Wheezing Chicken

[HenDaddyGV]

I have a mature Barred Rock hen that has been sneezing and wheezing while she breathes. I researched it and have ruled out gape worm. I treated her with injecting 1 cc tylan 50 for 5 days as instructed from other feeds but the peoblem has not gone away. I am looking for suggestions on what to do. Continue Antibiotics? She acts, eats and drinks normally.

 

[summerfalling32]

I had a leghorn x Isa brown with the same symptoms, it was sneezing for about 3-4 weeks and acting normal but I did notice it was at the bottom of the pecking order, Has this happened to your? I came out to open the coop about a week ago and it didn't want to come out and was doing a very weird dry reaching thing and gasping for air. We have it olive oil as we thought it had something lodged in its throat but it didn't work because 2 hours later i found her dead in the coop, poor thing. She had a repiratory illness which sounds like yours has the same. Hopefully you can find something that works fast because I know the day before ours passed it showed no symptoms at all except for the usual sneezing. Maybe look up cures for respiratory illnesses.

 

[rbaker0345]

Isolate her from the rest of your flock. Feed the rest of your flock first and then feed her. Alwayse touch her last and then put your clothes in the wash, wash your hands and lysol your shoes. It sounds like she has a virus and you need to maintain biosecurity. DO NOT put oil down her throat, if you don't know what you are doing and you get oil in her lungs, she WILL suffocate.

I would deworm her with fenbendazole after isolating her. Get the paste fenbendazole for horses (don't listen to what your feed store person tells you) and give her a pea-sized portion once a day for three days. Just put it in her beak and she'll swallow it like peanut butter.

After doing all of that, just keep her in a clean, warm environment and support her. If she develops a secondary infection, switch antibiotics, try a terramycin or enrofloxacin.

 

[HenDaddyGV]

Thanks rbaker, I have her isolated and am going to get the fenbendazole, I appreciate the help

 

[rbaker0345]

No problem, let me know how it goes.

 

[HenDaddyGV]

After several days the cough is still there. Would you recommend antibiotic? I think I may have under-dosed with the tylan 50 before

 

[rbaker0345]

Okay, so you've wormed her and then used the tylan? How long, exactly, has she been coughing and is there any crustiness of her eyes or nose? Is there a dust situation in your coop? What kind of bedding are you using?

 

[HenDaddyGV]

She has had the couch for about 3 weeks now. Before I used tylan 50 but only 1/2 cc for 3 days, I have done more research and it seems that I should be sing 1cc for 5-7 days. I just did the dewormer per your suggestion with no improvement. She does not have any crustiness on her eyes or nose. I am using Tractor Supply Flake Pine Shavings for bedding.

 

[rbaker0345]

My go to, when nothing else works, is denagard. Its expensive, but you've already created resistance to tylan by using the wrong dose, so you need to try something else. If you can't get your hands on some amoxicillin or some baytril (enrofloxacin or ciprofloxacin) then I would go with the denagard for 7-14 days.

 

[Eggcessive]

She has had the couch for about 3 weeks now. Before I used tylan 50 but only 1/2 cc for 3 days, I have done more research and it seems that I should be sing 1cc for 5-7 days. I just did the dewormer per your suggestion with no improvement. She does not have any crustiness on her eyes or nose. I am using Tractor Supply Flake Pine Shavings for bedding.

Tylan 50 is given for 3-5 days. For cows and swine (the animals it is labeled for) it says not to give it for more than 5 days. 8 mg per lb is the dosage (50 mg per cc/ml.)