[westview]

Here's an update on the gurgly saga... which unfortunately has not changed?
Crumpet is still otherwise looking well, eating, drinking and pooing as normal.
However, she is still gurgling slightly in the mornings and even more so later in the day..  I am still inside the week's course of worming for my ladies and 3 successful days of getting the antibiotics down her neck... but no change?
She does get noticeable worse if she's allowed out of her run to free range everywhere - which I thought was odd?
She is the lowest in the pecking order but that's always been the case, she just keeps out of the head girls way.  There are atleast a couple of eating points in the run at any one time so she always has access to food.
Would anyone have any other ideas what this could be..... any help would be much appreciated...

[joyfull]

keep on with the antibiotics and finish the course (do not miss any out), depending on the type of A/B you have it can be for 5, 7 or even a 10 day course. Failure to stick to it can bring its own problems. Also some antibiotics are better for different birds and some can even be used together. I have several types of A/B but my vet did tell me there was about 80 different types I could try with my chickens 

[helens-hens]

Hi Westview. Hopefully these ABs will work. But I noticed that you said that things get noticeably worse when she free ranges - is it conceivable that she perhaps has an allergy to something she has found when she is out & about?

Only a thought.

[hillfooter]

Here's an update on the gurgly saga... which unfortunately has not changed?
Crumpet is still otherwise looking well, eating, drinking and pooing as normal.
However, she is still gurgling slightly in the mornings and even more so later in the day..  I am still inside the week's course of worming for my ladies and 3 successful days of getting the antibiotics down her neck... but no change?
She does get noticeable worse if she's allowed out of her run to free range everywhere - which I thought was odd?
She is the lowest in the pecking order but that's always been the case, she just keeps out of the head girls way.  There are atleast a couple of eating points in the run at any one time so she always has access to food.
Would anyone have any other ideas what this could be..... any help would be much appreciated...

I suspect that it's a lower respiratory infection affecting the lungs rather than the upper tracts.  I've had a couple of birds with such symptoms who developed upper respiratory infections with sneezing and runny noses etc.  The a/bs sorted the cold type symptoms associated with the upper respiratory system but didn't touch the rattlely breathing (was my characterisation not gurgling).  They didn't seem to be suffering any other illness but they stopped laying and periodically developed sneezing and runny noses.  I suspected my birds were carriers for MG so I culled them after trying three different a/b's.  You may end up on the same road I'm affraid.  If nothing is working culling may be the sensible option.

HF

[SusieB]

I had a chuck that wasn't responding to anti-biotics.  Following tests it was found that, of 20 antibiotics tested,  the bacteria was resistant to 14 of them.  I think this was quite extreme (and worked out expensive) but she did finally recover.  She was very happy despite getting short of breath, which I think may be the gurgling you are describing (I thought it more as mild asthma).

I constantly worried about her quality of life but she did seem very happy and she survived Marek's disease which got the rest of her buddies.  Over time the lung/sinus damage seem to be improving, as the vet said it might, then the fox got her.........

Sorry, I rambled on a bit there.  I have been following your thread, but have only just realised the symptoms might be similar to the ones my hen had.  She had rasping breath and breathed with her mouth open at times, mostly on exertion eg. when she was free ranging.

[westview]

Hi there - thank you everyone for your advise and help.
I'm on the last day of antibiotics today but they don't seem to have worked at all...  she's not got any worse but not any better either.
I had a really good listen to her last nite whilst restraining her before her medicine.... and the gurgling is definitely coming from what seems to be her nasal area??  It's not coming from her chest/crop area at all... am completely flummoxed??
She is fine otherwise, still eating, drinking, scratching etc
I did wonder if she may have a different type of worm that flubenvet doesn't touch?  but then wouldn't the other ladies have it too???
I did call a vet called Great Western Referrals in Swindon (25 miles away from me) who specialise is chickens but they wanted £28 for a referral over the phone and then if they wanted me to bring her in they'd charge more plus more again for a prescription.... (vet probably drives a Porche!).
Think I may give my original vet a call and see if there is any other type of antibiotic he could recommend??

[hillfooter]

What a/b have you tried and what a/b did SusieB eventually find sucessful?  Sounds like a long and expensive process to find one which works out of 20 tried.

It may not be a bacteria at all and in fact fungus can infect their respiratory tracts and a/bs won't touch them.  The only thing I've heard of to touch fungus is an oxine spray not available in the UK but is available in the USA.

If I've some time tomorrow evening I'll look out my refs on this.
HF

[SusieB]

As in my case, the vet can take a culture of the infection from the chicken then test it against a number of antibiotics in the lab.  They can then see which a/bs kill the culture and which antibiotics leave the culture to continue to grow.  Can't remember how much it cost.

I think my post on this thread was a red herring.   The vet could see a build up of phelgm in my chicken which didn't go following 2 types of antibiotic.  He could then get a sample to send to the lab to test.  All this obviously wasn't cheap.

[westview]

Hi there, thanks for all the input.
I've been researching the Oxine solution and have emailed a supplier in the states to see if they ship to the UK or know of anyone that actually supplies it over here.  It does sound like good stuff.....  I'll keep trying to find a UK supplier on the internet and will give my vet a call on Monday to see if they've ever heard of it/can get hold of it.  I'll keep you posted...  in the meantime fingers crossed Crumpet can keep going as she is with it...

[westview]

Oh yes, by the way the anitbiotic was Baytril 2.5%, but the first 2 days I was administering it on my own so she hardly got any at all (ended up wearing it down her crop - she is a feisty little madam!)... do you think that may of contributed to the lack of it's affect?  I'll mention it to the vet too - they may suggest another course?

[hillfooter]

Oh yes, by the way the anitbiotic was Baytril 2.5%, but the first 2 days I was administering it on my own so she hardly got any at all (ended up wearing it down her crop - she is a feisty little madam!)... do you think that may of contributed to the lack of it's affect?  I'll mention it to the vet too - they may suggest another course?

Hmmm Baytril 10% is usually given for poultry administered in their water given ad lib not syringed down their throats.  

Did your vet advise this and what dilution did (s)he suggest.  And how much were you administering each day? 

HF

[westview]

Hi there Hf.  The vet gave me the 2.5% and told me to administer 2mls once per day down her throat.  She wasnt making such a rattle this morning - it's very odd as she's worse sometimes and better same time next day.. there doesnt seem to be any pattern at all?  She's still a bit messy on the bottom - I havent given her a bath as it's either freezing here or pouring down with rain...