# Need some advice



## slm622 (Sep 3, 2013)

Brought 2 new hens home and had them to themselves at first, waited a couple days all seemed well. The birds quickly got in their order, its been about a week and now Im noticing my rooster is gargling and sneezing, he stays in a separate pen due to his size compared to my other birds. I noticed tonight that two of my hens appear to be sneezing, the new hen that recently joined the flock and a hen that Ive had for months, the new hens beak appears to be broken or resembles an overgrown toenail , and the hen Ive had for months eyes are swollen and watery and she snotting out her nose. Any advice appreciated! Thanks in advance!


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

*Mycoplasma Gallisepticum*

http://poultrykeeper.com/respiratory-problems/mycoplasma

I've never had this in my flocks, but it seems to be the most common respiratory infection that other flocks seem to get and it sounds much like your bird's symptoms.


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## Apyl (Jun 20, 2012)

I usually give a 30 day quarantine to make sure no underling illness can be introduced to my flock. Like Bee, I have yet to have a respiratory infection in my flock. I wish you luck.


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## slm622 (Sep 3, 2013)

Thank you for the advice and the link 


To update you on my current situation, my rooster ran stumbled face planted and pretty much gave up, Ended his suffering and buried the poor guy. His cone had turn purple from the lack of oxygen he was breathing. 

I'm so worried about my flock... : /
I don't have any money this moment!! I changed out the water and am trying to re-sterilize if thats even possible. I quarantined the hen I believe is the carrier of this respiratory punishment, she seems so healthy and is so sweet but she has a subtle gurgle unlike my rooster who was four times her size. Not to mention he had a nice bag of air to crow. Her lower beak is longer than the top and appears broken on the bottom left beak. She doesn't have any runny snot out her nose like the rooster was having but she has a hard dried dirt stuck to her nose where I can see


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## slm622 (Sep 3, 2013)

slm622 said:


> Thank you for the advice and the link
> 
> To update you on my current situation, my rooster ran stumbled face planted and pretty much gave up, Ended his suffering and buried the poor guy. His cone had turn purple from the lack of oxygen he was breathing.
> 
> ...


Does anyone have any ideas for decontamination on the cheap?

Im having a rough year, I lost my dog of 14 years on my wife and my 3 year anniversary, we found out the same day our daughter would not live, 5 days later we lost our daughter, Im losing chickens left and right to different situations, and my other dog of 14.5 years is really sick and I expect her to not live much longer. Please god take the pain... Make death stop hovering around my life killing everyone and everything I love


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

I can try to help you but you might not like what advice I give. First, give it all to God and be anxious for nothing...your Father has power over your life and His will is perfect for us. Those words in that Bible were meant to be taken seriously, even if it is hard to do..do it. He will not leave you nor forsake you.

In the words of Paul, in his letter to the church of Philippi, as given to him by the Holy Spirit:



> Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.


and...



> ...for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.


Secondly, you need to get back to basics. If you have all these other things going on in your life, chickens are of little concern...but if you insist on trying to keep this sick flock, I'd advise you kill those with the worst symptoms if they are suffering any..at all. If you have no money for a vet or high priced medicines, here are a few things you can try to help them now.

Place some apple cider vinegar in the water as a little immune system boost...even if it is pasteurized it still has vitamins and minerals that can help...it can also create an acidic environment that may kill any bacteria deposited there by the birds when they are drinking. If you have any garlic in the house you can crush that and add to the water as well...each and every time. Don't worry about the amounts..if you put too much of either element they won't drink the water...if so, toss it out and put in less but just DO it. If you don't have actual garlic, use garlic powder in the feed or water,doesn't matter.

Place some of your feed in a bucket and cover it with water, stir it a couple of times a day. It will absorb most of the fluid but that's okay, you don't really have to add more...just let it sit, stir it a couple of times a day and wait. In a couple of days you should see it forming gas bubbles(they will look like little holes in the top of the mix when you look in the bucket where the gas has escaped). It should start to smell a little sour...start feeding out of that bucket~stir it well each time~ and don't feed any other kind of feed..just that. Don't worry about the details, just get your birds this feed...it will contain high levels of lysine and it will make your feed have a more complete nutrition, while also working to improve their immune systems.

That is the goal...their immune systems. You cannot guard against every little bacteria that comes into your flock...but what you can do is create healthy immune systems that will fight their own fight. Any bird that cannot develop an adequate immune system on healthy feeds and healthy husbandry, should then be culled.

Your bird with the deformed beak? This may help with that situation as well...if she doesn't start to show some improvement within a month on the fermented feeding, cull her.

Any birds with clogged nostrils or crusted eyes need to have those cleansed with warm soapy water and the nostrils can be swabbed with Vicks..just like you would a kid. Do this at night when they have gone to the roost and are easy to catch and handle. This will stress you and them a lot less...have a good work station handy and all your supplies..and a helping hand from someone. If you have no one, use a towel for swaddling the bird.

Open up your coop to allow air flow..lots of it. Increase roosting space so they are not crowded up on one another. If you don't have a way to open it up, cut some holes and cover with wire..whatever it takes to get clean air and sunshine in your coop. Tons of it.

Rake up leaves, pine needles, dried grass...whatever you have in your yard and throw it in the coop and in the run. Don't take it out, just add to it when it gets too moist or too saturated with feces...stick with it, add to it when it seems to disappear, and build it deep. Get it to 6-10 in. deep and keep it there.

Start feeding inside the coop or wherever wild birds cannot partake and only feed what they can eat that day in an hour or two..and then no more. Don't overfeed..more food does not equal good health.

