[Elida]

Hi, were new to keeping hens and started in April, they have been really healthy and happy we have 6 hens all different breeds and young chicks, (2 just brought a couple of weeks ago)but on Thursday honey was snezzing loads, she had no runny nose or watery eyes and was eating and drinking and had laid an egg that morning, but on friday day Morning when I went to let them out she had died in the night.
now they all seem to have a bit of a runny nose and are sneezing but not as bad as honey and one chicken lilly wont open one of her eyes and both look puffy but not wet or scabby also as she is the youngest we got her a couple of weeks ago her new feathers look a bit red and matty Ive had a look and she has what looks like fleas but there not and there not red (are red mites red ?) they also sound chesty

[Bodger]

Illness is a problem that you will come across at some time during your poultry keeping.
Its a bit too late now but bringing in illness is a risk that you run everytime that you bring in new stock. If at all possible you should try and keep new comers in quarentine for a few weeks before putting them in with your eisting stock.

Its extremely difficult to diagnose long distance and almost as tricky when you have the birds in hand.
We've touched on this before, but vets are in the main not very knowledgble when it comes to the diseases of poultry. There are exceptions of course and I wish that one lived near to me.

This is what I'd do in the first instant.
I'd neck ( cull) anything that is really sick and looking as if its not going to pull through. I'd go to the vets and ask to be supplied with some Auromycin . This is a green powder that you give to the birds via their water. This is an antibiotic.
It wouldn't hurt to clean the pen out and disinfect it and perhaps a change of ground if at all possible.

Getting rid of the crawlies on your chickens, isn't going to stop their sniffles but it will make the birds feel more comfortable, which of course, can only be a good thing for them. So in the short term, a few squirts of a proprietary flea spray is going to sort this out.

As I say, diagnosis long distance is very tricky, but if the birds have a cold, then an injection of 1/2 cc of tylan 50 into the breast muscle of each bird is recommended and at the same time give a similar injection under the skin at the back of the neck. This should be done everyday for five days.
For flock treatment rather than individual, use the Auromycin in the water for 10 to 14 days.

I would also use a product called Vetorex which I get from the USA.  This vapourises and helps clear the respiratory system. Because its unlikely that you'll be able to get your hands on this, if I was you I'd get some Vicks vapour rub and each night I'd rub a liittle blob in just beneath the chin and some under each wing just as they start to roost.

I hope that this does not seem to be too complicated. Its at times like these, that its a shame we are all spread out throughout the country.

[mrs.ploppy]

I have had a similar problem recently with my own chickens.  Runny nose, cough, generally poorly looking, puffy face with the end result of some dying within a few days after first signs of illness.  All after I purchased 4 new point of lay hens.  Within 3 days all birds had runny orange looking droppings.  Most vets these days do not hold stock of poultry medicine unless they have a poultry farm as a customer.  My vet prescribed a non licenced bird medicine called Ronaxan.  Tablet form to desolve in drinking water.  This has been given for 5-7 days, longer if needed.  This seems to be doing the trick.  But I have lost 4 birds with this so far.  I think that the bad weather being wet and mild has had an effect on the incubation on this ailment as my hens do not fair out doors in prolonged periods of bad weather.  Quarenteen would have been a good idea but not practical for everyone with lack of facilities.  My new hens were healthy, bright, normal droppings etc and having seen for my self where they were reared had no worries about putting them in with my own hens.  Hope you have success with your hens and hope that no further losses occur.[