# Hen making bubbles out of her nose!



## GBov (May 4, 2008)

One of our silkies is all spikey and has bubbles and gurgles of mucus coming from her nose. She smells VERY faintly of rotting meat, is eating and drinking alright and is up and walking but with lots of rests and sleeping and one of her eyes wont open. 

Whats up with that and how do I help her?


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## mitchell3006 (Apr 1, 2010)

You can't really help her. You can infect the rest of your flock and loose them all. The safest step is to cull her and treat the rest while saying several prayers. Sorry.

Re: Coryza
DEFINITION: Infectious Coryza (IC) is an infectious contagious respiratory bacterial disease of several avian species. The disease is acute to subacute at onset but progresses to a chronic state as the disease works through the flock. Common names for the disease are roup, cold and Coryza. Coryza is characterized by nasal discharge, facial swelling, sneezing, labored breathing and *fetid odor* of the exudates. Coryza is a disease of the upper respiratory tract--trachea, sinuses and air passages of the head. Coryza occurs worldwide. In the United States, it is predominately found in small noncommercial, menagerie, or hobby type flocks. The causative agent is Hemophilus paragallinarum, a polar staining, pleomorphic, non-motile, gram negative rod that was first described in 1920. There are three antigenic types (A, B, and C) which all share certain antigens. H. paragallinarum requires "V" factor, a special growth factor in the media to grow. While chickens are the primary host of Coryza, pheasants, guinea fowl and turkeys are also susceptible. It is assumed that other gamebird species will become infected if commingle on a regular basis with chronically infected gamebirds or poultry flocks. Age-wise, Coryza is a disease of juvenile and mature birds or birds 14 weeks of age or older. The incubation period is 1 to 3 days and the course of the disease is 4 to 12 weeks.

TRANSMISSION AND CLINICAL SIGNS:

Chronically ill or inapparent healthy carrier birds are the reservoir of infection. *The source of the disease is often the addition of carrier birds to the flock. Recovered birds remain carriers and shedders for life.* Transmission occurs by direct bird to bird contact, inhalation of infectious aerosols coughed into the air, or through ingestion of contaminated feed and water. The organism can be transferred on contaminated clothing, equipment and fomites. Incubation is 1
to 3 days with duration of the disease 14 days in the infected individual bird. The slow spread extends the period of sick birds within the flock to several weeks. The presence of other respiratory infections as mycoplasma will increase the duration and severity of illness of sick birds and impact on flock growth and production. *Once a flock has been infected, it is a constant threat to other clean flocks*. The clinical signs are those of an upper respiratory disease--sneezing, lacrimation, swollen face, and nasal exudates. The nasal exudates are thick clear sticky in texture with a fetid or rotten odor. Sick birds become lethargic, will sit humped, have ruffled feathers, go off feed and water and have swollen faces. Some birds also have sinusitis. The facial swelling is primarily around the eye and not always involving the infra-orbital sinus. Mortality can be as high as 50 percent but usually no more than 20 percent. The course and mortality of the disease correlate with the virulence of the pathogen, treatment, and concomitant infections.

LESIONS AND DIAGNOSIS:

In the acute stage, the principal lesions are swollen face, watery eyes, rhinitis, nasal exudates that become crusty on the beak around nostrils and cheesy in nostrils and sinuses. Eyelids stick together by the exudate or an accumulation of cheesy exudate in the conjunctival sac. Early exudates are copious, grayish-yellowish, thick and sticky. Other lesions include tracheitis, bronchitis and on occasion air sacculitis. The exudates in the trachea produce raffling (rales). A presumptive diagnosis can be rendered on the flock history, progress of the disease and the lesions. When present, the fetid odors of nasal exudates are diagnostic. Confirmation requires laboratory diagnostic work up with isolation and identification of the organism. The pathogen has special growth media requirement; therefore, the bacteriology laboratory must be alerted to the diagnostic suspicion of infectious Coryza (H. paragallinarum). The organism can be demonstrated in a gram-stained smear of the nasal exudates. Cultures should be made from nostrils, eye, cleft and trachea plus lung or air sacs if lesions are present. Flock treatment should be started based on presumptive diagnosis.

