How to Treat Coryza in Chickens Naturally: Organic Solutions

Coryza, also known as chicken’s version of common cold, is caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum, a bacterial infection that affects the respiratory tract of chickens. It is a contagious and highly infectious disease that spreads quickly, leading to cold-like symptoms such as snotty nostrils, gunky eyes, and sneezing.

These symptoms are often accompanied by facial swelling, nasal discharge, and inflammation of the wattles and face. Chickens with respiratory ailments may also experience breathing problems, reduced appetite, weight loss, and poor growth, ultimately affecting their egg production and performance.

For older birds and those with weak immune systems, the disease can be fatal, leading to death and the need to cull infected animals.

Preventing and treating coryza requires quick action. The disease can be diagnosed with a presumptive diagnosis based on clinical signs and confirmed with a PCR assay or bacterial culture. Antimicrobial treatment may help infected birds recover, but prevention is crucial. Adopting proper biosecurity measures and vaccinating against the appropriate serovars is essential for minimizing outbreaks.

Ensuring clean living conditions and using organic seed or organic treats can support chicken health and help in the recovery process. By promoting good preparation and ensuring access to clean water, you can help reduce mortality rates and maintain a healthy flock. By effectively eliminating disease, you’ll see improvements in overall growth rate, performance, and productivity, adding value to your farm and the long-term health of your birds.

How to Treat Coryza in Chickens Naturally- Short Answer

What is Infectious Coryza in Chickens?

Infectious coryza is a bacterial disease affecting backyard chickens, caused by Haemophilus paragallinarum or Avibacterium paragallinarian. This respiratory disease primarily affects the upper respiratory tract, leading to symptoms like sneezing, coughing, inflammation, swollen tissues, and discharge from the mucus membranes.

The disease, also known as hemophilus infection or infectious catarrh, was first diagnosed by De Blieck in 1931. It results in respiratory distress for the chicken, much like the common cold in humans. Infected birds may experience poor growth, reduced egg laying, and in some cases, fatalities, particularly in weaker birds.

The disease spreads through respiratory droplets, which can be passed from one bird to another when an infected chicken sneezes or coughs. Even chickens who recover and build immunity remain carriers, meaning they can still transmit the infection to noninfected chickens.

These asymptomatic carriers are a risk during poultry sales or poultry shows, where they can expose new birds to the infection. While the disease is usually not fatal, it does affect egg profitability and can cause a 10-40% reduction in production, hurting farm sustainability.

The incubation period is typically between one to three days, and the disease can last anywhere from two to three weeks, during which the bird’s immune system fights off the infection.

Although infectious coryza isn’t as severe as some other diseases, like Marek’s disease, it is still problematic, especially in commercial flocks in areas like California and the southeastern states. The disease can affect pullets, laying hens, and broilers of all ages, but older chickens are more susceptible to severe symptoms.

Treatment requires lifelong care, as even after recovery, infected birds can relapse due to their role as carriers. Relapse can make managing the disease difficult, requiring consistent monitoring and preventive measures like biosecurity and vaccination to reduce the spread.

Young and adult chickens can both develop infections that affect their droppings, overall energy, and growth, making proper health monitoring essential.

Symptoms of Infectious Coryza in Chickens

Infectious coryza in chickens often presents with symptoms similar to the common cold, including nasal discharge, watery eyes, and sticky eyes. As the infection progresses, facial swelling around the sinuses and wattles is commonly observed. Chickens may experience difficulty breathing, sneezing, mouth breathing, and abnormal breathing sounds due to blocked sinuses.

Infected chickens also show tearful eyes, eye secretions, and gunky eyes. The foul-smelling nasal discharge becomes more pronounced as the sinuses become infected. These symptoms often appear within 2-3 days after infection, and the disease can last 7-11 days or more, especially if there are secondary bacterial infections like mycoplasma or Newcastle disease virus, which can increase the mortality rate.

Chickens with infectious coryza also show signs of poor growth, decreased appetite, emaciation, refusal to eat, and a drop in food & water intake. Cocks often develop swollen wattles, while hens may experience reduced egg production or stop laying eggs altogether.

