Wheezing and Snot in a closed flock

[speckledhen]

We are not carriers of chicken pox, though, even if we had it as children. We have immunity but can never infect anyone else with it. We survive head colds and can't pass them on when we have no symptoms, nor do we pass on flu when we are well again. It's different with many chicken diseases.

 

[dirtsaver]

OK..it looks like I need to go back and unlearn a lot! Cynthia you always are a great source of good info!

Larry

 

[possumblossum]

Quote:
No, all of their combs are plumb, red, and standing....

I guess I should mention what I'm dealing with.

(1) 1yo aussie roo, the most stressed of the birds; large single comb (currently quarantined)
(1) 2yo easter egger hen, the first to show signs; rose comb (currently quarantined)
(2) 13 month old aussie hens, cough only; small single comb (I'm out of quarantine space)
(1) 2yo RIR roo; large single comb (no symptoms)
(2) 2yo EE hens; small single combs (no symptoms)
(2) 13 month old aussie hens; small single comb (no symptoms)
(2) 12 month old RIR hens; small single comb (no syptoms)

I inherited the EEs from my papaw, hatched the aussie and RIR hens myself, and got the roos from a lady I've worked with for years. I asked her about her flock, and she's had no issues.

 

[possumblossum]

Quote:
Isn't "increased resistance", in this sense, another term for "carrier"?

No. A carrier is not resistant at all. It just survived the last outbreak. It may die during the next one. A carrier will infect the rest of your flock eventually. That isn't what you want.

So what I'm reading then is that I better prepare to start over.....

 

[lilchick]

They all have been exposed if flock runs together. If you are not culling them you should treat them.

Tylan 50 works well for the symptoms you described. good luck!

 

[possumblossum]

Quote:
Alright,
Found Tylan 50 at TSC, but only in Bovine and Swine injection dosages....any advice on adminstering???

 

[lilchick]

I am sending you a pm.

 

[speckledhen]

One thing I want to mention is that exposure doesn't necessarily mean infection. You know this by the fact that you can walk through a doctor's office of sick people and you don't come down with everything those folks have. If you have a sick bird and immediately remove it from the flock, it's possible that the others won't ever become symptomatic. If you keep a sick bird in the flock, it's almost a given that eventually, they'll all be sick.

If you do decide to treat, especially if you dont know what they have, then you'd need to keep a closed flock so you don't pass disease into someone else's by selling them a carrier bird. Remember, antibiotics do not treat viruses. Only testing will show what the disease actually is and you can treat (or not) accordingly.

Deciding if it's worth the trouble to keep carrier birds is what everyone needs to decide for themselves. I choose not to treat anything respiratory, ever. That's my own decision.So far, haven't had any ailment like that in the flocks, but my decision was made before I even had chickens. If you keep them, you must always be super careful not to walk sickness off your property and onto someone else's and that is very hard since no one can see germs. I never want to buy birds from anyone with the other approach of keeping and treating sick birds because of what that would mean for me selling chicks and hatching eggs on occasion.

 

[possumblossum]

Quote:
Not a problem...This is a grocery flock only. I have no intention of ever breeding for show or sale.

 

[speckledhen]

I hate to be the voice of gloom and doom, but I think when it comes to disease, every decision should be an informed one.