TREATMENT AND CONTROL:

Flock medication with a sulfonamide or antibiotic is recommended. Various sulfonamides -- sulfadimethoxine (SDM), sulfaqumnline (SQ), sulfamet hazine *(sulmet)* are all effective; however, sulfadimethoxine is the safest and the one prescribed as treatment of choice. SQ and Sulmet are more toxic and require intermittent administration. Therapy in the drinking water will give more immediate response and reduce the severity of the disease. Feed administration of the sulfa or antibiotic does extend the period of treatment for better control. A combination treatment approach is advisable. Administer medication in the drinking water until medicated feed can be provided. Antibiotics that are beneficial include tetracycline, erythromycin, spectihomycin and tylosin. All are safe and approved for use in poultry. *Control cannot be accomplished with drugs alone.* Management is equally important. A bacterin is available that can be used in a control or eradication program. The bacterin requires multiple injections to be effective which makes it costly and cumbersome for commercial flocks. Control requires attention to flock sanitation, biosecurity, preventive medication, clean and sanitary premises, and disease-free replacements.


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## mitchell3006 (Apr 1, 2010)

As a continuation here is the worst part:

PREVENTION:

Prevention requires eradication of the disease (depopulation if necessary), good husbandry, strict biosecurity, all in-all out program, raise own breeder replacement, and do not mix ages or species. Most outbreaks occur as a result of mixing flocks. If you have an outbreak, segregate birds by age, etc., properly dispose of dead birds, medicate to stop the spread of the disease and initiate eradication procedures. Do not save recovered birds for breeder replacements. Premises should be vacant for 30 to 60 days after cleaning and disinfecting before repopulating or onset of the new season. Breeders should be replaced from a Coryza-clean source.


_This article originally appeared in the December 1997 Issue of The UPA Newsletter. Reproduction elsewhere in any form without prior consent from the UPA is strictly prohibited. Â© 1997 The United Peafowl Association. All rights reserved._

It is absolute hell to deal with. Warm moist conditions seem to make it worse. I have fought it in the past and now hate to have folks with birds even come on my place for fear they may bring it.

Mark


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Thank you for the info!

A question though (and not to make your blood boil) but wouldn't it be better to let it run its course through my flock? The ones that survive - and its a light mortality illness from what I understand - will be laying eggs like normal before too long.

Yes they would be carriers but so what? I dont sell my birds and have no contact with anyone with chickens.

Perhaps its just me but it makes sense to make a strong flock by letting them get exposed to normal things and breeding the survivors for resistance instead of killing them all and starting over with more birds that will fall prey just as easily as this one did.


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## Dazlin (Nov 26, 2007)

I've been in this situation before, and I understand what your saying. It's entirely up to you if you want to expose your flock to this disease. Most of the time, they're exposed to alot of stuff we don't ever know about. However..if I were you, I would medicate the enire flock with Tylan. If the sick bird gets any worse, I'd put it down. In the meantime, you can boost their immune system with raw liver, cayenne pepper, add apple cidar vinegar to drinking water (only after meds are finished). I also add fishmeal on their food every day. I haven't had any sick birds for about the last year now.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

She is doing alright, eating and drinking, and no signs of illness in the rest of the flock.

Keeping a sharp eye out but so far so good.


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## mitchell3006 (Apr 1, 2010)

You can work toward building a flock with immunity but always run the risk of new outbreaks. Any new birds brought into the flock will be subjected to the disease. It always seems to kill the best and hardest to replace birds. The scrubs are never affected. 
There is a vaccine available but it takes multiple treatment and gives resistance not immunity. Personally I don't think it's worth it. 
Management is the key. I like sand floors in my pens since they stay drier.
Good Luck

Mark


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Will the chicks hatched from eggs by a resistant hen be resistant too?


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

I have a bottle of Sulmet that says it treats coryza and I have now managed to build a big, goat proof pen and put all the chickens into it so am going to treat the flock. 

Is Sulmet good enough?


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Oh, and can a chicken with coryza be eaten?


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