Congested Chick..pullet number two

me again
Have a young pullet 16 weeks old, was from a hatchery that vacinnated against mareks..but this is not mareks.
I noticed her a couple of days ago, just sitting out in the sun, all fluffed up.  Today she was the same, but then she sneezed/coughed and there was a bubble of snot(sorry) coming out of her nose...really can't say it is purulent..but she is stuffed up, and has a congested sound when she sneezes or coughs..unsure which.  So we have brought her in the house where it is warm, and i wonder, anti biotics for chickens?...or what else would you guys do?  Please don't say-pop her head off....cause we like to make sure they are heading down and cannot rally before we do that sort of thing.....
Thanks\
and...where does one get bird antibiotics?

SMELL HER! If she stinks, if her head or goop has an odour, get her out of your hen house now!

If you had said she was just wheezy and sneezy but otherwise fine, I would tell you to ignore it. That she is ruffled and 'off' is a sign that she is indeed sick. Coryza is a chicken ailment that will wipe out your numbers if it gets a hold. The hen will have discharge from eyes, nose, mouth, ears, the poor thing will be weeping and gooping all over the place, and she will STINK.

If it is coryza, no need to chop her head, she is going to die anyway. Chickens do not recover from it. I had it only once in one chicken and no one else was affected. Despite all my efforts, the hen died. Miserably.

Someone else will comment about antibiotics, since I do not have them or use them in my flock. If your hen does not stink, there is a chance that antibiotics may indeed help. If she smells bad, the news is not good.

This year I will be following Omega Blue's recipe to create a healthy flock. The Houdan hatch this year is huge. I have 40 birds or so to play with so this year any birds with signs of a CRD will be watched and dispatched if there is no recovery happening.

However, if I had one sick bird and that bird was precious I would dose it up with a powerful combination of Tylan and Denegard. Pow'ful stuff!

No smell.she is out of the hen house though...in our house in a sick bay...

the feed stores will have some ab's. Superbooster and tetracycline I know you can get from surecrop. NOt sure about tylan. If you have a good relationship with your vet they might give you Baytril.

Good Luck!

Here's what I do when someone is 'off', and to keep chicks healthy without medicating:

1 gal water
1 1/3 oz raw Apple Cider Vinegar (with mother)
1 1/3 oz of Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide watered down to 3% (amount of water will vary depending on original percentage. Mine is 27%, so I add 1C. peroxide to 9 1/3 C. water.)

Use this as the only available drinking water until they are better. Can also be used as a preventative measure for the whole flock. Will not hurt them even if they get it every day for an indefinite period.

chickens get colds.  Sounds like she picked up a cold.  Some birds are more strong than others, just like humans, some get sick, some don't.  Just keep her warm for a couple of days.  There should be improvement.  If it is only the one bird I would not bother with medication, now if many were displaying something, I would medicate.  I do medicate and do not hesitate for a moment, if I feel that medicating is necessary.  I do not medicate unless there is no other choice.  I like to raise for strong birds and have not used medication in a very long time.  Remember, chickens do get colds.  They need to suck it up and get over it.  Bringing her in the home is good, when we are sick, we need to be kept warm.  But do not keep her in the house too long, cause it is getting cold, and if she gets used to being warm, she may catch a cold again when she goes outside to play.  She probably will be just fine.  I always do have tylan on hand though, just in case, cause when you decide you may need it, it is nice to have it on hand.  Healthy birds are what you are aiming for.  If she improves in a couple of days without medication, good.  A cold is a virus, and nothing on earth will kill it.  Has to work its way through and out the door. Think human, think cold, think no antibiotic will help.  Think other illness, bacteria, antibiotics will help.  Hope the little girl gets better.  Have a wonderful day, CynthiaM.

Oh and for sure, popping off her head cause she has a cold, I would not do that either  

With respect to Cynthia, I don't believe chickens catch colds. What is a cold after all? It is a body reacting to a bacteria or virus. Unfortunately our chickens have bodies of 5 -10 lbs. Our bodies are much bigger and we can maintain our health longer while fighting off a bug. To say cold may downplay the seriousness of the illness. Usually the symptoms are for something with a name and the chicken either fights it off or does not.

Here is an article...

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-diseases-information-on-ms-mg-ilt-ib-abc-and-123

Great link Sue.

Hmmm..wasn't going to comment, but am compelled. Absolutely, read the beginning of the article. A sick bird can be the beginning of something that could turn bad. when I say a cold, I use that loosely, as did the "old time farmers" as spoke about in the article. I think what I was trying to impart is, that if I see a chicken that is sneezing, with a big of a runny nose, I think absolutely nothing of it. And I have seen that. Now if I had seen those symptoms progress to bubbly eyes (these are all things I have heard people talk about they have seen), stinking faces, snot in a horrid way, I would be thinking something really bad. But now and then I do see a chicken with a bit of snot and a sneeze. I keep my eye on that bird and have never seen it progress to anything more than sneezy and snot for a couple of days. Then that also makes me wonder if they just got something up their nose that caused irritation. Geeze, this could go on and on and it should. Be aware of how our birds are....yes, for sure....but I think as the weather becomes changed and more cold, we are bound to see some birds that just are not quite prepared for this....stress causes us all to get sick and cold weather can be stressful (and chickens usually molt when the cold weather comes, that is stressor too, how dumb is that? Why molt when it is cold, go figure that one). Beautiful days, CynthiaM.

