Treating Roup/Coryza Upper Respiratory Problems Part 1 Assessment, Nutrition & Herbs.

I'll start this article with a dip into literature. I think this is very important in the understanding of both why I treat a bird holistically and also as an illustration of how society has changed and been influenced by modern medicine.

In her Book of Household Management, first published in 1861, Mrs Beeton referred to:

'The diseases to which  Gallus domesticus is chiefly liable are, arc roup, pip scouring and chip.....The first-mentioned is the most common of all, and results from cold. The ordinary symptoms, - swollen eyes, running at the nostrils, and the purple colour of the wattles.'

Similarly, Hugh Piper in his comprehensive book; Profitable and Ornamental Poultry A Practical Guide, first published in 1871, referred to roup as;

'...caused by exposure to excessive wet or very cold winds. It begins with a slight hoarseness and catching of the breath as if from cold, and terminates in an offensive discharge from the nostrils, froth in the corners of the eyes, and swollen lids. It is very contagious.'

What we are actually talking about here is the common cold, or rather the symptoms of it and in poultry this is sometimes referred to as coryza or interchangeably as catarrh and/or rhinitis. What is interesting though, is that if you dig more deeply into this condition you will see in organic and small backyard flocks it is mostly seasonal and often triggered by allergy (hence damp, musty, dusty mouldy, environments) and/or stress (hence continued periods of low temperatures). 

Despite the words above, i.e. Piper's, 'very contagious' I see this as no reason to panic. To me this just means that because many chickens live in flocks, roost together, share drinkers and food bowls, they are apt to pass on the 'offensive discharge'. However, this does not imply, they will all succumb.  What I believe is referred to here is a secondary infection due to the bird's nostril becoming infected when the detox through the nose is not free-flowing. Blackened, blocked nostrils with an accompanying unpleasant smell are the tell-tale sign of this infection. 

The above symptoms can also be caused by an initial bacterial infection. In my experience of germ theory, bacteria (in this case strains of Haemophilus paragallinarum), are like the poor, always with us. It is directly related to our immune systems, general health, food, emotional state, environment and behaviour as to how and if we are affected by their presence.

As I suppose was to be expected, Haemophilus paragallinarum (now known as Avibacterium paragallinarum), was first identified at the beginning of the 20th century, prior to WW1 and around the time of the first experiments with industrial, intensive farming. The interest in the bacteria and its management was no doubt occasioned by the significant drop in egg production caused by its passage and also the fact that it needed close contact (and stress) to spread.

So, What is it and How do we treat it

Whatever name you wish to call it, roup is as good as any, coming it is presumed from the Middle English for to shout or cry out, roupen and the Old Norse hrŏpa of similar meaning. If you've ever heard a bird with a roupy cough then you'll know how apt this is. Whether caused by environmental factors, secondary infection or Haemophilus paragallinarum, roup can  cause inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. This is an immune system response to the condition, as well as the bacteria producing toxins which can affect the eyes, nostrils and throat. The bird's, cough, runny nose and watery eyes are its way of detoxing these poisons, this is important, when considering how to treat the condition. In essence, my task is always to help the bird to rid itself of the moulds/pollutants and/or bacteria. In other words to aid the detoxification process. Most conventional, allopathic responses are to treat with antibiotic antimicrobial agents, the overuse of these, particularly in farming, have entailed serious repercussions.

My first reaction therefore, is to keep the bird warm, in a stress-free environment and to support the immune system and in particular to avoid foods which increase mucous production and inflammation.

Foods for Preventing & Fighting Inflammation and Mucous Build Up

Although mucous and inflammation both play a role in protecting the body from attack, they can become excessive and add to the problem. One of the key ways in which both can be controlled is by diet. The first thing I always do is to remove all grain albeit sprouted, from a bird's diet. I also up the level of Vitamin A and of course Vitamin C, which is one of the first nutrients to be flushed when the bird is stressed. With reference to Vitamin A, if you have read my article on scaly leg and face mite you will remember the link between Vitamin A deficiency and the over-production of keratin. The complications that this latter can produce include:

• sneezing and swollen sinuses due to the blocking of these cavities with excessive squamous and keratin growth.. leading potentially to
• mucus blockage and thus potential infection, allergy and/or toxicity due to the inability to remove inhaled bacteria, dust and pollutants
• laboured breathing due to similar blockages in the trachea

Thereby witness the importance of Vitamin A in this condition. Also to be considered is the need for zinc, which has been found to be beneficial in stimulating immune system response. Furthermore, zinc also has a role in the transportation of Vitamin A from storage in the liver for use in the rest of the body.

There has recently been interest in researching the effect of Vitamin D3 on upper respiratory tract infections. Since this is a stored vitamin/hormone, which is created in UVB sunlight, which for example is only available to us, here in France for eight months of the year, this might be seen more of a prevention rather than a cure. However, there is a certain amount of vitamin D3 available in foods and one of the best I have found and very acceptable to my chickens, is raw organic butter from grass-fed cows. I just give a small amount, equivalent say to in a large pea/bean-size quantity. (I am in the process of compiling an article and editing a film on D3, which should be available in the coming weeks.)

