What is killing my hens?

[4and20blackbrds]

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Today one side of her face swelled up and her eye is swollen closed.

Lost the first on Tuesday (it’s Thursday).

The first to fall sick died Tuesday. She was sneezing and gurgling Saturday (I didn’t realize this until Sunday, she was in the coop rafters). I gave La-200 on Sunday. Wormed her on Monday, in case it was gapeworm. She died overnight Monday/Tuesday.

Buff Orpington started with symptoms Sunday. She got 2 doses of la200, one on Sunday and one on monday. Also wormed on monday

I have a chick, that I’m pretty sure brought this into the flock. I got her last Saturday, so 5-6 days before the hens came up sick

After the BO’s face swelled up I called a vet and he told me to give Tylan orally.

She had this thick yellow/green mucus in her mouth.

I’m kicking myself so hard about putting those chicks under my silkie last week;

It was thick yellowish brownish greenish.

Nothing ever came from their nares, just in the beak. When they were alive it crusted on the corners of their beaks.

I'm sorry for your loss.
It would be a good idea to get a necropsy if possible.

What Tylan do you have? Tylan50, Tylan200 or Tylosin Soluble? What dose are you giving and how many times a day?

I'm having a hard time nailing down the timeline from when you brought in chick(s) to when you first noticed symptoms.

Think. Have you added any new mulch to your coops/runs? Any Moldy feed, compost, rotten? Do they free range?

The yellow/brown/green is not coming from the nostrils, it's coming from the beak. No mucous from the nostrils at all? What's the inside of the beaks look like - any lesions? Crops emptying?

 

[4and20blackbrds]

I'm sorry for your loss.
It would be a good idea to get a necropsy if possible.

What Tylan do you have? Tylan50, Tylan200 or Tylosin Soluble? What dose are you giving and how many times a day?

I'm having a hard time nailing down the timeline from when you brought in chick(s) to when you first noticed symptoms.

Think. Have you added any new mulch to your coops/runs? Any Moldy feed, compost, rotten? Do they free range?

The yellow/brown/green is not coming from the nostrils, it's coming from the beak. No mucous from the nostrils at all? What's the inside of the beaks look like - any lesions? Crops emptying?

No problem! Brought the older chick home on April 19. They came from the feed store, they get them shipped in from a hatchery.

Brought the younger one home June 11. From a fur and feather swap. Photo is from that day, to
help age the chick, in case that’s helpful.



Friday or Saturday June 17/18 we heard weird sounds coming from the coop area. I looked in there but neither of the birds I saw were making the sound. I didn’t look up into the rafters… which is where the initial sick one was. I brought her inside on the afternoon of Sunday the 19th. I noticed the buff Orpington sounded a bit off. That evening she was just standing in the yard doing her weird neck breathing, so she also came inside and they both got 1ml of la200 injected.

Monday I wormed all the adults, except the silkie. I gave the Orpington another dose of la200. The other hen (Cleo) seemed like she was doing better. She was still gurgling but she was breathing with her beak closed. Cleo died overnight Monday into Tuesday.

Tuesday Gretchen seemed kind of ok, a bit gurgle-y, but she was still moving around. I decided to bring her inside. I gave her another shot of la200 as well as the hen that’s still outside (her name is Susan). Susan and Gretchen got their first shots on Monday, 2nd on Tuesday. I also gave them both some nutri-drench and water by syringe.

Second photo is Lady and Gretchen Tuesday evening. Lady was finally actually sleeping, Gretchen looked pretty sad.

This whole time the silkie (Heather) had seemed decently ok. She seemed a tiny bit congested, but was otherwise eating/drinking and taking care of her baby. Because of the drama around the other ones I wasn’t watching her as closely as I should have been. She was fine Monday when I gave her the shot and Tuesday when I checked. Wednesday she was mostly staying in the run, but I figured that was because of the baby. I gave her some watermelon. And she loved it. Thursday morning she was abandoning the chick. The dogs were sniffing after her. I checked and her tail was being eaten alive. I guess she was a bantam silkie and was 1lbs 3oz when I weighed her Monday (she’d been broody for a few weeks). Between the flystrike and the sickness, I didn’t think it was in her best interest to try and fix the flystrike. Maybe I was wrong, but it felt cruel to try and save her so that I wasn’t sad.

After I saw Lady’s swollen face I called a vet and he said to give them tylan. If tylan 50 do 1ml by mouth once a day for 5-7 days. If tylan200 do 1/4ml. I have tylan 50. I gave 1ml. Gretchen fought me hard. Less than 10mins later I heard coughing/sneezing, I checked on them and she was dead with the thick goop in her beak. Her beak was partially open, tongue kinda sticking out and the goop covering the entire inside of her beak/tongue. I should’ve taken a picture but between this and heather earlier, I was just shook.

Their nostrils have been clear. Nothing has come from them. The goop will dry thick yellow crust in the corner of their beaks.

I haven’t seen any lesions or anything inside the beaks. When I checked Lady for signs of gapeworm, it looked normal.

They free range. I haven’t added any new bedding, I haven’t noticed any moldy feed but it has been super humid and rained a lot in the weeks leading up to this. We live in central Oklahoma.

 

[azygous]

The dosage you were told is per pound. Increase the dose to reflect this and give twice a day for five days.

 

[4and20blackbrds]

The dosage you were told is per pound. Increase the dose to reflect this and give twice a day for five days.

So 5ml for a 5lb bird?

 

[azygous]

That would be .5ml.

 

[4and20blackbrds]

That would be .5ml.

1ml per pound would be 5ml.

Or .5ml per pound? So 2.5ml for a 5lb bird? This is tylan50.

 

[azygous]

The dosage for Tylan 50 is .1ml per pound of body weight. So a five pound hen will receive .5ml per dose. The decimal point is a critical factor. Be sure you place it in the correct spot or you will be overdosing your chicken.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Here's something that may help clarify Tylan/Tylosin dosing.
Tylan has a wide range of 10-40mg/kg. Looks like your vet opted for a dose of 22mg/kg given once a day, so for a 5lb hen that would be 1ml once a day.

Plumb's Vet Drug Manual says 10-40mg/kg given 2-3 times a day to treat respiratory infection or air sacculitis.

So...normally, when I make a recommended dose to treat respiratory illness, I aim for "mid-range" and ease of use and measurement. This equals to ~27mg/kg given ORALLY 3 times a day for 5 days. OR translated to 0.25mg per pound of weight, so a 5lb hen would get 1.25mg of Tylan50 orally 3 times a day for 5 days.
Clear as mud? (1 ÷ 2.2 x 27 ÷ 50 = 0.24545 or 0.25mg per lb)

Not sure why your vet chose only once a day unless he instructed you to inject, because multiple injections daily would surely cause injection sight necrosis.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

After I saw Lady’s swollen face I called a vet and he said to give them tylan. If tylan 50 do 1ml by mouth once a day for 5-7 days. If tylan200 do 1/4ml. I have tylan 50. I gave 1ml. Gretchen fought me hard. Less than 10mins later I heard coughing/sneezing, I checked on them and she was dead with the thick goop in her beak. Her beak was partially open, tongue kinda sticking out and the goop covering the entire inside of her beak/tongue.

OK Thank you for this.
I think I may have it straight.

Did Gretchen have respiratory symptoms or was she gurgly only?

What about Lady - any respiratory symptoms or just a gurgly sound?
What does Lady's crop feel like? Any smell (sour) smell to her breath?

What have they been eating recently including treats? If possible, can you get a photo of the inside of Lady's beak? Any lice or mites on her?