AH, the fine hair splitting of when chickens have colds, IF they have colds and when it's bad or when to ignore it. THIS sort of wisdom comes from keeping chickens for a while. Bigrock, you find yourself on a learning curve.

I will again toss my hat in the ring and further confuse you. Whether you call it a cold or the sniffles or walking pneumonia, chickens can get cold-like illnesses varying in severity. Some they recover from, some will kill them. The trick is telling which type you have and what you can do about it, if anything at all.

WHen my birds get the sniffles and I want to be sure that's what's going on, I stand in the hen house at night, in the dark and listen. You will hear a bit of wheezing and the odd sneeze. But, and this is important, they do not act different, or in any way indicate they are sick. They do everything exactly as when they are not sniffing and sneezing. THus, things aren't too bad.

A bird (as with yours) that is acting 'off' is telling you it's sick. This bird might need help. When mine have the common sniffles, I ignore it. It has been years since I had that move through the flock though. I will also add that when I had the common sniffles, none of the birds produced snot. Had I seen snot I would have moved into the next level of concern. Level 1 being, ignore it. Level 2, hmm, I need to see if I can help this bird. Level 3, get the axe.

FOr me, level 2 is giving them a homeopathic cocktail I invented and keep on hand for such situations. It is mixed in a suspension of Crown Royal, I always take a slug myself out in the hen house when treating a sick bird. Yes, I do most of my drinking in the hen house.

Edited to add, when one sticks their head between Sue and CYnthiaM, one ought to have alcohol on hand! I do! In the hen house!

Today, I picked up some Tylan from a local vet; he had actually recommended Tetracyclin....but i thought not as it was not a chronic issue...then found out CRD...is in chickens.  Perhaps the chronic is that it is endemic in chicken populations not necessarily in this particular bird?...i don't know...anyways opted for Tylan.
Set the bird up with vitamins this am, medicated chick starter and a strawberry to entice. right from my garden....
 
whoops...did i lie?

So, we will see how she is. ..she might still be alive this afternoon when i get home.  I liked UNO's thought...please be it UNO...that said she sits in her coop/(stands until she falls) whilst drinking whiskey...but that she watches, and listens to her birds...good one..will start this. Cause they are all in one place...and  i like whiskey a great deal

I really must learn how to use the quote feature, then it will prevent me from mis-naming individuals.
Sue that is a great link-good read
thanks for the help..
My birds right now are slightly over crouded...new house is a couple of weeks away from completion.
Just put the insulation in.  Hubby must put in the door, inside wall, and roosts. poor hubby

I have a very small scale for grams, but it is fluctuating all over the place. Any idea what the volume is for Tylan per litre?
i have 125g/500mls
but what is it per like a tsp?

I use 1 gram equals 1 ml when measuring liquids.  5 ml in one tsp.

I use 1 tsp in 5 gallons of water.

 
po little pullet is no mo

sorry to hear that.

Schipperkesue wrote:I use 1 tsp in 5 gallons of water.

Ah, ah, Sue, I think that is wrong.  The dose is 1 tsp per gallon.....I got some from the Armstrong vet clinic to have on hand, in the event that I should ever need it.  This is what the package looks like.  I think you are underdosing, which can be as bad as not finishing off a regimen of antibiotics that are used.  think human beings......just sayin'......think superbugs.  Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

Hmm, good questions, Cynthia. It may be that my Tylan is a more concentrated powder. It is packaged differently...in a small pill bottle. I will have to check the concentration of the package. I see your baggie contains 0.1 per 100 g?

So, we came home to chick number two dead today, under the heat lamp which is only on for those few hours in the am, and again in the evening. These chicks are BLRW-and they seem light..i wonder if they just aren't thrifty,..it is only the darker coloured ones; the bluish coloring ones are fine..i think. I talked to an elder member (in experience) and she wondered if i shouldn't post again.
A lot of my hens are what i call "snicking"-they have runny noses..some of them, but eyes are clear. They are out foraging, and flying, chasing each other, and bugs...normal chicken behaviour...
but the deaths..that has me wondering. This chick i noticed fluffed up yesterday, but when i went over to her, she scampered away..so i thought all was good.
any suggestions...is this just bad luck, bad health in this hatch?.
I should mention i have opened the whole chicken house up, so babies(11-13-17 weeks) and adults are using all the space. The yonguns are pooping up the nesting boxes pretty good, and i am cleaning out the boxes the older hens lay in daily...the other ones i have just let build up..but these little guys are still sleeping there.
Tonight, i cleaned out all the boxes, scrubbed the waterers with bleach yesterday...
i am so new to chickens..that any death just comes as a blow....but my seasoned "chicken person" says she doesn't suffer too many deaths at all. This is two in 4-5 days