The Poultry Keeper

csa26 · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Oxford

I've got a lovely flock of just over a dozen young birds and until now have had perfect health in all of them... but they all seem to be getting very poorly. I first noticed a very young Silkie gaping a bit on Saturday, and have ordered Flubenvet to dose them all in case of gapeworm, but since then my Brahma and several of my Cochins have starting gaping and 'rattling' when they breathe, and generally seeming depressed - I'm particularly worried by the way I can just walk straight up to the Cochins and pick them up at the moment (though this is normal for the Brahma Wink

) and today three of them just stayed in bed and didn't come out at all. Their symptoms are progressing much faster in each bird and spreading more quickly through the flock than I would expect for worms.

Not only that, but an Araucana hen and a Welsummer cock have both got one eye closed tight and so swollen I can't tell if the eye is actually still in there! The chickens aren't overcrowded in their house and I've never noticed serious squabbling.

Most of my birds were hatched about 6 months ago from eggs I bought over the internet, but in the last couple of weeks I've got two ex-batteries and on Friday I bought two chicks: a 6-week-old Cream Legbar and a young (the farmer wasn't sure but I'd guess about 2 months - she's fully feathered but not much bigger than the CL) Silkie, which is the bird I first noticed the gaping in but she doesn't have it nearly as bad as the others, in fact since Saturday I haven't seen her doing it at all, so I think it's unlikely they got it from her. Actually now that I think about it I remember noticing her poo was runny and a bit bloody. But she doesn't seem miserable the way the adult birds do and isn't rattling. The new chicks haven't been in with the other birds, but have been in a pen next to their run - yesterday after their 2 weeks' quarantine the ex-batts went in with the other birds.

Please help - I don't want to lose any of my lovely birds and hate to think of them feeling rotten Crying or Very sad

Dusty · Joined: 07 Jan 2008 Posts: 1042 Location: St. Asaph

Sorry to hear about your poorly boys and girls.

I'm sure someone experienced will be able to help.

I had similar symptoms in two dutch bantams, their eyes swelled up and they 'rattled'.

Have you had a look in their mouth, my girls had a swelling inside the mouth on the side of the swelling?

It was diagnosed as mycroplasma.

csa26 · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Oxford

Thank you so much Dusty, how did you treat it?

Think I'm going to take one of them in to the vet as from what I've read it looks like I might need Tylan which is prescription-only. Hope the vet doesn't demand to see every sick bird though there's about 7 now!