[3Bluebelles]

Hi, we have a chicken who is just over 2 years old. She has had various problems and I can't pinpoint what's wrong with her. She lays soft shelled eggs quite often, and often they are on the floor of the run, so get eaten by the others. I assumed that this was because of her age, and that she may be coming to the end of her egg-laying. We have given them limestone flour but this hasn't changed.

Recently she has been lying down a lot, and gets a bubbly/frothy eye as if she has dust in it. She weezes slightly when breathing, and shakes her head as if to get rid of the froth in her eye. She seems worse in the mornings. I thought she may have a cold, so have given her Citricidal in the water, and a few drops of cod liver oil on a bit of bread.

I have also read that head shaking can mean mites in the ear although we have picked her up and examined her and can't see any signs of mites. Last night we gave all the chickens a dose of Frontline in case.

Any idea what might be wrong with her?

There are 5 of them all together, she is a Bluebelle, and the only one with any symptoms. Her temperature is normal and there is no smell on her breath.

Thanks (and sorry this is so long!)
Jacky.
 

[Jeanette]

I am sure someone will soon come along with better knowledge than me but it sounds like she needs to see a vet. I have heared of this problem befor and it was a  infection that needed antibiotics.

[Chookiechook]

Bubbly eyes and head shaking to get rid of something in eyes or nostrils would scream Mycoplasma to me

If she is the only one to suffer then you are lucky, .... It will meant the rest of the hens are probably infected too but are stronger and fight it off better.

Tylan or Baytril might help with the symptoms but she will always be a carrier

[Aunt Sally]

... and you must get enough antibiotics to treat all your birds as they may be at risk too.

[3Bluebelles]

Thanks for your replies. I have been at work so only just had the chance to reply. Well I'm really worried now. Having read up on it some websites say all chickens should be culled as it will always be carried! I hope this is not the case with small chicken keepers. We have already lost one of our Bluebelles (prolapse and broken egg), so only have 5 now, and were thinking of getting another 3 in the Spring.

She really doesn't seem that bad, and we can't get her to a vet until Thursday. We have given them all ACV and garlic in the water for the moment in the hope it's just a minor infection. I will make an appointment for then to ask their advice on what to do with all of them.

Any more advice would be gratefully accepted.

Thanks,
Jacky.
 

[Aunt Sally]

There is no reason to cull them unless you are a breeder.  But do be aware that infected birds can relapse during times of stress such as moulting.

[Casey76]

If you have myco in your flock now, they WILL infect any newcomers.

The symptoms of bubbly eyes/wheezing/head shaking will come and go with stressors (e.g. new incomers to the flock, being separated from the flock, moving the coop, becoming dehydrated, different food brand)

Myco is also transmitted vertically from hen to egg - this is one of the reasons why people advise culling the entire flock if you get an outbreak of myco.

However if you do not wish to breed, the outbreaks can usually be managed with antibiotics - but you must never knowingly sell or give away a hen from a flock which has had myco.

[Aunt Sally]

... and biosecurity measures should be followed if you visit any other flocks or vice versa.

[3Bluebelles]

So are you saying I shouldn't get any more at all? Can this be cured with antibiotics? I certainly don't want to cull them as 4 of them seem perfectly healthy, and even Milly (the affected one) seems perfectly OK in herself and is eating and running around as normal.

[Aunt Sally]

No, not say you shuldn get any more.  Just be aware that mycoplasma in in your flock.  Treat it if you have further birds with it and don't breed birds yourself.

Antibiotics will not treat the mycoplasma infection but are generally used to treat secondary infections. 

[3Bluebelles]

Is this common? I feel absolutely terrible that it might be something I have done or not done. We don't plan to breed from them, as it's just a back garden attempt at self-sufficiency.

[Casey76]

It is quite common.  Myco is very contagious, and once a bird has it they become carriers. 

It's a bit like a person who gets a cold sore for the first time.  The symptoms are easily treated, but even when the outbreak is over they will carry the herpes virus for life, suffering outbreaks occasionally (except with herpes, it is only contagious in the active phase - myco is "shed" continuously by an infected bird, which is why, if you have previously had "sniffles" in your flock, new comers will almost always get the "sniffles" after a few days)

If a person unwittingly sells a bird who has had myco in the past, or sells a bird in ignorance (oh, they had a bit of a sniffle a couple of months ago but they are OK now), or worse, sells a bird knowing they have had myco in their flock at some point the problem is perpetuated.

[3Bluebelles]

Thanks all for your replies. It wouldn't surprise me if they had it from the breeder. I wasn't happy about the standards when we first bought them, but didn't know any better back then. Of the first 3 we bought, one had all the same symptoms, and we took her back and exchanged her the next day. The breeder said she was just upset at the move.

I will make an appointment for the vets later this week and we will get the blood test done so that we know for sure where to go from here.

Thanks,
Jacky.

[Aunt Sally]

The breeder said she was just upset at the move.

And the breeder was exactly right

Moving a bird to a new home (or even to the pen that they are sold from) is stressful for the bird and may cause a mycoplasma infection to resurface.  All breeders would be well aware of that !

[3Bluebelles]

I assume you are saying the breeder knew they had Myco and knowingly sold us the hens!!! Is there something I should do or someone I should report that to? Obviously only when I get the results from the vet.

Thinking about it we had friends who bought their first 3 from the same breeder and within 24 hours one of them was coughing up blood. They took all 3 back and got their money back and started afresh from somewhere else.

Jacky.