New chickens and they're sick!

[phasian]

Sabella-

Hang in there. We all want to encourage you to do what's right for you and the well-being of your flock for now and in the future. I think that's why chicken keeping is so gratifying, that so many individuals with so many different philosophies and husbandry styles are successful at keeping happy and healthy birds.

So sorry you are having to deal with this on your first go, but it will put you in better stead for your future endeavours. It is really admirable that you have an interest in continuing on with poultry keeping even if you find that culling is the best option for you. The fact that there is no odor with their symptoms is a good sign. There are about 1/2 dozen respiratory diseases/conditions that effect chickens from chronic to acute. Some are no more serious than a human cold; some are the outcome of allergies.....really. (Though a reputable breeder should still not be selling them.) Without a diagnostic blood test to ascertain your birds' condition, they could have something that is fully treatable or could have something that will be part of their physiology for their lifetime. For instance, humans once they have the herpes virus always carry it, but may only have one outbreak in their lifetime. This does not mean that they are chronically ill. If all birds are kept away from any and all suspicious health sources, they will lose their disease immunity and vigor. I think there is a prevalence of this with people following modern biosecurity measures. (Though I do feel it is advisable to be NPIP certified as a breeder, as well as maintaining clean conditions with poultry keeping.)

The birds that I have treated for respiratory issues in the past are all doing well, laying eggs, and having generally happy chicken lives. They have since had blood tests, and a clean bill of health.

 

[speckledhen]

If you were closer, I would give you some high quality chicks from my upcoming hatch. I'm so sorry that this is your first experience with keeping chickens.

 

[3chimama]

I agree with getting a refund!
Quote:
You can use cotton and warm water to try & open the eyes.

They are sick. And probably the changing homes is adding to their stress which isn't helping. At this point, I would use an injectable antibiotic, I'm not sure they would get enough in their systems by drinking to help.

If you can get Tylan injectable and inject .5 cc once a day for 3 or 4 day. Otherwise I'm afraid they won't last.

If it was me, I would take them back get a refund. The breeder was unethical in selling you sick birds.

And even if you pull them through, they may continue to be un-thrifty and cause you all kinds of problems in the future.

Sue

 

[Desert Rooster]

tylan 50 can be givin oraly as well if you dont want to inject it, just put about 4 drops of it in a small piece of bread, and give the sick birds one. it worked good when my EE was sick, she had a runny nose and bubbles in one eye, i put her on her own in a pet carrier and it fixed her

 

[Posh Chickens]

Quote:
Chickens don't get colds, as such, so he's completely off-base about that. I'm betting the injured eye wasn't really an injury at all, judging by the fact that two birds have the symptoms. None of my birds who have gotten pecked in the eye have reacted like that at all. Even stressed birds don't usually become sick unless they are already carriers of a respiratory disease.

No reputable breeder would sell you a bird with those symptoms and tell you to give them antibiotics. In fact, most reputable breeders would have already euthanized her. Sorry if that ruffles some folks' feathers to say that, but I won't back down on that issue.

This happens so often here on BYC and I realize that no one wants to cull a bird they just got, but if this bird has one of the many respiratory illnesses, they will most likely make her a carrier. Vet Rx cures nothing and has little value for this type stuff. You can get Terramycin antibiotic ointment for the eye, but if it's a respiratory virus, that won't do much for it. I hate to be a downer and I could be wrong, but with two birds showing symptoms, I don't think they have injuries.


By the way, never put antibiotics or anything acidic in a galvanized waterer. Always use plastic.

My advice to anyone who is picking up birds at a breeder--if they have any issues, any at all, run.

I agree so much! You told me earlier, your great!

 

[sabella]

Sunday morning update. I left a message for the breeder yesterday, haven't heard back yet. The blue seems to be recovering. Last night BOTH eyes were yucky and one was half stuck shut. She wasn't interested in dinner. This morning both eyes were open and she drank her abios water and ate breakfast. Their coop is almost finished, but I think she at least will stay in the dog crate improvised coop till she's better. Unless the breeder agrees to take them back in which case they will never go in the coop.

For those who have PMd me or are thinking of PMing me. I won't say who the breeder is. He hasn't had the chance to weigh in and either allay my fears or take the birds back. A friend is going to send me the name of a chicken vet in Alpharetta. Maybe I can send blood to them and have it tested if I'm stuck with this flock.

I'm only interested in breeding for my own use. Extras will go into a meat pen and end up in the pot. I do plan on selling eating eggs but not hatching eggs.

 

[sega]

Sabella,

Contact the http://www.gapoultrylab.org/. It is a free service. They will send a vet out to test your flock and tell you what you have. They will sometimes treat your birds or at least tell you how to treat them. From what I see it looks like your birds have the same thing my chickens have, had. Most of my birds that were infected have gone to chicken heaven. The disease is called Mycoplasma Gallisepticum Infection (MG). It can be treated with Tylan or other antibiotics. The bird will always have the disease, they will be carriers of the disease. If you hold your chickens upside down by the legs a thick yellow drainage will run out of their mouth and nose, They are infected.

The Vet from the Poultry Lab said, 60 - 70% of all Hobby Backyard Chicken Farms in Georgia have some type of Diseases, that for the most part will remain dormant in the infected chickens until they are stressed. The owners of the birds never know their flocks are infected. The diseases mainly come from being in contact with wild birds. For most of these farms it is not a problem because the birds remain mainly on the farm and never have much stress, they live the good life. The disease may come out when new birds are added to the flock or when birds are moved from one location to another, putting the bird under stress. You can still eat the eggs and the chickens. But, if the eggs are hatched out by you or someone else the disease is passed along. The new chick are carriers of the disease.

 

[AnnainMD]

This person sold you sick chickens. Yes, chickens have stress with changes but full-blown illness comes out when it's latent and already surrounding the original flock; they were exposed, and not by you. Sick within ONE day??? You were sold sick chickens and deserve a refund at minimum.

Please understand that I am no chicken expert but I feel strongly, after 2 years of reading about sick "new" chickens, that you should never buy any grown chickens or chicks that have been on a stranger's ground. UNLESS you KNOW the breeder/person and TRUST them. Even then you are taking a chance. You are always taking a chance if you are buying an adult chicken that has lived on someone else's land with someone else's flock..

I know the basic rule: quarantine (out of respiratory range) for at least 30 days any new member of the flock. I have one adult I bought from a breeder that I've bought chicks from. The adult I did not quarantine based on the breeder's normal husbandry practices: bio-security, testing every 6 months for the most common poultry diseases of ALL the chickens, organic practices, clean operations, etc. I've been there several times, I've seen what's there and how the place is run. I knew I was taking a chance but I was taking a chance with good practices.

 

[sabella]

Quote:
Left them a message.

I heard back from the breeder. He thinks it's sinusitis brought back on our or his shoes from the chicken show. I called the above and asked for a blood test. If they don't return my message tomorrow I will try them again. I'm reading a page from the University of Florida and I've seen four different things it could be. 1 requires returning the birds (sinusitis) one killing them and 2 aren't chronic. I learned that Sinusitis has an incubation period of 6 to 14 days so couldn't have come from the Newnan show as the birds became sick within days of arrival. So I think if it is that the breeder has it in his flock and it came up when the birds were stressed OR he brought it home on his clothes from another show and the babies were cooking it.

I think I need to do a blood test. At least to find out if I need to return the birds or get a refund and destroy them.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Glad you heard from the breeder, did he say he'd take the birds back and give you a refund? please lets us know what you find out from the blood test.. all the best.