I have had a few illness issues this first year of owning chickens...now have a closed flock, and learned some good lessons for the future. A few months back, a couple birds started with some kind of CRD, rattling, little sneezing, some snotty nose. Treated with Tylan and eventually they cleared up and are laying normally (except for the one a neighbors dog got on Saturday). Anyway...I have one who got sick maybe 6 weeks ago, another brown leghorn, which makes 3 of 3 leghorns that got sick...just weren't healthy birds I guess, I don't know. Anyway, we treated with Tylan, and she began to improve. Then, a couple weeks ago, she took a turn for the worse, with foamy eye again and puffy face. We treated with Tylan again. There is no sneezing or discharge from nostrils, no rattling. However, her poor face is so puffed up, she is having trouble seeing past it to peck at food. She does eat from the feeders, but I think it's only because her aim doesn't need to be good. I've seen her out trying to forage, but she's just not good at it at this point. One side of her face is really, really puffed up.
I got her alone today, and was tossing her bread, and no matter the size of the piece, she just couldn't target it. She eventually got frustrated and ran up the hill behind the house. She seems to have normal poop, probably because she's eating the feed, and drinking normally. But the Tylan obviously hasn't done the job for this bird. I feel horrible, watching her have issues seeing. I have one more brown leghorn, who's face has recently turned palish and puffy, but is showing no other signs of illness beyond not laying and some lethargy. They both seem to occupy the lowest spots on the pecking order now, and I fear the other will worsen too, leaving me with two half blind leghorns. At what point are they really suffering? I've never had to cull a chicken before, and know the time will come, but if there is a possibility of either of them recovering, I hate to make a hasty decision.
So, does this condition sound familiar? How far do I let this go?
I got her alone today, and was tossing her bread, and no matter the size of the piece, she just couldn't target it. She eventually got frustrated and ran up the hill behind the house. She seems to have normal poop, probably because she's eating the feed, and drinking normally. But the Tylan obviously hasn't done the job for this bird. I feel horrible, watching her have issues seeing. I have one more brown leghorn, who's face has recently turned palish and puffy, but is showing no other signs of illness beyond not laying and some lethargy. They both seem to occupy the lowest spots on the pecking order now, and I fear the other will worsen too, leaving me with two half blind leghorns. At what point are they really suffering? I've never had to cull a chicken before, and know the time will come, but if there is a possibility of either of them recovering, I hate to make a hasty decision.
So, does this condition sound familiar? How far do I let this go?