In severe cases, chickens may show signs of anorexia, become dull or depressed, and develop messy feathers. The disease can spread more rapidly, leading to infection spreading faster in poor conditions. The birds may also experience worsening symptoms if not treated promptly, with chronic infection becoming a risk.

By the time the infection becomes chronic, infected chickens may continue to carry the pathogen, even after recovering. This can lead to lifelong health issues, requiring lifelong treatment and careful management.

Chickens 3-4 months old are particularly susceptible to infectious coryza and may experience prolonged symptoms like runny nose, tearful eyes, and continued eye secretions. Infected birds may lose weight, show signs of decreased activity, and exhibit mental malaise as the disease persists.

How Coryza is Spread Among Chickens

Coryza is highly airborne and spreads easily from chicken-to-chicken through infected droplets of saliva, snot, or coughing. These bacteria can be inhaled or ingested by other chickens when they come into contact with contaminated feed, water, bedding, or dust particles.

Carrier birds who don’t show symptoms are often reservoirs of infection and can transmit the disease to other chickens. The bacteria A paragallinarum is the primary cause, and it can spread quickly in poultry shows or bird markets, where chickens from different areas are in close proximity.

The incubation period for infectious coryza is short, typically 1–3 days, and the disease can last 2–3 weeks. Chickens of all ages are susceptible, but as chickens age, they become more vulnerable to infection.

The disease is primarily spread through direct contact between infected and healthy chickens, but it can also be transmitted via contamination of drinking water or other shared resources. It is important to note that the disease is not transmitted via eggs, so there’s no risk of passing the infection to eggs laid by an infected chicken.

Infected birds who recover will build immunity to the bacteria but will remain carriers for life. These non-infected chickens can also become exposed to infected chickens, making it important to maintain proper biosecurity.

The disease can spread faster in poor conditions, particularly when chickens are housed together in multiple-age layer flocks without all-in-all-out management, which is commonly used in commercial broiler operations to prevent outbreaks. Molecular techniques such as real-time PCR (qPCR), restriction endonuclease analysis, ribotyping, serotype prediction, and targeted gene sequencing are often used to trace the spread of infectious coryza.

These new typing tools are essential in predicting and identifying the serotype of the infection. In regions like the US, maintaining proper management and biosecurity is crucial in preventing the spread of chronic illness in poultry flocks.

What Happens if the Bird is Untreated?

If a chicken with coryza is left untreated for 24 to 48 hours, the mucus in the eyes can start to form a plug, which gradually gets larger, leading to increased inflammation. Debris and excess mucus will build up, making it harder for the bird to see and breathe. If this happens, it’s important to clean the bird’s eyes carefully and apply antiseptic cream to prevent infection.

Vibrain capsules can be dissolved in water and given to the bird to aid recovery, while adding vitamin C to the water helps reduce stress and supports the bird’s overall health. Without treatment, the condition will worsen, putting the bird’s well-being at risk.

Treating Infectious Coryza Organically

Ingredients:

• 5 grams ginger
  
• 5 grams turmeric
  
• 1 clove of garlic
  
• 60 ml clean water
  
• 250 ml normal water
  
• Antiseptic cream
  
• Good drops
  
• Clean gloves
  
• Vaseline
  

Procedure:

1. Prepare the organic treatment:
   
   • Crush the ginger and turmeric into a paste.
     
   • Add the paste to 60 ml of clean water and mix well.
     
   • Add 1 clove of garlic, ground or crushed, to the mixture.
     
   • Give this mixture to the birds to drink for 8 hours daily over the next 4 consecutive days.
     
2. External eye treatment:
   
   • Use antiseptic cream for cleaning the eyes.
     
   • Apply good drops into each eye.
     
   • Use clean gloves to gently handle the chicken. Ensure that stress is minimized during this time.
     
3. For soothing and protection:
   
   • Apply vaseline on the shut eyes after the treatment to help with healing.
     
   • Ensure the birds are in a clean environment, avoiding any exposure to incense or strong smells.
     

Repeat this treatment daily for optimal results.

Disclaimer and Limitations of Organic Treatment

The disclaimer that I’m going to give is that the organic treatment that I’m going to give you today does not work in severely affected chickens. If the disease is widespread and has reached severe stages, you can call a vet for effective diagnosis and treatments. 

