Canker? What to treat with?

[mistermorel]

Hi all,

One of my hens has some concerning symptoms:
* White buildup in back of throat (picture attached)
* Wheezing infrequently, but when stressed/picked up has a lot of trouble breathing
* Scratching beak on ground more than usual
* Bad breath

I believe this is canker, but Metronidazole, the most recommended treatment I've seen on this site, is warned against by the FDA for a few different reasons. I thought for a while that she had sour crop, but after a week of treating with Miconazole there's been no improvement. My questions are as follows:
- First of all - is this canker?
- What are the recommended courses of treatment for canker other than Metronidazole?
- Is it really permanent? Should we just cull the chicken?
- If culling is the right move, does the rest of the flock need to be culled as well? (We have one other hen right now but she seems fine. I'm expecting to add two new hens to the flock in a week or two as well so there's a bit of a rush)
- How do the hens contract canker in the first place?? I'm reading it's wild bird contact with their water, but my girls are in an enclosed run, and most of their water supply is even inside their coop.

Any advice is appreciated. This is looking like the most severe health condition I've ever had to deal with for my hens.
Thanks!

 

[azygous]

This has the information you need. https://poultrydvm.com/condition/canker Unfortunately, to obtain Metronidazole, you will need to get a prescription from a vet.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

This has the information you need. https://poultrydvm.com/condition/canker Unfortunately, to obtain Metronidazole, you will need to get a prescription from a vet.

You can still find Metronidazole, at least for now...

https://jedds.com/products/metronidazole-20?_pos=1&_sid=188724326&_ss=r

 

[mistermorel]

Is Metronidazole the only major recommended treatment for canker? I'm concerned about the FDA cautions against it but it seems like everybody on this website uses/recommends that as the treatment. Are there human health risks in doing the Metronidazole treatment/eating the eggs of treated hens?

 

[Eggcessive]

Some humans have to take metronidazole or Flagyl for certain conditions. It is not approved for chickens or food animals, as are most antibiotics. I think it is up to each person to decide whether or not to use it. First though I would get a proper diagnosis from a vet, since canker and wet fowl pox, as well as candida or fungus can look similar. Canker is very contagious, so I would consider culling a chicken with it.

 

[mistermorel]

Thanks so much for the info. You've really been an absolutely huge help in dealing with this situation and I appreciate you taking your time to advise.

So, I just did a very thorough check of the other hen's throat and it looks like she might have a small amount of the same white growth as well. At this point I'm thinking it might just be prudent to just restart the flock and do a coop deep clean, since I only have two hens at this point anyway (and new chicks to move in, in a little over a week).

But, I am still very new to this whole thing and looking for some support on that choice. Given the level of contagion, does that seem like an effective choice to you? Would you personally try treatment first or no?

 

[YamYam]

Following this thread. I wish I could offer advice, this looks like a very difficult situation.

 

[azygous]

There are no rules or laws you have to adhere to when managing your flock. If you lean toward culling the two sick chickens to begin over again, that is a justifiable decision because your circumstances are unique to you.

 

[ChicNmom]

We had a drought one year and there were doves in the yard drinking out of the water bowls. Several of my birds got it. I lost one.

I opted to treat since it was the whole group and mine are more like pets. I initially went to the vet and they wouldn't prescribe Metronidazole and gave me something else that was not effective. The bird I lost was a small rooster. Personally I will treat illness with what is needed and toss the eggs for a while.

This is a great source for meds. They just added a disclaimer to the page. It wasn't there 2 weeks ago.
https://allbirdproducts.com/pages/search-results-page?q=metronidazole for birds

This is also an option
ttps://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-do-i-use-acidified-copper-sulfate-properly.1452663/

 

[Eggcessive]

I would probably take a wait and see attitude, in case it is a fungal or yeast infection from sour crop. Since your birds are in an enclosure, it may go away with continued use of an antifungal medicine. Can wild birds get through the fence wire? Medistatin powder which is an over the counter equivalent to Nystatin used in people may help. It can be given in water or food:
https://jedds.com/products/medistatin-medpet
Fluconazole is another one used. It may work better than the miconazole. The acidified copper sulfate may help both sour crop and canker. Dosage is 1/4 tsp per gallon of water for 7 days. It is inexpensive and available online.

Have you seen any scabs on the comb, face, or wattles that could be fowl pox?