i don't mean to upset anybody because we all like our chickens but when a chicken or chickens are poorly isn't it more efficent and cost effective to cull the birds .
i have read some of the stories on these pages and i am astounded by the lengths and cost some poultry keepers will go to save a bird , vets love such people because they don't care about the animal they just see big money walking through the door.
i started with my 8 hens about 14 months ago then i added 8 more and disaster struck with severe colds diarhea etc , i started buying medications and vitamins disenfectants etc and i spent about £60 the chickens only cost me £80 , i phoned local vets but they didn't know about chickens then they gave me a number for a vet 30 miles away who could give me some medication i had 2 options the licenced version £90 or the unlicenced £20 which was the same stuff i had bought from the pet shop for pigeons {forgot the name} that cost me about £7 the problem eventually cleared but not many eggs for about 5 months.
i also kept budgies for 12 years and i had amazing coloured birds , i would buy the odd bird from the bird sales and i had about 70 birds in the flight when they started to get sick fluffed up dirty vent , being a sentimentalist i went for the medicine from pet shops and chemists and over 40 of the birds died in 4 months , if i had killed the dirty vented ones at the first sight {they always die but infect others} i would have saved about 30 of my flock , on top of that again i spent over £50 on nonesense that did no good its far easier and less painful for all concerned to cull , disenfect and replace with a young bird .
and particularily with flocks of birds if your unwilling to cull one to save the rest you should not keep them , in my opinion and beliefs vets are not the answer they will chargeyou hundreds for something worth less than £20