Chicken bald back

[SallymaySteven]

Please help not sure what to do.

 

Maggie has started to sneeze a few days ago, wasnt sure what was wrong but kept an eye on her. She was still eating and laying. There doesn't seem to be anythinb else wrong. Eyes bright and beak clean comb bright red feathers all right and fluffy etc. This morning she is still sneezing but has started wheezing too.

 

So ive put some poultry nutritional supplement into their water. Ive also started a course of flubenvet to worm them. Could it be gapeworm?

 

Am i doing the right thing? What should i be doing? Panic Mode in full swing.

[Beantree]

Need a bit more detail here Sally. How old is she and how long have you had her? What other hens is she with and how long have you had them?

 

First thoughts were a respiratory infection. That can be onset by poor ventilation in the coop or mould spores from the walls or bedding. Could also be from wet bark chipings in a run.

[SallymaySteven]

Hi

 

Dont know how old maggie is, we rescured her from a neighbours garden. She wasnt his and we couldnt find the owners. Maggie is a warren and shs lives with helga who is amber. We have had maggie since november and helga since december. Helga was 18 weeks old when we got her. maggie doesnt have swollen eyes or runny nose.

The coop is cleaned everyday and the bedding changed once a week. Their run is wood chippings for chickens, its raked and cleaned.

[Beantree]

I would say respiratory infection then Sally. Reason unknown at the moment as your cleaning routine sounds great. Only thing I would look for is any dust or mould growth inside on the roof. It's easily missed, as we have in the past and ended up with a chronic respiratory infection in a cockerel. Ours was mould spores growing in exterior grade hardwood plywood and we now gloss paint all the ply panels so they can be wiped down. If confirmed by the vet you will need antibiotics and will need to avoid Baytril because it now carries a lifetime egg withdrawal, which is a pity as I know that is particularly effective.

[Luvachicken]

If confirmed by the vet you will need antibiotics and will need to avoid Baytril because it now carries a lifetime egg withdrawal, which is a pity as I know that is particularly effective.

 

Beantree, do you know how come Baytril now has a lifetime egg withdrawal when it only had a 3 week one before ?

My vet never mentioned a lifetime withdrawal for Lucie the other day

It doesn't matter for her anyway as she has forgotten how to lay an egg

[Beantree]

There vet told me last time I called in Luvachicken. Apparently the current guidelines now 'advise' a permanent egg withdrawal. Someone posted on here that it was due to creating a treatment resistant strain of food poisoning in humans I think? No matter for us either because Charity, our last sickie given Baytril who is now perfectly healthy, will probably never lay again as she is now 5 years old and we may only have had three eggs from her last year.

[Luvachicken]

Thanks Beantree