The Poultry Keeper

deanojul67 · Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 342

hi rocky my wellie rooster sounds like he has fluid on his lungs and is looking very dejected sat alone his breathing really is bad Sad

Lisa · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:33 pm Post subject:

Sorry to hear that. If he has some sort of chest infection then it sounds like some urgent antibiotics from the vets might be in order.

Get well soon Rocky!

lilly the pink · Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 78 Location: Wiltshire

Its very likely he has a respiratory infection which could be caused by bacterial infection, eg mycoplasma, or by fungal spores in the chicken house.

He will need antibiotic treatment so you need to see your vet. Try to get an injection of Tylan 200, specially if the vet thinks it might be myco. The soluble antibiotics are not nearly so effective.

My vet treated a poland with this problem by using a drug called Marbocyl. It comes in injectible and tablet form and worked very well although it was quite expensive, being more of a pet drug.

You also need to clean and disinfect the chicken house and make sure that any woodshavings or whatever in the nest boxes or on the floor are clean and dry. If you have been using straw in nest boxes take it out because it will harbour mould and fungal spores.

I hope you'll soon have him well again

Knobby · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 2:18 pm Post subject:

Get Well soon Rocky !!!

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

Sorry Dean and Rocky.

Yup, can't agree more...vet asap. I can buy over the counter antibiotics here and keep a fresh supply on hand at all times. By the time they let you know they are sick, it is almost too late. Good news is, is if you start treating right away, there is a good chance he will pull through.

Keep him seperated from everyone else. Usually the dog kennel set up on my back porch is the 'intensive care ward'. Keep him warm, draft free and as quiet as possible. i.e....don't let the cat hop in to keep him 'company'. Wink

Let us know how he gets on.

deanojul67 · Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 342

ringing vet now just got back in Sad

deanojul67 · Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 342

back from the vets, took ages to get anyone to see him as "he is poultry"
got a appointment in the end, and went along vet seemed to think he has worms as she said his air sacks seemed clear enough so she gave him some anti biotics called baytril, as she said these are a more modern alternative to Tylan 200, but the worm er she gave me was a nightmare a sachet of stuff calledgranofen which is 4 cats and dogs so i had to break down into twentieths and give a dose a day for 5 days , still haven't got none inside him as he wont eat i wrapped it in bread his fave but to no avail now its a matter of time i think.

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

Dean, could you dissolve it in a little liquid and syringe it down him?

Lisa · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 8:20 pm Post subject:

Ditto what Deb said!

Baytril gets the thumbs up from our vets too! I've been given it in 3 different ways from our vets:

1) to add to water and wait until they've drunk their days worth (what a joke! )

2) as a tablet, once per day (not the best way in our experience).

3) as a liquid to syringe down their throats once or twice a day (this was the easiest in my experience).

If you're giving the baytril by syringe, then you could you mix in the wormer too, in once go?

Good luck!

PS edited to add:

4) the vet gave an antibiotic injection...

deanojul67 · Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 342

forgot to mention vet injected him while i was there its the worm er i cant get down him and a s i have put all powder in bread ready to take i cant dilute it bugger think i dropped a boo boo there the anti biotics i give with syringe he has to have 4 doses of 2.5% oral which is simple enough , but man you should hear his breathing it is terrible mind you he has started sneezing now could it be a bad cold??

Lisa · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 8:45 pm Post subject:

AFAIK there are 2 main options with respiratory problems: its either a bacterial infection or a virus... Confused

Antibiotics are best if its bacterial. There are different antibiotics that work best with different sorts of infection. If they give you one and its isn't working, it either needs another (stronger?) course of the same, or a different one...

The only other thing I can think of is to try something like Tea Tree oil in the coop. Tea Tree oil can be:

Anti-microbial
Anti-biotic
Anti-septic
Anti-fungal
Anti-parasitic

You could use it by putting 5-10 drops of Tea Tree each evening on a bit of cloth hung close to where they perch in the house, so that they would breath it in overnight as it evapourates...

But... alternative remedies don't tend to work as quickly as antibiotics, but they can help, if you have the time given the severity of the illness.

Just another option if you need one...

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

NannyP · Posted: Wed Sep 14, 2005 9:17 pm Post subject:

You are so clever Very Happy

deanojul67 · Joined: 01 Jul 2005 Posts: 342

Deb_Moderator · Joined: 13 Apr 2005 Posts: 3661

Well, from what you have described....everything seems to point towards myco. Worms would cause weight loss, but so would myco. Are the stools sort of green and runny in nature?

Not sure if you really want to treat for both ends at the same time. Each treatment is hard on the bird. He will live with worms a bit longer, than he will with an upper respiratory.

Your choice to make. How much do you trust your vet? How attached to the little bloke are you? Does he seem strong enough to treat for everything at once? Confused