My Chickens are Sick... What Do I do?

[KristyMoo]

Hi! I have three brahma hens named Ginger, Cherry and Potato. First they all take drastically long breaks between their egg laying. Once they took a nine month long break! But Potato had started sounding weird yesterday. Her voice sounded hoarse, high and quiet. Her breathing got louder and I can hear it all the time. Soon this begun happening to all of our chickens! I also noticed that some brown stuff is coming out of Potato's nostrils. They look fine and are acting fine besides that, laying their eggs and all. what is happening?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Where are you located and how big is the ventilation in the coop?
Healthy chickens with sufficient ventilation rarely get respiratory illness regardless of temperature.
How old are they? Brahmas aren't the most prolific layers in the first place.
All chickens take a laying break when they molt which is usually the second autumn and each thereafter. Each subsequent winter they'll take a longer break from laying.

 

[KristyMoo]

I am on Cape Cod MA. The chickens are about three or four years old... I think. the ventilation is small, and most of the time it isn't open. We change the bedding in the coop about once every two weeks. The air is still dry and cold; so dry that it makes my skin white when i walk to the bus stop in the morning. Is that bad for them? They have a heater in the coop.

 

[Eggcessive]

They may have picked up a respiratory disease. Infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (MG,) coryza, ILT, and aspergillosis are some of the common ones. You can read about them in this link: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Do your chickens all lay normal eggs? Any thin shelled or shell-less eggs? Do they go into the nest box for a time, and not lay an egg? I have raised many different breeds, and some just do not lay well or they develop reproductive problems, such as internal laying. What are you feeding? Are they overweight?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

If the problem is viral, fungal or one of the bacterial things with no known cure, there is little you can do medically without knowing what the malady is.
My best advice is to cut big openings in your coop and cover them with hardware cloth.
Chickens are outdoor animals and need big ventilation. They have tiny lungs and respiratory systems that require fresh air constantly.
Many of the unenlightened want to keep chickens warm.
They don't need to be kept warm, they need fresh air - regardless of the temperature.
Of all important nutrients, fresh air comes first. Clean water next and finally - a complete poultry feed.

 

[KristyMoo]

They may have picked up a respiratory disease. Infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (MG,) coryza, ILT, and aspergillosis are some of the common ones. You can read about them in this link: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Do your chickens all lay normal eggs? Any thin shelled or shell-less eggs? Do they go into the nest box for a time, and not lay an egg? I have raised many different breeds, and some just do not lay well or they develop reproductive problems, such as internal laying. What are you feeding? Are they overweight?

Well I know that we feed them normal chicken feed and their eggs are good and normal... but I am not sure if they are overweight. They look fat because they are Brahmas and have lots of feathers... Potato is not because she is skinnier than Cherry and Ginger. Any replies...?