170 Comments

  1. hi , over the last two weeks six of my flock have died. five chicks and one hen, my hen had a terrible sneeze and that’s all. my chicks had runny noses, rattling, some had a swollen eyes or watery eyes. and they all kept they,re beaks open to breath. iv read up on so much i was wondering if it could be mycloplaszma?? iv bought colloidal sliver for the water, this hasn’t worked, iv bought eye drops, iv read up that clove of garlic and cider vinegar is good. can someone please tell me what is best or can someone tell me what is wrong??

    • The vet can take blood tests to confirm Myco. It can be passed down through eggs too. Antibiotics are the usual course of treatment but I would consider building the immune system of the birds up until they are really fit and healthy before collecting eggs for hatching. Sterilise the eggs using an incubation disinfectant as well and then see how you get on with chicks.

      The description is that of a infection in the upper respiritory tract – i.e. a secondary infection to the myco. The antibiotics can fight the myco but the secondary infection (essentially like a common cold) needs a strong immune system to fight it. This is where free range, greens, garlic and ACV can all help.

  2. Hi i bought my first (pol) chickens in march One was an Ancona who always had a bald bum but laid beautiful white eggs. About 2 months ago she stopped laying &, finding a lump under her vent, thought she was eggbound so tired stem/warm water baths etc to no avail. Eventually I took he back to the breeder who said it was a tumour and “did I want her culled”. I said no if she wasn’t in pain I would keep her. She has moulted ( I gave them all poultry spice) and she has re-feathered beautifully and is now quite a stunning looking bird, All her bum feathers have grown back and look very shiny and she has put on weight. Other than not laying she is great. A couple of nights ago I picked her up to examine her and the lump has gone!!! Was it a tumour?? Do you think she may start laying again Whatever happens I’m glad I kept her she is so pretty..

    • Hard to say really without tests. It sounds unlikely to be a Tumour from what you’re saying. My guess is she will come into lay again in the Spring now.

  3. I have a two 14 week old pullets — got them at 10 weeks old. Pullets started sneezing last week and now have a bit of a raspy voice today. Temps here have gone from upper 80’sF day /upper 60’s F at night to now low 70’s Fday /45ish F at night. We have adjusted the vents (closed them off one by one) in the coop to only have ridge venting during the 45 F nights. Also, we use pine shavings as floor and nest box litter in the coop (about 2-3 inches). We have a domed roofed over the run, with open venting at the top, and have installed side curtains on the fenced sides to keep out drafts/rain. The run as a dirt floor at present — want to use hard wood/pine wood chips there. We free range the chickens during the day unless it is raining. Their appetite is good at feeder and waterer (they return to the coop 2-3 times a day on their own to get a snack and drink). I am worried about my birds – novice keeper here just wanting to do right by my two Wyandottes. Any suggestions/ advice?

    • Sounds like respiratory problems (which are very common in chickens). I don’t deal with this sort of information on this site (it is a beginners guide after all) but you can read more on poultrykeeper.com – in particular the Respiratory Diseases section

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