What makes a chicken coop easy to live with?

[Egghead68]

Our chickens are sick to various degrees (laboured breathing, gasping, losing weight, dehydrated, inactive, sleep a lot) and all the infected ones have a very repellent smell - something like unwashed, cheesy, humans mixed with game. Two of them have died already

 

So far no response to 2 antibioltics, including Tylan.

 

The vet is not sure what it is, but we don't know how much experience he has with chickens. We thought they had mycoplasma, but for this they should smell sweet. Any ideas?

 

Any help would be much appreciated. We are very worried and it is horrible watching them die off one by one.

[Christian]

How awful for you Egghead!

 

Not sure what to suggest but have had a look around and the only thing I can find that mentions smell is Infectious Coryza?

 

Symptoms -

 

Sneezing - clogging of nostrils and sinuses with a sticky, putrid smelling exudate - exudate accumulates and causes swelling of face, eyes and wattles - cheesy core sometimes develops in eye

 

Maybe speak to an avian vet to see what they say. It is treatable.

 

Hope you find a cause and solution soon.

[Egghead68]

Thank you very much, Christian. It does sound like that. I will contact another vet immediately.

[Christian]

Found some more stuff for you -

 

http://www.peafowl.org/ARTICLES/15/

 

Good luck with it all

 

Let us know how you get on

[Egghead68]

Thanks again, Christian - really helpful.

 

This all sounds like what they have, apart from the swollen face. I would say that, if anything, their face-furniture looks shrivelled and dehydrated.

 

Beaumont Vet Hospital (very chicken-friendly, for people in London), are calling me back tomorrow with advice.

[Christian]

Great, hope you hear from them soon

[Baggins]

Hi Egghead 68,

 

Sorry to read about your girls. However, please update on advice received tomorrow - one of my girls is experiencing very similar symptoms today - very lethargic, swollen face and very smelly breath. I thought it might be sour crop but one of our girls previously had that and there was no swollen face.

 

We have temporarily removed her from the other girls and she is getting extra special treats. Oh, the other thing is that she seems to have lost most of her sight - very distressing. Do your girls appear to have this symptom?

 

Any advice gratefully received.

 

Good luck

[Egghead68]

Hi Baggins,

 

I am really sorry to hear that. Swollen face and very smelly breath does sound like infectious coryza. See link above and also:

 

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/206600.htm

 

One of our cockerels can't see in one eye at the moment. The eye closed up because his face was swollen and became pus-filled. This has improved with regular bathing in Optrex (I don't know whether this is vet-approved - we just tried it in desperation).

 

The advice from Beaumont vet hospital was to give the chickens Tylan.

 

We have injected all ours, and, apart from the cockerel, who is worst affected, they seem much perkier, and are now eating, although their breathing is still noisy. There is more information about treatment in the link above.

 

I think you should take your hen to the vet asap with information about infectious coryza printed out (even avian specialists don't seem to necessarily know about it).

 

Good luck, and please let me know how you get on.

 

Egghead

[Christian]

Hi Egghead,

 

really glad to hear that they have been treated. Good to know that they are looking perkier. Hope your cockerel makes it.

[Egluntyne]

Good to hear that they are showing signs of improvement.

[Egghead68]

Thanks very much. Christian and Egluntine! It is very upsetting when they get ill, and really nice to receive your support.

[Egghead68]

Just an update. We had the post-mortem results on our Silkie Hen, and, although tests are ongoing, so far they have found

 

E Coli

Klebsiella pneumonia

Pasteurella

 

She also had an impacted crop (full of grass).

 

So... Not as simple as just Infectious Coryza. The original vet is still not convinced it was that at all.

 

He is going to put them all on Baytril, following their partial response to Tylan.

 

I don't think the existing ones can be that sick, though, as they all managed to escape to the neighbours' garden this morning!

[Egluntyne]

I don't think the existing ones can be that sick, though, as they all managed to escape to the neighbours' garden this morning!

 

That is encouraging! Thanks for the update.

 

Fingers crossed that the Baytril will do the trick.

[Baggins]

Thanks so much for the info regarding the infectious coryza.

 

Although the vet wasn't best pleased with our telling him what was wrong with Koru, she has been on Baytril for several days now and is back to her normal self. Heartwarming stuff and thanks again for the top tips.

 

As for Baytril