[ciara]

One of our hen's is sneezing for the last week. I haven't seen her since saturday but when I went out last night she was breathing very heavily and sitting all hunched up and facing into the trees and long grass at the back of the house away from the other birds. I gave her some water and she drank but didn't eat. Her breast bone is protuding and she's lost a lost of weight. When she tries to walk she has no sense of balance and all the feathers around her bum and lower breast are missing, (maybe picked by other birds). She's in a bad way, not moving much and will allow me to touch and pick her up which is very unusual. We're new to all this so with the exception of cider vinegar they've never been wormed etc. They have a coop (about 20 flock and a duck and goose) which they can roost in and lay but most of them sleep in the tall trees at the back of the garden. They have about a third of an acre to run around in and permanent access to water and layers pellets. We'd another hen with the exact same syptoms during the summer and we had to get her put down. 2 other hens are starting to sneeze also. She looks so miserable I feel guilty sitting here at work knowing I can't do anything. 

Thanks

[Power Poultry]

You need to get them on some antiboitics asap

You only need to take one to the vets and ask for treatment to do the whole flock

They should give you Tylan and baytril.

[doganjo]

I would think you need to be prepared for her to be gone by the time you get home.  She sounds pretty bad.  But you could have problems with the others so I would agree with PP to get antibiotics from the vet.

[ciara]

I'd say she's probably too far gone alright. We're unfortunate in that our local vets are mostly pet or cattle based and don't seem to have much experience with fowl. I'll do some ringing around to try and get some one who knows what they're talking about.