I have sick chickens. HELP!! How does a backyard flock owner figure out what disease they have without a necropsy? It seems that the more I read the more their symptoms match everything out there. They can't really have all the illnesses, can they?
The chickens are 1-3 years old, large fowl and bantams and mixed.
They free range all day with goats. Sleep in a very well ventilated coop at night, some sleep outside the coop with the goats.
They have been sick for about 3 weeks. 4 have died.
No new chickens in over a year, and no visits to or from any poultry farms.
Chickens have not been wormed. My goats are tested for worms, and are clear, hoping the chooks are too.
The first thing I noticed was a bubbly eye on 3 chickens so I immediately though CRD. I treated with Tylan and kept the eye clean,2 of them cleared up in a day or two. No respiratory distress, no odor. Eye was swollen shut but with TLC they are back in the flock. (Yes, may have been CRD, and may now be carriers)
The third chicken with a bubbly eye ended up with dry fowl pox. The scabs formed over the eye, but we got through that one. After closer inspection of my flock I found a few others that had eye issues and scabs in various places, I am sure that was/is fowl pox.
2 other chickens died, no apparent reason. One found dead in coop, one laying in coop on side, I thought she was dead. She lasted for about 2 days and then passed, but she had no sign of pox or respiratory, I am not sure what was wrong.
2 other chickens had what looked like wet pox, yellow growths in mouth, trouble breathing. One had bad breath, but I can't imagine that those growths can smell good. I started them on Tylan, but they didn't make it through the day. I tried cleaning out their mouths with listerene, but I don't think it did much good.
Now I have a chicken that is sneezing, or maybe it is snick or a cough, hard to tell. Either way there is nothing coming out when she makes this noise. Her eyes are clear, no sign of dry pox, she has been on Tylan50 for about 4 days. She eats and drinks a little, but is clearly depressed.
A second chicken has one eye with a dry scab over it and the eye is swollen to about the size of a grape, I am not kidding. It is the most horrid looking thing. I thought at first the eye was infected, and tried to soak the scab off to clear out the puss, but after looking at it more closely I think that she has wet pox in her eye. I am sure she will be blind if she lives. She is also on Tylan. She eats and drinks, but again, is not very active. Believe it or not I think the eye bothers me more than her. She is inside just so no one picks on her and I can baby her.
My final currently sick chicken is a 1 year old RIR. She has labored breathing, not eating or drinking, a few scabs on her comb (may be pox?). No sign of wet pox in her mouth no bad breath. She has been on Tylan for 5 days and it is getting worse. Last night I gave oxceytet as well, no change. I have been getting some water down her and some cooked eggs and baby food, but I am sure it is not enough. She extends her neck out whenever she breathes. I honestly expect her to be dead when I get home tonight.
So I have researched all the diseases out there. When the chickens first got sick I thought coryza or mycoplsma, then I found the pox. So I just thought it was all related. I realize that wet pox can kill them, but since I don't see it can it be that deep in their windpipe?
I don't think it is ILT since it is a closed flock and I haven't seen any blood being sneezed or coughed out.
I am looking for ideas or experiences. Anybody have birds die from wet pox? Am I missing something obvious? There are just so many symptoms of the various dieseases it seems impossible to narrow it down. Is there anything I can give them to shrink the inflamation in their trachea? Any non-traditional treatments.
I have ordered the fowl pox vaccine for the ones that aren't sick, and also for some babies that in a brooder. I have vitamins in the water, I feed a quality layer feed, various brands. They have plenty of fresh air and our weather has been pretty mild for No. CA. They are vaccianted for Mareks, at least these ones are, I usually don't vaccinate the chicks that are hatched under a broody. (wish they sold it in a smaller quanity)
Thank you for all ideas.
The chickens are 1-3 years old, large fowl and bantams and mixed.
They free range all day with goats. Sleep in a very well ventilated coop at night, some sleep outside the coop with the goats.
They have been sick for about 3 weeks. 4 have died.
No new chickens in over a year, and no visits to or from any poultry farms.
Chickens have not been wormed. My goats are tested for worms, and are clear, hoping the chooks are too.
The first thing I noticed was a bubbly eye on 3 chickens so I immediately though CRD. I treated with Tylan and kept the eye clean,2 of them cleared up in a day or two. No respiratory distress, no odor. Eye was swollen shut but with TLC they are back in the flock. (Yes, may have been CRD, and may now be carriers)
The third chicken with a bubbly eye ended up with dry fowl pox. The scabs formed over the eye, but we got through that one. After closer inspection of my flock I found a few others that had eye issues and scabs in various places, I am sure that was/is fowl pox.
2 other chickens died, no apparent reason. One found dead in coop, one laying in coop on side, I thought she was dead. She lasted for about 2 days and then passed, but she had no sign of pox or respiratory, I am not sure what was wrong.
2 other chickens had what looked like wet pox, yellow growths in mouth, trouble breathing. One had bad breath, but I can't imagine that those growths can smell good. I started them on Tylan, but they didn't make it through the day. I tried cleaning out their mouths with listerene, but I don't think it did much good.
Now I have a chicken that is sneezing, or maybe it is snick or a cough, hard to tell. Either way there is nothing coming out when she makes this noise. Her eyes are clear, no sign of dry pox, she has been on Tylan50 for about 4 days. She eats and drinks a little, but is clearly depressed.
A second chicken has one eye with a dry scab over it and the eye is swollen to about the size of a grape, I am not kidding. It is the most horrid looking thing. I thought at first the eye was infected, and tried to soak the scab off to clear out the puss, but after looking at it more closely I think that she has wet pox in her eye. I am sure she will be blind if she lives. She is also on Tylan. She eats and drinks, but again, is not very active. Believe it or not I think the eye bothers me more than her. She is inside just so no one picks on her and I can baby her.
My final currently sick chicken is a 1 year old RIR. She has labored breathing, not eating or drinking, a few scabs on her comb (may be pox?). No sign of wet pox in her mouth no bad breath. She has been on Tylan for 5 days and it is getting worse. Last night I gave oxceytet as well, no change. I have been getting some water down her and some cooked eggs and baby food, but I am sure it is not enough. She extends her neck out whenever she breathes. I honestly expect her to be dead when I get home tonight.
So I have researched all the diseases out there. When the chickens first got sick I thought coryza or mycoplsma, then I found the pox. So I just thought it was all related. I realize that wet pox can kill them, but since I don't see it can it be that deep in their windpipe?
I don't think it is ILT since it is a closed flock and I haven't seen any blood being sneezed or coughed out.
I am looking for ideas or experiences. Anybody have birds die from wet pox? Am I missing something obvious? There are just so many symptoms of the various dieseases it seems impossible to narrow it down. Is there anything I can give them to shrink the inflamation in their trachea? Any non-traditional treatments.
I have ordered the fowl pox vaccine for the ones that aren't sick, and also for some babies that in a brooder. I have vitamins in the water, I feed a quality layer feed, various brands. They have plenty of fresh air and our weather has been pretty mild for No. CA. They are vaccianted for Mareks, at least these ones are, I usually don't vaccinate the chicks that are hatched under a broody. (wish they sold it in a smaller quanity)
Thank you for all ideas.
