Prevention and management of upper respiratory illnesses in backyard flocks

Prevention and Management of Upper Respiratory Infections in Backyard Chickens

Upper respiratory infections are prevalent in backyard chickens, which severely compromises the health and productivity of the flock. We ae are firm believers of prevention. Prevention is key because once some of these ailments are in, they are in for generations, so keeping it out of your homestead is best. For this reason alone, we don’t bring any new animals in. We don’t take in free animals and we try our best to avoid bringing adult birds from other breeders. When outsourcing is necessary, we make sure they are coming from a trusted source. The following are the key preventive measures and management strategies against this disease.

Practicing good husbandry: The chicken coops should be clean and dry at all times. Regular removal of wastes and renovation of bedding minimizes disease incidence. I use a tiller to tilt the soil before applying DE or Saturday Lime, in addition to fresh bedding. Old feed crumbs can get moldy and create favorable conditions for fungus.

Ventilation: Good ventilation can help prevent respiratory problems. Allow good airflow in the coop to reduce humidity and ammonia buildup. Amonia buildup is one of the main culprits of respiratory infection

Nutrition: This is highly important. Many folks, specially in other cultures think that chickens can survive on corn and other seeds alone. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Chickens, specially laying hens require a balanced diet full of vitamins and minerals. Supplements of vitamins A, D, and E can strengthen the immune system. We regularly supply our chickens with vitamins, specially during the hot summer months and during molt.

Minimize Stress: This is HUGE! Stress can make a chicken's immune system break down. Chickens need to be handled gently, have adequate space to roam about, and be introduced to new flock members through an adjoint coop where they can get familiarized for a period of 30 days or so without physical contact. Traveling and moving is also a very stressful event for a chicken. They need time to adjust to their new environment and soil. Stress can bring about many illnesses, such as a respiratory event.

Quarantine new additions: I cannot stress this enough. Quarantine new birds for at least 30 days to monitor for any signs of illness before adding them to the flock.

Regular Health Monitoring: Keep observing your chickens regularly for nasal discharge, coughing, or lethargy, which indicates illness. Regular health checks can catch problems early.

Vaccination: You may consult a veterinarian about vaccination options against common respiratory pathogens such as Mycoplasma gallisepticum. Note we do not vaccinate against mycoplasma. Our flock is clear from MG and MS per annual necropsy done. I am just letting you know there is a vaccine available but it is costly and and the application is not simple like Marek’s and Fowl Pox.

Management Strategies

Isolate Affected Birds: If one of the chickens presents symptoms of URI, it should be immediately removed from the flock to prevent further spread of infection.

Supportive care consists of comfortable warmth, fluid supplementation, and nutritious feeding. Recovery can then occur in this sickly bird. Denagard is an effective OTC antibiotic you can get from Amazon to treat symptoms of respiratory infections. Mix one TSP of Denagard per gallon of water. Add a tbs or two of raw unfiltered honey. Mix well and serve to your chickens for 5-10 days. Add two TSP if you are losing chickens to respiratory illness.

One natural water additive we use for prevention of upper respiratory ailments is oil of oregano with peperine we get from from Peter Brown, aka chicken doctor (First State Vet Supply). We also recommend and use is Nubiotic . Directions are printed on the bottle. Make sure the water does not get cloudy. If gets cloudy, you added too much of it. One item to keep in stock in your avian pharmacy is VetRX Just a couple drops on the comb, waddles, under the wings kisses the cold away. Another one you need to have handy is terramycin eye ointment. I cannot tell you how many times we used this one. It’s good for wide range of eye conditions ranging from eye worm to eye canker. Just apply twice daily and see the improvement for yourself.

Minimize the exposure of chickens to stressors like drafts, wet, or extreme and sudden changes in temperature to further compromise a potentially fragile respiratory condition.

Adopt good quality bedding. We use and recommend hemp. Hemp is natural and has virtually zero dust, and it is a wonderful absorbent. Your coops will not smell. Apply a couple of layers which will last 2-3 months. Hemp is also great for the soil. We only purchase hemp that is grown and packaged in the U.S. and Canada, with exception of the high grade Aubiose, which comes from Europe (Aubiose is grown in France). We purchased a tote from J Bean Products. It lasts a long time.

Furthermore, monitoring of the process of recovery; only when this has completely occurred, with regard to normal behavior and feeding, can such a chicken be readmitted into the flock.

Through these various steps in prevention and management, incidents of upper respiratory infections can be significantly reduced among backyard chicken populations, maintaining a healthier bird composition within a productive flock. Again, early observation and rapid action are principal components in disease prevention for your flock.

A chicken showing symptoms of respiratory distress may have bubbly eyes or foam like in their eyes, sneezing, coughing, bulgy eye and/or face). You may also smell a fowl odor of phlegm exuding from their nostrils. Unlike with us humans, avian phlegm is solid. In that stage, the chicken requires antibiotics to recover.