[Carrie99]

Hi all....so, excuse my obviously naivety here as I'm new to chickens still and am learning issues as they come up.
I was given a buff Orpington last year which has always done the odd sneeze/cough now and then. At the time I asked the guy who'd given me the chicken about this and he assured me she was fine. I've heard her doing this now and then but she has always seemed fit and well apart from this.
Anyway today, a year in, she seems quite lethargic, I've picked her up to inspect her and noticed one eye has a couple of small bubbles in it. After googling I'm guessing this is a respiratory illness and I should have perhaps taken action many months ago :-(.  Someone mentions deneguard? Altho I've no idea how to get my hands on any? Others say antibiotics via injection? Any ideas? I've got her booked in at the vet on Friday but am wondering if there's anything I can do in the mean time...
Any help appreciated :-)

[Helenaj]

Hi Carrie99

Sorry to hear your hen is poorly, it certainly sounds like Mycoplasma or other similar infection

Ask the vet for soluble Tylan (also called Tylosin) rather than Baytril and enough to treat all of your hens.  It is the only antibiotic that does not require an egg withdrawal. Treat your hen first as a main priority, but I would also treat the rest just as a precaution. The antibiotic is water soluble so can be put in their drinking water, but make sure that it cannot be diluted further by rainfall. Hopefully you should see an improvement within a few days.

Good luck

[joyfull]

I have used Deneguard in the past with good results, but first of all you need to realise that your hen will always have myco and that myco is highly contagious.
As with all antibiotics you can only get them either through your vets or via a prescription online (again your vet needs to see your hen before writing your prescription out and they will charge for that).
Myco normally pops up when the hen is stressed such as something new has changed or when they come back into lay or even if they are trying to pass a soft egg.
People should never breed from a hen that has myco because the chicks could also be infected and your hen may have been hatched with it sadly.

[Carrie99]

Thank you for the replies.
I have an appt at the vet tomorrow so hoping for antibiotics and will request the kind you have mentioned. Where would I buy deneguard? Or is that only available from vet too?
My hen has been with two others for almost a year, is there any point in removing her at this stage or should I just treat them all and learn from my mistake?

[joyfull]

My vet had to order it in for me and I had to buy the whole lot not just a little amount so worked out very expensive but it meant I had some in stock for further cases - well at least until it went out of date.
There are hundreds of antibiotics that will be suitable for treating myco, so let your vet decide which one wil be best for your bird

[Carrie99]

OK, fingers crossed it's not too pricey :-/ The vet is pretty good with chickens so hopefully he'll keep her right.

[grinling]

How did it go at the vets?

[Carrie99]

Hello, was meaning to update - Vet was great. Gave her antibiotic injection (Baytril, he said that was best?) on Friday PM and today she (fingers crossed) seems much more perky! He said he couldn't hear anything worrying on her chest although weirdly by the time I took her the bubbles in her eye had disappeared - I'd taken a picture though and he agreed it was likely to be a respiratory infection. I asked about my other chickens and he said if they weren't showing symptoms (which they aren't) not to give them any antibiotics at all so I haven't treated them....

I'm wondering about the comment relating to stress increasing symptoms could be a factor though as none of my hens laid any eggs this week and I was away for a few days so my boyfriend (who is waaaay less attentive than me) was in charge!

[joyfull]

Glad she is better and yes if the others had caught it then they would have been showing signs by now.