hilly d Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I've had the odd hen have a cold before but all 4 of mine are now croaking rather than clucking. I know colds get passed round people easily enough but is it possible that all my hens have a simultaneous cold or is it something more serious? They're not quite as perky as normal but still pecking about with their tails up. Any advice gratefully received. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 maybe they had a party one night Seriously though, I'd just keep an eye on them for a couple of days. Perhaps a little citricidal may help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfnirvana Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hi there I had to take one of my new chooks to the vet as she had a limp and I also noticed on the day I took her that she was croaky and had a rattly chest. The vet diagnosed Laryngotracheitis which is a viral infection. He did give me antibiotics to put in the drinking water as it is very infectious and is bound to pass it on to the others, however that will only treat any bacterial infection. He said that Bess would have to fight off the viral one by herself. I gave her Metacam for her leg which is an anti-inflamatory and that seemed to help both her leg & her throat. My vet, said that he has seen a huge outbreak of this Laryngotracheitis recently round here and whole flocks are going down with it. Some hens get it severely, but others less so and recover quite well. Sometimes they are carriers and stressful situations can bring it out. Here's a link to some info:- http://www.ruleworks.co.uk/poultry/Laryngotracheitis.htm Bess is still croaky and has the occasional cough, but not as bad as it was a few weeks ago, so I'm hoping she is on the mend. My other three are a little croaky, but apart from that are behaving as normal chooks do and seem to be very happy. I hope yours start to get better very soon, if not, might be worth a phone call to your vet to see what he advices. Good luck, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilly d Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 That's good info, thx - I'm sure mine must have something similar. I'd be interested to know what antibiotic you've got - I've had aureomycin before to put in the drinking water to cure a respiratory infection and it worked like magic. Unfortunately my vet says it's been withdrawn I've been giving them all probiotics, bio yogurt, bokashi and poultry minerals as well as ACV and Citricidal in the water in the hope that it'll boost their immune systems enough to help them shake off whatever it is. They do seem to be getting their voices back but they're still not laying. Chickens are great when they're working properly but very vexing when they're not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surfnirvana Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hiya My vet has always given me Baytril, either to put in the water or I have had to syringe it down their throats, when I had individual chooks who were poorly over the years. Baytril seems to work a treat! I've only had these 4 chooks for 5 weeks and the vet seemed to think they were probably already infected - even though I gave them a good look and feel over when I bought them from a reputable breeder. Sometimes you just can't see if they are carriers, you can only look out for the obvious. The vet also said it could be transmitted by other wild birds! It sounds like you are doing everything right. Just keep an eye on them and if they start to have difficulty in breathing, I would take one of them to the vet (rather than all of them). Do let us know how they get on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