The Importance of Early Treatment

It’s important to treat the chicken early with organic methods for the best results. Waiting until the chicken is severely infected with IBTS (Infectious Bronchitis) makes treatment much more difficult. As soon as you notice signs of infection, such as watery eyes or mild swelling, take immediate action. If the chicken develops a high fever or shows symptoms like watery eyes, it’s a clear indication that the disease is present and needs to be addressed quickly.

Preventing Coryza in Your Flock

To prevent infectious coryza in your backyard chickens, start with strong biosecurity practices. This includes controlling exposure to outside sources like new birds or wild birds that might bring in pathogens. If you bring in replacement birds, always quarantine them for a few weeks to ensure they are free from infection before adding them to your flock.

Regularly disinfect feeders, waterers, equipment, and ensure clean coops to reduce the chance of bacteria spreading. Also, be vigilant about housekeeping, ensuring soil, spilled water, feces, and dust do not accumulate, as these can make a damp, dirty coop an ideal place for bacteria to thrive.

Implementing sound management practices is essential, especially in epidemic areas where the risk of coryza is higher. When you remove infected birds, make sure the coop is disinfected and remains vacant for at least 3 weeks. This helps to eliminate any remaining bacteria and prevents re-infection.

Use inactivated vaccines as part of your prevention strategy, ensuring the chickens are vaccinated when they are 6-8 weeks old, and revaccinated twice a year. It’s important to control entry into your farm by restricting access from foreign personnel, vehicles, and other sources of contamination.

This will minimize the risk of infection spreading to healthy chickens. Also, monitor your flock for any abnormalities, and take immediate action if you notice symptoms of coryza.

Maintaining a healthy flock is also about supporting their immune system with a balanced diet, proper care, and a clean environment. Hygiene and biosafety are key to reducing infections and keeping your flock safe. Be mindful of ammonia gas, overcrowding, and other environmental factors that can compromise their health.

By managing dust, ensuring good ventilation, and addressing oxygen levels, you can reduce the risk of illness and prevent deterioration of your chickens’ health.

Environmental Factors and Their Impact on Eye Health

Chickens kept in dusty environments or areas with excessive waste are more likely to develop eye problems. Poorly managed environments with high levels of ammonia gas indoors can worsen eye conditions. Additionally, fighting between birds or contact with sharp objects may cause eye injuries.

Fungi, viruses, bacteria, or parasites can also infect the eyes, leading to further damage. It’s important to determine whether the issue is due to an infectious crisis or poor management, as other diseases may also be contributing to the problem.

Managing Additional Health Risks and Minimizing Stress

If there are any additional diseases, the eyes may also be affected. Therefore, it’s crucial to minimize stress on the birds and provide them with a healthy environment. Make sure they get enough rest and avoid any further stress. If this is not managed properly, their weight will decrease, and productivity will drop. Their immunity will also weaken, which could lead to potential loss.

 Frequently Asked Questions

Can chickens recover from coryza?

Chickens of all ages are vulnerable to infection; those that survive usually make a full recovery but continue to shed the bacteria as lifelong carriers.

What herbs are good for coryza?

Herbal treatments include plenty of garlic, strong sage tea, finely chopped spruce shoots mixed with bran and molasses, and offering eyebright tea.

What is a homemade antibiotic for chickens?

Turmeric, a widely used spice in many countries, has been valued for centuries in traditional medicine due to its antimicrobial properties. Recent studies suggest that turmeric could serve as a viable alternative to antibiotics in poultry production.

What is the main cause of coryza?

Infectious coryza is a widely known and frequently seen upper respiratory tract disease in chickens, caused by the bacterium Haemophilus paragallinarum.

Conclusion:

Infectious coryza is a serious but manageable disease in backyard chickens, caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum. Early detection and supportive care are crucial for recovery, and maintaining strong biosecurity practices, such as quarantining new birds, disinfecting coops, and ensuring proper hygiene, are key to preventing outbreaks.

While vaccines can help reduce the risk, proper housekeeping, balanced diets, and minimizing stress are essential for supporting chicken health and boosting their immunity. By managing environmental factors like dust, ammonia gas, and overcrowding, you can create a healthy flock and reduce the risk of further health issues, ensuring long-term productivity and well-being for your chickens.