[ScotsGirl]

i bought some chicks yesterday, approx 3 weeks old. 5 barnvelders and 4 pekin bantams. The person had already caught them in a box when we arrived so didn't see how they were. I noticed tonight that a few of the barnvelders were hunched with an eye shut. I heard the odd sneeze or cough but couldn't tell which were doing it.


Any idea whether just the stress of moving and going from an enclosed barn pen to my outdoor dog kennel where they are shut in house at night and let into run during day? I have emailed seller just In Case they die and tonight I put some Tylan in their drinking water.

[Caroline1]

I have never had those symptons from rehoming, sounds like they are not well. Best to keep an eye on them, I take it you don't have any of your own. Quarantine sounds like a good idea if you have.

[ScotsGirl]

They are well away from my few other hens. I've never seen them like this when I've hatched under a broody. This person is constantly hatching a mixture of breeds and they are all together in pens, moving along as they get older and sells most of them by 10-12 weeks. Pens all looked clean but there were a few looking hunched and I thought I heard the odd sneeze. Difficult to tell as some breeds do look a bit hunched as they move about.

[farmers wife]

Thats def Mysoplasma. Which needs urgent attention.  Tylan 200 injection via the vets over 3 days. I syringe water into their beaks and provide some boiled eggs.   We went down with this last week and I managed to sort it.

[farmers wife]

One thing I have read is to ensure that the eggs are not hatched from hens that have mysoplasma or carry it. There are ways to ensure this not happening and a good breeder should be doing this. Once they have it - they carry it and any stressful moment can bring it out.  Our vet and many use the soluble Denaguard and us the Tylan as injection.

[chrismahon]

Sounds like Mycoplasma to me as well. The breeder shouldn't be breeding at all and selling birds in that condition is disgraceful.


As you say ScotsGirl, Tylan is the treatment but it will only suppress the symptoms that have flared up with the moving stress and these birds will remain carriers. I would return all of them.

[Steph Hen]

I feel you should be returning them for full refund. Otherwise seller is doing well out of Sick chicks. 

At least Phone breeder, explain symptoms and see what they say. If this happened to birds I'd sold I'd want to know and want them back.

[Stereo]

Cocci? I had a batch like this which I have to admit I left in one place for too long. A dose of cocci medicine sorted them. Also get them on some ACS feed I would have thought.

[ScotsGirl]

So difficult. I was going to return one which was all hunched up and eyes shut this morning and lunchtime. Tonight however I put more crumb in and they all scurried over and started eating including the sickly one and it didn't look so bad.


Is it possible it's just the change from being inside to being outside and they are cold. Wish I didn't know the person. She buys hundreds of eggs at auction and hatches them then sells from a week old onwards. I feel bad about taking them back. Is there any way of confirming a diagnosis?

[Stereo]

Try to keep them moving onto fresh grass if possible.

[devonlady]

Scotsgirl, I always put my chicks outside when about 4 weeks old, firstly for a few hours around mid-day, then by day, bringing them in at night for a week before leaving them out, with plenty of bedding overnight. A bit like hardening off plants. Hope they go on alright

[Marches Farmer]

Look at it this way.  If you'd wanted sick chicks you'd have asked for them.  But you paid perfect money for perfect chicks.  Sure, things can occasionally go wrong but if low-grade mycoplasma is inherent in the flock and she's buying in eggs which may be from breeding stock that's not been fed correctly or has genetic weaknesses which would make the chicks extra susceptible to such infections, then she should have a mechanism in place for replacing or refunding.  Temperature forecast for tonight in the Welsh Marches is just 9 degrees.  I have some 5 week old chicks in a coop inside a sheltered Barn which I'm confident will cope but I wouldn't like to risk younger ones.

[ScotsGirl]

Decided to send barnvelders back and she wants to take to vet. Keeper just looked at them but said it's not mycoplasma. 4 are sneezing and one is still hunched. Bantams seem fine. I don't think she is very tuned into checking the birds as I could hear a few sneezes when I went to collect but couldn't tell which birds and she has hundreds in the barn. A few looked hunched but different breeds so I didn't know if just the breed or sick.


Will be interesting to see if she refunds me as the keeper who knows her reckons she won't. Either way I don't want sick birds. I didn't realise though that infection can come in through the eggs. Scary thought if buying in hatching eggs.

[farmers wife]

I'm far from an expert but birds dont get colds. As for other reasons bar Myscoplasma I cant think of any as I spent a lot of time researching the symptoms when my flock went down with it. Alarm bells at buying from auction.  Bit like buying any animal really you want to know the background. 


Its not necessarily through the eggs - once the birds are free range there is an almightly risk from wild birds on all occassions my older ones have contracted through wild birds as they never had any stress and were a lot older.  Young birds showing myscoplasma can only really come from the eggs or have contracted it from other chickens in the 'barn' - it spreads like wildfire.  I had my 50 flock all go down with it. I picked out the really sick ones gave them the injection, spoon fed and extra TLC and soon recovered. Luckily they were very healthy so had the strength to recover.


Hence one of the reasons why we only buy cheaper or crossed chickens from reputable breeders.  I know its not so glamorous but losing a £25 chicken is an expensive business and for us they are here to do a job to lay. You can also buy chickens that have been vaccinated or have breeding plans. 

[ScotsGirl]

Well at least I know I am not being paranoid. Sick bird almost dead this morning so I killed it to save any more suffering. Two more are starting to look hunched. Will try and phone the vet later. I find birds so hard to understand. Sheep are so much easier!