If you can free range safely, do it..they need clean soils, healthy nutrition found on free range first and foremost. If you cannot, the above measures may help you~ if any help can be given~ without spending money for medicines and vets.

In the meantime, I will pray for you in this hard time in your life and urge you to follow the words in that scripture I gave you as if they were a prescription handed to you by a physician...because they were..the Great Physician.

Now..get busy!!!


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## nj2wv (Aug 27, 2013)

slm622 said:


> Does anyone have any ideas for decontamination on the cheap?
> 
> Im having a rough year, I lost my dog of 14 years on my wife and my 3 year anniversary, we found out the same day our daughter would not live, 5 days later we lost our daughter, Im losing chickens left and right to different situations, and my other dog of 14.5 years is really sick and I expect her to not live much longer. Please god take the pain... Make death stop hovering around my life killing everyone and everything I love


I am sorry for all your suffering .. listen to Bee . she has great advice . also i would like to add that R. C. Sproul has a great biblical teaching series on suffering on his website ligonier.org .. or John Macarthur at gty.org .. hope this helps and i will pray for you


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

I am praying too. When someone gets hit by so many bad things at once it can just be overwhelming and it feels like you are so alone...but you are not. God is with you and will carry your burdens if you just let Him. Give it over to Him and rest a bit. Pray always, read His word and understand you are never alone when the Holy Spirit abides within your heart. Sending love your way even now...be prepared to feel it.


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## MamaHen (Apr 15, 2013)

I don't know much about chickens but I'm deeply sorry for your suffering. Endure to the end my friend. Life is to be enjoyed but it is also a test. A trying mixture of enjoyment and endurance. Death will find you no matter what and sometimes too much of it happens at the same time  I was orphaned at 16 and I still miss my parents but I have learned to live with a hole in my heart. I am stronger for it. 

My love of Christ and my Heavenly Father helps a lot. I know he has a beautiful plan for me despite my trials. I think it was Victor Frankle, nazi camp survivor, who said "I hope to be worthy of my sufferings." Meet those challenges and let them make you a deeper and more loving person. In case you want another link here's one more  Mormon.org


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## slm622 (Sep 3, 2013)

Thank you all for your advice and support.. Less than a month from now is my daughters birthday and a year from when we lost her. Bottled up emotions were pouring out,


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## slm622 (Sep 3, 2013)

I know our baby is in heaven with The Lord in eternal bliss, but the pain hasn't yet subsided. Thinking and talking about my daughter gives me joy of her innocent memory and of the time her daddy (me) held her for the first and final time before we laid her body to rest but not her memory and what she brought to my wife and I. Reliving the painful experience though every time I I gaze into my wife's eyes. she cries out from time to time that when asked how's the baby? She has to repeat the worst day of our lives over again and has to explain she's a mother but didn't get to bring her baby home with her.. If you pray for anyone pray for my wife, please, on top of everything we had to endure, my wife had nerve damage due to Epidural and is having chronic back pain and nerve and muscle spasms, she was off of work for months but is back full time, financially though, it put us so far behind, sometimes I just don't know what we'll do.. Thank you for the prayers and comments... God bless!


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## slm622 (Sep 3, 2013)

Update on my flock:

I had quarantined all my birds, removed everything within coop, cleaned out their coop and sanitized everything, fresh hay, water, food, the works. The healthy flock members returned to the coop and the hen with swollen eyes after I cleaned her face I noticed she just had irritated eyes due to sand. Swelling went down and she hasn't acted the least bit ill. 
my rooster on the other hand got extremely ill and wasn't able to breathe, he passed away,
The new hen I suspected to be ill, the seller took back to give her the proper care

He then gave me another hen and a rooster for the inconvenience, learned my lesson with the scare and the loss of a good rooster, the two new birds are quarantined in another pen. The birds were in different pens than the bird he gave me before. All other birds Ive gotten from him have been healthy. All seems well with the rooster, but I just noticed the hen has a swollen left foot. Did some research appears to be the bumblefoot.. My luck is something else. So it appears to not be a very bad infection, she doesn't limp or really show any signs of pain, but I can see the head of the scab, looks like a white head.. After work today when the sun goes down I plan to sterilize a scalpel and wrap the hen in a towel, very carefully with gloves soak the foot in Epsom salt water for ten min and attempt to remove the scab, will have to remove the kernel and infection inside and disinfect and wrap and daily cleansing and disinfecting. Will update when procedures complete.


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## Bee (Jun 20, 2013)

slm622 said:


> I know our baby is in heaven with The Lord in eternal bliss, but the pain hasn't yet subsided. Thinking and talking about my daughter gives me joy of her innocent memory and of the time her daddy (me) held her for the first and final time before we laid her body to rest but not her memory and what she brought to my wife and I. Reliving the painful experience though every time I I gaze into my wife's eyes. she cries out from time to time that when asked how's the baby? She has to repeat the worst day of our lives over again and has to explain she's a mother but didn't get to bring her baby home with her.. If you pray for anyone pray for my wife, please, on top of everything we had to endure, my wife had nerve damage due to Epidural and is having chronic back pain and nerve and muscle spasms, she was off of work for months but is back full time, financially though, it put us so far behind, sometimes I just don't know what we'll do.. Thank you for the prayers and comments... God bless!


Prayers offered and I will continue to offer up prayers and supplication for your family. Know you are loved by your sister in Christ, here in WV, and my heart is breaking for you in your grief.


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