[Chrisnut]

Firstly .... I am new to the forums and small holding also, so my knowledge and experience are limited ... We have recently built up a small flock of chickens for essentially eggs ... After the recent wet and windy weather we noticed one of our light Sussex hens has acquired a slight rattle/rasp almost like she has a cold, she has no discharge or swelling and appears bright and eats and drinks normally... We have quarantined her away from the other hens and have given her poultry spice and apple cider vinegar ... I have read several forums about respiratory problems and it sounds quite scary. I am also not willing to take one sick hen to the vets for a diagnosis or treatment .., but welcome any comments .... Thanks and merry Christmas. !!!

[chrismahon]

Hello Chrisnut. Not sure from your post if you meant she has slight rattle and rasp but NO discharge or swelling. With the wet weather it is probable that coop ventilation is an issue. The worst time for respiratory infections to set in is when hens get wet and then roost in the coop. If the ventilation is inadequate respiratory infection will set in quickly. Isolating the hen into a dry well ventilated place will probably be sufficient for her to recover on her own. Otherwise it will be a course of antibiotics.


I wouldn't bother with the supplements. Just feed her as normal and make sure she is drinking enough -ACV can discourage that. Keep an eye on all the others as you may get more.

[mojocafa]

Hi 

Where about are you? I'm no chicken expert but have experienced respiratory problems. First of all we need clarification about discharge or not.

If it is a more serious condition , then a trip to the vet may be needed in order to get antibiotics, which will be used to treat your whole flock, not just the one displaying symptoms.

Mojo

[Chrisnut]

sorry ...she has No discharge ...she is well and eating but wheezy and a rattle occasionally

[chrismahon]

It's as my first post Chrisnut then. It is the onset of a respiratory infection and not a case of Myco as I think Mojo suspects. If it doesn't clear within a couple of days she will need antibiotics. We've had three the same here and they all cleared within 24 hours of opening up the air vents fully.

[mojocafa]

Agree with chrismahon
 

[Chrisnut]

thx for the replies and info ..we have checked the other birds they all seem clear, the sick hen is still bright with occasional sneezes and sounding chesty but eating well and NO discharge.... we'll give her a few more days if not will seek advice from a vet for antibiotics

Thx again

[dyedinthewool]

Firstly .... I am new to the forums and small holding also, so my knowledge and experience are limited ... We have recently built up a small flock of chickens for essentially eggs ... After the recent wet and windy weather we noticed one of our light Sussex hens has acquired a slight rattle/rasp almost like she has a cold, she has no discharge or swelling and appears bright and eats and drinks normally... We have quarantined her away from the other hens and have given her poultry spice and apple cider vinegar ... I have read several forums about respiratory problems and it sounds quite scary. I am also not willing to take one sick hen to the vets for a diagnosis or treatment .., but welcome any comments .... Thanks and merry Christmas. !!!

Hi Chrisnut,

Firstly welcome to the TAS.

There's lots of goodly folk on here that are always quick to help whatever the problem.

I've had the problem that you are having - just one henny from a new bunch of POL I had bought in.  I had them shut in for a week in a biggish but airy shed but then we had a lovely day so let them out for an airing into the grass pen.  The next day wasn't quite so good and we had a shower and I think this little hen just caught a cold.  (not a lot of feather cover due to being inside a big warm shed with loads of others)

I didn't notice she was having a problem for several days - young hens seem to make 'funny' chirping noises and I didn't hear her 'rattle'.

Then one morning she was 'rasping' and finding it difficult to breath, stretching her neck and gulping for air, no discharge though, so I brought her in, put her under a heat lamp in a box of straw. She went downhill quite quickly - not eating and only drinking if I insisted and even that made her struggle to breathe.  She had got to the stage when I thought I would lose her.  I got some antibiotics from the vet and within 24hrs she was drinking on her own accord though she didn't eat for 3 more days.  Now she back in with the others and running around as normal.

So don't leave getting the antibiotics - I should have got them a lot earlier.....

[Marches Farmer]

We live on a hilltop and the combination of high rainfall and high winds is very challenging for poultry.  We keep the coops well ventilated and the bedding dry.  We also try to put coops and runs under cover in pole barns over the Winter and have a motley collection of boards and lumps of rock so we can put up temporary windshields at the sides of runs. 

[Chrisnut]

just a quick update ...the poorly hen still sounds rough and no real improvement albeit she still eats and drinks well and appears perfectly well in that regard, we believe our coop which is a reclaimed 7x5 shed housing 20 birds to be adequately ventilated...it stands off the ground by approx 2 feet and good air circulation on all sides and ridge venting. the bedding is good quality straw and changed fortnightly with ample roosting. The birds roam outside during the day in a 12m x 10m enclosure and the coop offers protection from rain and wind either below or inside.

The hen is to visit the vets today mainly to diagnose the problem to ensure the remainder of the flock are not at risk of infection or require treatment.

i will post the outcome

thx again and Happy New Year all

[Chrisnut]

Vets diagnosis was respiratory infection ..... he suggested just treating the single bird and to monitor the remainder of the flock for any signs of infection. The treatment is a course of Tylan introduced via the drinking water for a period of 5 days with egg withdrawal for the treatment period plus one day.

 The trickiest part for the vet was to work out the volume of treatment for one bird as the quantities are so small..

[Humblepie]

at least you will know next time, and can just order the meds from the vet - will save the consultation fee. 

[dyedinthewool]

Hope all goes well with your little hen and she gets better soon.

I had to give mine her antibiotics by mouth 1.5ml (she weighed in at 1.5k - 1ml per kilo) as you say the vet had a time working out such a small dose just for one henny.

[chrismahon]

We use Baytril at 1mL per Kg bodyweight by 'mouth'. Not easy, as there is always the chance they won't swallow and choke on it.


Best wishes for your little hen Chrisnut.

[Chrisnut]

Thx ...i now it sounds the same but the hen is still bright ...even had an egg from her today of which we had to dispose of .... she still sounds a bit snotty  (excuse the phrase) but eats and drinks well. She has accommodation in a large dog crate in our straw store, hopefully the snots will clear soon.

We have some Baytril also but was left over from one of our other animals, we will give her a few more days on the tylan and hope the snots vanish.


We have decided chickens really are stupid ..... after yesterdays rain we went to shut them in to find most of them drenched...they clearly think the coop is just for sleeping and not for shelter.