ve been, very very thin and she just was a chicken in her last legs. The vet suspected coryza due to the smell, and told me to give my other two chickens about a month or two to see if they came down with anything and if they did to bring them in.
My other two girls are completely fine, no symptoms, no sickness, nothing has happened. They’ve even started laying in winter lol. I’m not sure if I got lucky with how much of a clean/separation freak I was with them or what. I feel her loss very strongly, she was my favourite chook (it always seems to be our favourite ones doesn’t it) and wished I hadve been able to save her, but unfortunately that’s life.

 

[katelwil]

I'm sorry for your loss, she was very well cared for and I'm certain you did all you could. It really is always the favorites.

 

[Vickischics]

Hi there,

thank you for your lovely comment. I think my over-the-too chicken husbandry was what kept my other girls lucky enough to not catch what Henrietta, my sick chook, had. I had isolated her so she could recover with her leg but unfortunately her sneezing and gasping returned and I booked in with an avian vet a mile away. In unfortunately had to put her down about a month or so ago. The vet had said, although I had tried everything I could, her feathers weren’t bright, she wasn’t growing as she should’ve been, very very thin and she just was a chicken in her last legs. The vet suspected coryza due to the smell, and told me to give my other two chickens about a month or two to see if they came down with anything and if they did to bring them in.
My other two girls are completely fine, no symptoms, no sickness, nothing has happened. They’ve even started laying in winter lol. I’m not sure if I got lucky with how much of a clean/separation freak I was with them or what. I feel her loss very strongly, she was my favourite chook (it always seems to be our favourite ones doesn’t it) and wished I hadve been able to save her, but unfortunately that’s life.

You did everything you could.
Try not to take your experience with her as a loss. Try to think of it as a gain. Now, you will be able to help someone else dealing with the same issue. Therefore, that in itself is a good thing.
Enjoy your eggs!