I gave the girls a course of tylan in the last week of September. I didn’t mention it here because I thought perhaps I was just being a bit paranoid.
I had noticed that when I was in with the girls I would hear each and every girl, bigger and smaller, sneeze at some point. All the girls looked absolutely fine and were showing no sign of illness.
I googled chickens sneezing once again. It says that chickens will sneeze from time to time just as we do because of dust but if all of the flock are sneezing then it needs to be treated. My tylan was near to it’s “use by” date anyway so I decided to use it up and get some more stock in for the winter.
Since then the girls have continued to sneeze although I think a bit less. They have all looked fine and I know that last winter the sneezing took a long time to go away completely so I decided to keep a close eye on them.
Yesterday before bedtime when I was cleaning up the run I was hunkered down next to the amigos. I could hear wheezing. It was quite a loud “darth vader” sound. I followed the sound to see where it was coming from and it was Marmite.
Marmite this morning
This fills me dread but I must stay calm and treat them again. This morning I added tylan to the water and had it ready for when the girls came out of the shed. I mix one teaspoon of tylan to one litre of water and put it in both drinkers.
I will keep the girls on this for five days and watch them closely. I am disappointed to need to treat this early in the year as I was expecting to have to do so once we hit the really cold conditions but at the moment we are experiencing really mild temperatures for the time of year.
Having said that I haven’t heard Marmite wheezing today so maybe she had just got a bit of corn stuck. All the girls are sneezing from time to time though. I will continue for five days to be on the safe side. Better safe than sorry.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I hope keeping them on the tylan for 5 days work.
I feel happy with my decision because it can’t do any harm and should safe guard them. I think that I have to stay vigilant and follow my instincts at all times to keep them safe.
When my birthday chickens came to me, one of them, Pepsi, started sneezing really violently within a few hours of arriving. I took her to the vets and she was given Tylan soluble. Unfortunately she died within a few days – it sounded like she just couldn’t clear the mucus in her airway and I think she suffocated – poor Pepsi. Her sister Shirley has been totally fine, but Pootle who was separated only by wire has been sneezing on and off (nowhere near as bad as Pepsi) for about 3 weeks now. After a week I started him (or maybe her I’m not sure) and the 3 Dutch bantams he lives with, on Denegard, then when that ran out after 5 days I put them on Tylan. I’ve just stopped using it after a total of 10 days antibiotics and I haven’t spent much time with hem in the last couple of days but I think the sneezing has pretty much stopped. I hate that I have it in the flock – not least because it means that if Pootle is a boy I can’t move him on – and really hope the others have good enough immune systems to keep it at bay.
Oh I am so sorry. It is so awful when we get new girls and are so excited to have them and then they bring this into our flocks. I am so sorry that you lost Pepsi. I also totally get what you mean about once it’s in your flock it becomes a real problem to have boys that you can’t move on. I was in that position with Blue and it has made me too afraid to have have younger birds ever again. The sneezing has slowed so I hope all will be okay with my flock but I would certainly be happier if the sneezing stopped altogether. I am a great believer in tylan.
I hope yours are OK x
Thank you. I hope that as long as I stay vigilant and treat when I see any signs we should be okay.
I do hope it does the trick xx
Me too. I do have faith in tylan. When I lost Caramel and Pebbles I didn’t know what I was up against and didn’t treat correctly, quickly, enough. Since then I have treated and haven’t lost any more girls to this so I just have to be ever watchful and treat when ever I see any signs. I hope I can keep it at bay but am aware that it is always lurking and I need to stay vigilant. I will worry all winter. xx
You’re straight onto it, even as a possibility, so fingers crossed that your prompt action pays dividends.
I haven’t heard any more wheezing so I think perhaps Marmite got a bit of corn stuck but I am continuing the five days treatment because of the sneezing. They are looking good though and I know from past experience that sneezing can take a while to go completely.