- Jan 12, 2010
- 4
- 0
- 7
Hello. I've been using these forums as a resource for the 9 months I've had chickens, but this is my first time posting. The flock is mainly made up of the Delaware breed, though I have one Sicilian Buttercup, which is the one currently ill. I first noticed his wattles were swollen about 3 days ago, but not really paying attention didn't think illness, but simply thought this was some unknown ability. He seemed fine otherwise, sitting out on the fence lording over his domain.
Yesterday when I first came out to check on them he was on his perch on the fence, but about 15 minutes later he was on the ground. He's the shyest of the lot, so I approached carefully (which usually results in him flying away), but he stayed still. I took him into the coop thinking maybe he had a fall and was a little dazed, and checked on him later. He was still standing in the same spot I put him, and had his shoulders hunched and his feet in an abnormal stance intended to aid in standing. So I brought him inside thinking it might be frostbite since we've had abnormally cold temperatures here (-4 F at the worst), and he likes to spend a lot of time outside despite that.
In my research through these forums I looked up frostbite as an explanation for his swollen wattles. His wattles were cool to the touch, though, so they didn't seem infected, but the area behind the wattles was slightly swollen and was a little to warm. About an hour later that section had swollen more and his wattles were also warm/hot to the touch. I did put some neosporin on his wattles and comb in case of frostbite.
I continued my research and came down to Fowl Cholera as a likely suspect. As his wattles got hotter, they also developed a darker, purplish band towards the bottom of them, which I had originally mistaken for frostbite. He also has seemed off balance, his shoulders have been hunched, feathers ruffled, and he's been twisting his neck. After 12 hours inside, his wattles are still swollen and hot, with the dark band on them. After giving him water with a spoon, he also seems to wheeze a bit or seems congested.
Last night. Notice the swollen area behind the wattles. The white is only on this one side.
This morning. The dark bands on his wattles seem worse.
However, his face doesn't seem to exhibit cyanosis, just the bottom of his wattles. His nostrils don't seem to have any discharge, he doesn't seem to cough, he was hungry this morning, and thanks to his defecating on the floor this morning, his feces appear normal as well, not like diarrhea, and not greenish in hue. So I'm not entirely sure if it is Fowl Cholera and was hoping others with experience might be able to help me determine if this is the case, or what it might be. It seems it is likely to be Fowl Cholera, though, so I also have some questions regarding the illness and the flock.
I think the culprit behind this disease is a stray chicken that secretly joined our flock. My wife and I first thought we just couldn't count when we kept coming up with an extra one, but apparently that was the likely source for this. However, the hen blends in well enough with the rest that I can't figure out which one is the intruder, which complicates things if she is a carrier. These chickens are more pets that provide eggs than anything, so culling is a drastic option for us. Sorry for the length of this post. I'm trying to provide any information that might be helpful, but this is rather long.
Questions:
1. The rest of the flock show no signs of having this illness. Is it just a matter of time for them (since the spores are presumably in their environment and will spread once the temperatures go up), or is there a chance they are OK?
2. Assuming my rooster survives, he would then be a carrier and I could not put him back with the flock without exposing them to the Cholera, correct?
3. If he can't be put back with them, the best option would likely be to cull him, correct?
4. If the intruder chicken is the source of this infection, will it only be a matter of time before other birds get this? Would removing her help (assuming I could figure out which one it is), or is the area already too contaminated? (she's probably been in there a month or longer).
5. Is there a preventative antibiotic I can put in their water? If I were to use that, would that simply inhibit symptoms, or would it prevent them from catching it at all? How long would I have to administer the antibiotics before it would be safe to stop?
6. If any more of the flock turns up ill, do I need to assume the entire flock is a carrier? In that case is culling indicated for the whole flock?
7. In the meantime, are the eggs safe to eat?
8. If the flock is culled, is the meat safe to eat? If not, should they be burned?
Thanks so much for the help. I didn't sleep well last night worrying about all this.
Yesterday when I first came out to check on them he was on his perch on the fence, but about 15 minutes later he was on the ground. He's the shyest of the lot, so I approached carefully (which usually results in him flying away), but he stayed still. I took him into the coop thinking maybe he had a fall and was a little dazed, and checked on him later. He was still standing in the same spot I put him, and had his shoulders hunched and his feet in an abnormal stance intended to aid in standing. So I brought him inside thinking it might be frostbite since we've had abnormally cold temperatures here (-4 F at the worst), and he likes to spend a lot of time outside despite that.
In my research through these forums I looked up frostbite as an explanation for his swollen wattles. His wattles were cool to the touch, though, so they didn't seem infected, but the area behind the wattles was slightly swollen and was a little to warm. About an hour later that section had swollen more and his wattles were also warm/hot to the touch. I did put some neosporin on his wattles and comb in case of frostbite.
I continued my research and came down to Fowl Cholera as a likely suspect. As his wattles got hotter, they also developed a darker, purplish band towards the bottom of them, which I had originally mistaken for frostbite. He also has seemed off balance, his shoulders have been hunched, feathers ruffled, and he's been twisting his neck. After 12 hours inside, his wattles are still swollen and hot, with the dark band on them. After giving him water with a spoon, he also seems to wheeze a bit or seems congested.
Last night. Notice the swollen area behind the wattles. The white is only on this one side.
This morning. The dark bands on his wattles seem worse.
However, his face doesn't seem to exhibit cyanosis, just the bottom of his wattles. His nostrils don't seem to have any discharge, he doesn't seem to cough, he was hungry this morning, and thanks to his defecating on the floor this morning, his feces appear normal as well, not like diarrhea, and not greenish in hue. So I'm not entirely sure if it is Fowl Cholera and was hoping others with experience might be able to help me determine if this is the case, or what it might be. It seems it is likely to be Fowl Cholera, though, so I also have some questions regarding the illness and the flock.
I think the culprit behind this disease is a stray chicken that secretly joined our flock. My wife and I first thought we just couldn't count when we kept coming up with an extra one, but apparently that was the likely source for this. However, the hen blends in well enough with the rest that I can't figure out which one is the intruder, which complicates things if she is a carrier. These chickens are more pets that provide eggs than anything, so culling is a drastic option for us. Sorry for the length of this post. I'm trying to provide any information that might be helpful, but this is rather long.
Questions:
1. The rest of the flock show no signs of having this illness. Is it just a matter of time for them (since the spores are presumably in their environment and will spread once the temperatures go up), or is there a chance they are OK?
2. Assuming my rooster survives, he would then be a carrier and I could not put him back with the flock without exposing them to the Cholera, correct?
3. If he can't be put back with them, the best option would likely be to cull him, correct?
4. If the intruder chicken is the source of this infection, will it only be a matter of time before other birds get this? Would removing her help (assuming I could figure out which one it is), or is the area already too contaminated? (she's probably been in there a month or longer).
5. Is there a preventative antibiotic I can put in their water? If I were to use that, would that simply inhibit symptoms, or would it prevent them from catching it at all? How long would I have to administer the antibiotics before it would be safe to stop?
6. If any more of the flock turns up ill, do I need to assume the entire flock is a carrier? In that case is culling indicated for the whole flock?
7. In the meantime, are the eggs safe to eat?
8. If the flock is culled, is the meat safe to eat? If not, should they be burned?
Thanks so much for the help. I didn't sleep well last night worrying about all this.
