[shetan]

hi all,

went outside to collect the eggs this morning and my brahma boy is making the strangest sound. he is trying to crow and its coming out like he's gone hoarse...

i don't know what to do because i've never come across it before. he is eating and strutting around as usual. feathers are fine and tail plume is upright. he is only a year old. i think i'm overly worried because we lost our jersey two weeks ago. and our cochin was killed by a fox four weeks ago. we don't want to lose another one.

they've all be coated in lice powder last week as one of my girls was looking abit bare and had some little yellow critters in her feathers but aside from this - no real changes.

any advice would be gratefully recieved.

[bantam novice]

Hello Shetan,
Has he been wormed recently?  He may have gape worm.  You can treat this with Flubenvet.

[Helenaj]

If worms aren't the problem, it's possible he could have caught a bit of a cold. Last year my cockerel caught a cold from getting soaking wet and then we had a cold snap. Everytime he tried to crow it was more of a cock a doodle croak. Just keep an eye on him and if he starts to get worse, a trip to the vet may be the only option.

[shetan]

thank you, i'll start the flubenvet tomorrow morning although i'm pretty sure its not gape from his behaviour.

i did wonder whether it  might be the lice powder residue. i kept the birds out of the coops and washed, dried and powdered them according to the instructions - perhaps some of the airborne particles have been inhaled?

another possibility - hayfever? some of the girls do sneeze a lot more during these months. could he be suffering the same but with different symptoms?

still seems fine in himself. will keep an eye on him and keep you posted.

[bantam novice]

It is always worth locating a chicken-friendly vet.  Not all of them are and some refuse to treat chickens.
In the meantime good luck and keep us posted 

[Lindeggs]

One of my Light Sussex pullets had a cold and had a very strange voice as a result.  It ended up getting worse and I took her to the vet who looked down her throat and said her larynx has suffered permanent damage.  She had antibiotics to clear up the secondary infection resulting from the cold, and seems to have had a complete recovery, but she still quacks like a duck when she tries to cluck!  It seems that she will always sound like a heavy smoker!

*Disclaimer: I do not provide my pullets with cigarettes.

[agapanthus]

what bedding material do you have down? some have a lot of dust in them?

[shetan]

hi all...

he is still acting normally and there doesn't seem to be any nasal discharge that i can see. eating and drinking normally and very attentive to the hens. still hoarse though

our vet point blank refuses to see the chickens and tells me they'll call a locam which will cost more for the call out  however, if he doesn't improve or gets worse i'll book him in.

they have dust free woodshavings in the coop and this has been the case since i've had them.

(to make matters worse i think our rabbit might have decided to abandon her 4 day old litter of 8 kits - trouble always comes in 3's....i thought three cockerals on the trot would be it  )

[Chookiechook]

When my cockerel was gunning for a resp infection he did a cockadoodle chooooo!!  Funny to hear but a dose of tylan did the trick

[joyfull]

Shetan - I would change vets - ring around and find another that will treat poultry for no extra charge. I pointed out to mine that backyard poultry keeping was the fastest growing hobby and they listened  .

[Lindeggs]

Shetan - I would change vets - ring around and find another that will treat poultry for no extra charge. I pointed out to mine that backyard poultry keeping was the fastest growing hobby and they listened  .

I had the same conversation with my vet.  Mine is already an avian specialist but he had a trainee with him the day I took my pullet to visit.  The traineee had never been up close to a chicken before!  I told him that he'd better get used to treating chickens as there is a fast-growing market for urban chicken vets.

[shetan]

i called the vet today - although i'm now thinking it probably is gape worm. they were treated about a month and a half ago with flubenvet but i've started again this morning just to ge sure. when he breathes in he gapes his beak open which started today, other than that he's fine.

anyway - the vet said to try crushing dog or cat wormer and administering a tiny amount in water!  she's not been qualified very long me thinks - the old vet was much better - he would call round even though he was unsure himself. this one sucks. i think i'll call round and change 

[NormandyMary]

hi all...

he is still acting normally and there doesn't seem to be any nasal discharge that i can see. eating and drinking normally and very attentive to the hens. still hoarse though

our vet point blank refuses to see the chickens and tells me they'll call a locam which will cost more for the call out  however, if he doesn't improve or gets worse i'll book him in.

they have dust free woodshavings in the coop and this has been the case since i've had them.

(to make matters worse i think our rabbit might have decided to abandon her 4 day old litter of 8 kits - trouble always comes in 3's....i thought three cockerals on the trot would be it  )

Just wondering..how can a vet REFUSE to treat an animal? Is what he is really saying is "I dont know anything about chickens?" Would he treat a budgie? I think its terrible that you have been turned away in this manner, and its very shortsighted of the vet.

[shetan]

basically thats exactly it. i was stunned at the response over the phone.

with more and more people keeping poultry in the backyard i now expect vets to be trained in treating these birds. its disgusting that you pay for a service and are so horribly let down. when my marans wattles and comb turned blue they didn't have a clue. i took him in and they charged me £40 just to look up the symptoms in a poultry book that i have at home! 

they then told me that if it was mycro i would have to take all 8 birds in for treatment! and i would be charged per bird (consultation and treatment). thankfully it wasn't mycro and my usual vet had returned from holiday to prescribe something to add into their water.

this vet was born and raised on a farm and so had some idea and wasn't afraid to ask around and make sure you got some sort of help. sadly he retired in january and the new girl doesn't have a clue... 

almost told her to try taking a dog worming tablet to test the side effects before administering to my birds! stupid c*w 

[GrannieAnnie]

Perhaps we should have a chicken unfriendly vets list as well as a chicken friendly list?

Stupid woman, she could lose that vets practice a lot of custom if word gets around!