Bertiebloobell Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 My 18 month old Bluebell hen has been making a sort of cough/sneeze noise lately. We have separated her for the past week or two from the other 12 hens and are keeping her in a separate eglu with large run. She is eating well, drinking, pooing and still laying (I have throw her egg away every day though as a precaution). She has no discharge from her beak or eyes. She has been treated for worms with vermx for 3 days in her food, my son has checked her throat to see if anything visible, she has been given some olive oil to lubricate her throat, cider vinegar in her water, and extra foody treats including fresh herbs which should be beneficial. I happened to be at the vet to get one of my cats spayed last week and asked their advice and they said there wasn’t anything more I could do but monitor her as if they prescribed antibiotics we could never eat her eggs again. We would be fine with that as we have enough other hens but her egg isn’t distinguishable enough for us to know which is hers. I’m at a loss - obviously I don’t want to let her back in with the flock if it’s something contagious (and neither would I want to be eating her egg if it was an issue) but she is used to free ranging all day and I’m feeling her frustration of being literally cooped up all day. Any advice greatly received! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 VermX isn’t a dewormer. If a hen has worms, it doesn’t do anything to get rid of them. Ask your vet to do a worm count on her poo to see if she has worms. Some hens can get hayfever like symptoms and suffer from allergies. How old is she? It really does depend on the vet if they advice eating eggs or not from hens that have been treated with antibiotics. The precaution is because of the risks of antibiotic resistance. But personally I don’t understand why you wouldn’t ever be able to eat her eggs again. Antibiotics don’t stay in a body for ever. Otherwise we wouldn’t get infections again after one treatment of antibiotics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beantree Posted September 10, 2021 Share Posted September 10, 2021 Could be something as simple as a dust allergy @Bertiebloobell. We have hens here that sneeze and cough as a result of dust from the pellets. The vet is correct: microscopic amounts of the antibiotic can be in the egg yolks and can create an allelic reaction to antibiotics in humans. It doesn't sound to me as if it's something contagious. I don't think you need to separate her, but now re-introducing her might be a problem? You are incredibly observant and all credit to you. Good luck with your chicken keeping. I think you have a great future potential to help others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertiebloobell Posted September 11, 2021 Author Share Posted September 11, 2021 Many thanks for your reply Cat Tails. She is about 18 months old now. A big sturdy looking bird - certainly doesn’t look poorly - so beginning to think maybe an allergy of sorts. Thank you for your response Beantree and your kind words. We certainly would feel happier not consuming her eggs if she had to take antibiotics. She definitely hasn’t deteriorated so I’m inclined to let her go back with the flock today and keep an eye on her and see how we go. It’s so good to get advice and reassurance from others. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
