what's wrong with her??

[pacenme]

I have an older chicken (2-3yrs) who I have noticed over the past week or two has been layed back. Well now she is pretty lethargic and doesn't seem to be eating or drinking. I want to say her face looks a little irritated?? Anyways I decided to seperate her and gave her a shot of baytril. She is all fluffed up and def has lost weight and is now weak. She also kind of smells?? Any idea what this could be?? I atempted to give her some sugar water via syringe. maybe it was just me but she seems a hair bit more perky?? Oh yeah she was pretty pail in the face this morning but since I moved her in the house (my husband is gonna kill me when he gets home!) she is back to a more normal looking color. Help me please! I have no idea what could be wrong with her. All of the others are fine. Thanx!

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I have an older chicken (2-3yrs) who I have noticed over the past week or two has been layed back. Well now she is pretty lethargic and doesn't seem to be eating or drinking. I want to say her face looks a little irritated?? Anyways I decided to seperate her and gave her a shot of baytril. She is all fluffed up and def has lost weight and is now weak. She also kind of smells?? Any idea what this could be?? I atempted to give her some sugar water via syringe. maybe it was just me but she seems a hair bit more perky?? Oh yeah she was pretty pail in the face this morning but since I moved her in the house (my husband is gonna kill me when he gets home!) she is back to a more normal looking color. Help me please! I have no idea what could be wrong with her. All of the others are fine. Thanx!

First? Never give birds a "shot of [any antibiotic]" unless you're using a syringe. This isn't how they work, and this is how resistant forms of bacteria continue to invade our environments.

That said, this sounds very similar to the symptoms for Infectious Coryza. And, if so? You've made a fortunate blunder, as the Baytril is actually an option which has been proven to be highly efficacious against IC, reducing morbidity, and resulting in full microbiological clearance of the infectious agent.

Lucky you ~'-)

But, I'm sorry to say, possibly not so fortunate for your flock ... here's a bit more on this disease:

Infectious Coryza

Synonyms: roup, cold, coryza
Species affected: chickens, pheasants, and guinea fowl. Common in game chicken flocks.
Clinical signs: Swelling around the face, foul smelling, thick, sticky discharge from the nostrils and eyes, labored breathing, and rales (rattles -- an abnormal breathing sound) are common clinical signs. The eyelids are irritated and may stick together. The birds may have diarrhea and growing birds may become stunted (see Table 1).
Mortality from coryza is usually low, but infections can decrease egg production and increase the incidence and/or severity of other diseases. Mortality can be as high as 50 percent, but is usually no more than 20 percent. The clinical disease can last from a few days to 2-3 months, depending on the virulence of the pathogen and the existence of other infections such as mycoplasmosis.
Transmission: Coryza is primarily transmitted by direct bird-to-bird contact. This can be from infected birds brought into the flock as well as from birds which recover from the disease which remain carriers of the organism and may shed intermittently throughout their lives.. Birds risk exposure at poultry shows, bird swaps, and live-bird sales. Inapparent infected adult birds added into a flock are a common source for outbreaks. Within a flock, inhalation of airborne respiratory droplets, and contamination of feed and/or water are common modes of spread.
Treatment: Water soluble antibiotics or antibacterials can be used. Sulfadimethoxine (Albon

, Di-Methox

) is the preferred treatment. If it is not available, or not effective, sulfamethazine (Sulfa-Max

, SulfaSure

), erythromycin (gallimycin

), or tetracycline (Aureomycin

) can be used as alternative treatments. Sulfa drugs are not FDA approved for pullets older than 14 weeks of age or for commercial layer hens. While antibiotics can be effective in reducing clinical disease, they do not eliminate carrier birds.
Prevention: Good management and sanitation are the best ways to avoid infectious coryza. Most outbreaks occur as a result of mixing flocks. All replacement birds on "coryza-endemic" farms should be vaccinated. The vaccine (Coryza-Vac) is administered subcutaneously (under the skin) on the back of the neck. Each chicken should be vaccinated four times, starting at 5 weeks of age with at least 4 weeks between injections. Vaccinate again at 10 months of age and twice yearly thereafter.