Need advice. Been treating for CRD/Sinusitis. No improvement ‍♀️

[Canuckcountrygirl]

So a few weeks ago I took in seven rescue hens various types all egg layers approx 20weeks - 1yr old. I kept them isolated for 10 days from my regular flock and turkeys as I noticed one with a runny nose and a sneeze. I treated all 7 with a dose of Oxytetracycline in the water and cleaned away the crust/dirt built up on the nostrils and beaks of two birds who's nostrils were runny. One also had raspy and gurgled breathing and coughs/sneezes. After two weeks of mess all signs of respiratory issues were gone.
None of my other flock were infected.

Then last week I noticed sneezing and Coughing in one of the rescued pullets. I isolated her and treated, then another pullets, then one of my original flock hens started to have runny nostrils, a gurgle cough and a few tiny clear bubbles at the edges of her eyes. Then a Jenny turkey was lethargic, not eating, runny crusted nostrils. So I called a neighbor we all call "the chicken lady" who has been breeding, showing, raising chickens and other fowl for as long as time. She suspected CRD, and said I was treating it they way she would do and to treat the entire flock including turkeys and symptoms should subside in a few days hopefully and clear up in a week or two. Well they haven't. So I called the only vet around who has chickens and knows about poultry diseases. He agreed I was treating according to the symptoms and it sounded like CRD. I Told him the oxysol in the water didn't seem to help after 7 days and they seem to be worsening. He then prescribed an injectable for me called Oxymycine.
(A stronger liquid form of Tetracycline) I injected the sickest birds/ 1 Jenny turkey every 12 hours for 1st day (last Friday) and then once every 24hrs until drinking and eating well. I have been feeding my layers eggs back to them raw and scrambled with some garlic and spinach, giving them some live mealworms, a bit of plain probiotic yogurt , a few fresh fruits and veggies, and making up fresh water with the meds in it daily. And I have one large 5Gal waterer with electrolytes and vitamins in it to help boost their immunes. I also have a homemade rub that I use for us and my children with shea butter, beeswax, coconut oil and essential oils for chest cold/congestion/sinus relief and I have placed some of the rub on their combs and under wings at night. I lost one of my Lavender girls On Wednesday even though she was injected. I'm so saddened by this outbreak I don't know what else to do beside cull the whole flock including the turkeys that were for my Canadian Thanksgiving As we can't eat them now due to possibly having a respiratory disease/sinusitis plus their treatment and not having enough time for the antibiotics to leave their system to go for processing. My flock doesn't seem to be getting better. I have tried to upload videos from my iPad and I get error messages that the file is too big g even though I've compressed the video to 6 seconds ‍

Any advice would be greatly appreciated or even experiences of dealing with CRD or similar symptoms and what it ended up being? how did you treat it? (keep in mind I'm in Canada and don't have the same access to some of the drugs the US does) p.s. I do have a well stocked poultry medicine cabinet.

 

[Kiki]

Sounds like you brought a respiratory disease in with the new chickens and it has now spread throughout your flock.
The only thing you can do is continue to try to ease their symptoms and from this point on breed for resistance. Meaning cull the sickest and let the strongest ones survive.

You will have to upload videos to Youtube first then link them here.

 

[Kiki]

Possible Mycoplasma
This is a good read.

 

[Canuckcountrygirl]

Possible Mycoplasma
This is a good read.

Thank you

 

[Canuckcountrygirl]

Sounds like you brought a respiratory disease in with the new chickens and it has now spread throughout your flock.
The only thing you can do is continue to try to ease their symptoms and from this point on breed for resistance. Meaning cull the sickest and let the strongest ones survive.

You will have to upload videos to Youtube first then link them here.

Thank you, but I've never used YouTube before? Lesson learned about bringing in outside birds into your flock. I had rescued these birds from being killed and they were so young. I felt so badly for this farmer who was clearly in distress and his farm was in bad shape and over run with more animals than they could or ever should have. The birds had been in dirty quarters, smelled badly and needed feed and tlc. But I Did not see any showing signs of respiratory issues when I first went there. Not until a week later when I picked them up and brought them to our farm. A friend had asked for my help when she had gone there and saw how bad it was. Like anything I've learned a valuable lesson, sadly at the expense of my Fock I'm hoping they make it through this. I have never intended to sell these birds nor would I. Although I've inherited someone else's sick birds, I would never pass them along to anyone else to become theirs.

 

[Canuckcountrygirl]

Sounds like you brought a respiratory disease in with the new chickens and it has now spread throughout your flock.
The only thing you can do is continue to try to ease their symptoms and from this point on breed for resistance. Meaning cull the sickest and let the strongest ones survive.

You will have to upload videos to Youtube first then link them here.

Im also wondering if I do have to cull my flock will I encounter Mycoplasma gallisepticum infections in the future regardless, even with a new flock because my flock free range. I was researching that wild birds and rodents can cause it. We have wild turkeys, and lots of chipmunks? Thoughts?

 

[Kiki]

Wild animals, especial bids and rodents carry al kinds of nasty stuff that can infect chickens in one way or another.
They really is not way to ever protect a flock from everything.

There are some things that can be vaccinated for though.

 

[Canuckcountrygirl]

Update, had to put one of my turkeys down yesterday . Lost one lavender pullet . I've consulted the vet again and asked about a necropsy, but it would be very costly $400++ There was a subsidized program at the University of Guelph for poultry disease research where I could have gotten necropsies done for a fraction of what they are asking but I missed that cut off date 3 weeks ago ‍ So I was given a few other options. We think it may be infectious bronchitis and not MG/CRD. I've had them on antibiotics for 10 days then switched to a dual antibiotic now for the past 4 days. If it were bacterial my flock would show some signs of improvement. So after almost 3 weeks of treatments, thoroughly cleaning out the chicken coop, henhouse and barn, and spraying Vikron Poultry Disinfectant throughout living areas of all our flocks, there has been little to no improvement and now the last 4 of my flock have been infected Including 3 Roos. I will be taking 6 of my sickest birds in to the nearest city clinic next Thurs. for our farm vet to run some tests, do blood work and swab tests for Mycoplasma Gallisepticum and other respiratory diseases to see exactly what we are dealing with. In the meantime I will be stoping antibiotics, fermenting some of their feed to give back some good gut bacteria with probiotics, as well as vitamin electrolyte water. Fingers crossed I get some answers and my flock gets the help they need to fight whatever this is.

 

[Kiki]

I'm sorry.
Thank you for the update.

 

[Drarig99]

...farm vet to run some tests, do blood work and swab tests for Mycoplasma Gallisepticum and other respiratory diseases to see exactly what we are dealing with.

It's been sixteen days since your last update Canuckcountrygirl. Does your flock is going and did you receive the results from the tests the vet did?