Sick Chickens

[KristaBrown]

Hi everyone,

I have had chickens for 2 years now and I am experiencing sickness in my flock for the first time and it’s bad. Very Bad! I tried quarantining sick birds but it ran through the flock too quickly. And have now lost some . I need your advise please.

I have 24 chickens, heritage breeds which provide me with an array of beautiful egg colours.

After doing some research, I believe I actually have two health problems:
1. Coccidiosis. I have treated for 5 days with a little bit of liquid Amprolium (corid) purchased from a friend. I am seeing major improvement but need to keep going I think. Here in Canada the cost for amprolium is $150 so my question here is, can I keep treating with medicated chick start now that they have gotten their first treatment or does it not have a high enough content level?
2. Respiratory infection. Symptoms are coughing, sneezing, extreme wheezing and rattling. No liquid around eyes and mouths. I have tried administering apple cider vinegar and stress-aid by mixing with their water (1 week of each). But no signs of improvement.

The closest vet that will look at chickens is an hour away, can’t get me in for another month and has a $160 consultation charge. In addition to this I will have to pay for antibiotics if given a script. As you can see this is all adding up $$$.

In addition to my above question I am also wondering:

- is there anything else I can do to help them before going to the vet?
- will I hurt my chickens if I gave them a bit of infant Ibuprofen?
- I haven’t gotten ANY eggs for 3 weeks. Is it the respiratory issue or the coccidiosis that is causing this?
- how long after treatment can I expect egg production to come back?

Any advise and input is welcome. Thanks in advance for your time.

Krista

 

[Mamatomany123]

I believe 5 days is the correct length of time to treat for coccidiosis. For the respiratory infection it will depend in what you can get. Is there a smell? That will help figure out what it may be. If no smell then it may be mycoplasma gallisepticum, if there is a smell then coryza. Treatment will depend. Some people cull the entire flock and start over after a few months as respiratory infections never go away and the birds become carriers for life. No new birds allowed in and no old birds allowed to be sold, including fertile eggs for hatching. Some choose to not treat and let the "strong"survive. I treated my girls. We used tylan 200, 0.06mls per pound 3x a day for 5 days. All of mine survived but,like I said, since it doesnt go away I will have to treat them for the rest of their lives.

 

[KristaBrown]

I believe 5 days is the correct length of time to treat for coccidiosis. For the respiratory infection it will depend in what you can get. Is there a smell? That will help figure out what it may be. If no smell then it may be mycoplasma gallisepticum, if there is a smell then coryza. Treatment will depend. Some people cull the entire flock and start over after a few months as respiratory infections never go away and the birds become carriers for life. No new birds allowed in and no old birds allowed to be sold, including fertile eggs for hatching. Some choose to not treat and let the "strong"survive. I treated my girls. We used tylan 200, 0.06mls per pound 3x a day for 5 days. All of mine survived but,like I said, since it doesnt go away I will have to treat them for the rest of their lives.

Although this is not what I was hoping to hear, it was helpful, thank you.