Highly Coloured Fruit & Vegetables including the all important brassicas:

Cabbage contains several anti-inflammatory nutrients, including:

• anthocyanins (flavenoids which make the red/blue pigment in fruit and vegetables) these are obviously more prevalent in red cabbage,
• polyphenols (antioxidants) present in abundance in all kinds of cabbage,
• the amino acid L-glutamine.
• the glucosinolate, sinigrin, which has anti-microbial properties. The Savoy cabbage I use is the one with a higher proportion of sinigrin, which is also prevalent in the seeds of another brassica, black mustard and was used historically in medicine as a 'mustard plaster'.

Coryza or Roup with Eye Problems & Facial Swelling

I have already discussed coryza associated with conjunctivitis in a previous article and in which I give the herb Euphrasia as one of my tried and tested remedies This includes treating myself when I had conjunctivitis during my exam finals. For birds, one of the easiest and I found most effective deliveries for the herb was through homepathic pillules. The company I use, Boiron, sells Euphrasia Officinalis 6c in the USA, which I have also used here in 6ch (European).  Boiron also sells Euphrasia Officinalis 5ch in the UK too. These suggested potencies for poultry and the dosage of 3 pillules 3 times per day, were given to me by a friend who is an organic farmer and also shadowed an organic vet as part of her training. In the case of a really bad infection, I have followed my sister's advice (also an organic farmer) and given 6 doses of 3 pillules in one day. The reason being, that within 48 hours i.e. six treatments, the patient should be responding well to treatment and looking much better. Therefore by the sixth dose you will know if you are on the right track, something really important in an advanced case. Also in advanced cases you can ignore the usual advice to give homeopathy outside mealtimes, the usual protocol is half an hour before or after food. For more complete information on using homeopathy, please refer to the 'related article' section below.

I will continue this subject in the following article where I will discuss amongst others, the use of steam inhalation for this condition. In my experience this is highly effective and one of the best natural treatments particularly when you have several birds to treat at once.

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from Normandie! Sue

RELATED ARTICLES

Treating Roup/Coryza Respiratory Problems 2 Steam Inhalation

Steam inhalation is one of the oldest forms of delivery for medicines. Evidence for its use is found in ancient Egyptian medical texts, such as the  Ebers papyrus (1,554 B.C.).....read more

Treating eye problems & facial swelling. Assessment-Observations-Techniques.

This is Clementina, she has a problem with swelling around both eyes and inflammation  of the third eyelid...read more

Treating eye Problems & facial swelling. Herbal Infusions-Compresses-Eye Baths

Sharing two home-made infusions for the treatment of eyes. They are both edible so there is no problem if your bird drinks them...read more

Scaly Leg and Face Mite Infestations Why They Happen & What To Do Part 1

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Further Reading

BLACKALL, R.J. Antimicrobial Drug Resistance and the Occurrence of Plasmids in Haemophilus paragallinarum. Americal Association of Avian Pathologists, 1988, 32(4), 742-747. You can read this for free on JSTOR.org

Eye Problems and their Treatment in Organic Poultry - Part Two Herbal Infusions, Compresses and Eye Baths

Payment in full. Clementina must be feeling better as last evening she presented us with an egg. After an extremely hot Summer, the hens have taken a long time to come back into full plumage and thus back on to lay. So things are looking good for our Mrs Beeton's John Bull's Own Christmas Pudding and her Bride cake with its 24 eggs!

In this post I am going to share two infusions I make for the treatment of eyes. They are both edible so there is no problem, as usually happens when giving eye washes, eye baths and compresses to poultry, if some of the liquid is imbibed by the patient. My first infusion is so beautiful I'm sure the perfume it exuded as it melted from its frozen state, reminding us as it did of warmer and drier days, did a lot to help in Clementina's cure.

Rose Petal Infusion - with a touch of the Bard

This is an infusion you can prepare from your garden roses, provided you are gardening organically or at least do not use chemical sprays. I use roses a great deal in cooking so I usually make my rose water all through the Summer and from the most heavily scented rose. By chance the best rose for culinary purposes is also, as its name suggests, the best one for medicinal use. This is the Apothecary's Rose., rosa gallica Officinalis. It is also known as the Red Rose of Lancaster, which in legend was the emblem chosen by the royal house of Lancaster prior to the War of the Roses, a conceit made famous in Shakespeare's Henry VI part 1 (Act 2, Scene iv)

'And here I prophesy: this brawl to-day, 
Grown to this faction in the Temple-garden, 
Shall send between the red rose and the white 
A thousand souls to death and deadly night.
 

The simplest way to prepare rose water is to take the petals from the heads of your roses and pack them tightly into  a cup or jar. Using the same recipient, measure double the amount of petals in mineral water. Bring the latter to the boil, pour it over the petals, cover and leave until the water is at room temperature or until the petals have lost their colour.

Drain off the water making sure to squeeze out the petals. You will be left with a beautiful coloured and scented liquid. This you can either store in a refrigerator for up to a month (I don't have one) or as I do, freeze in an ice cube tray or bag, from which you may cut chunks as needed.

Rose water compresses should be given cold so using the rose water from the freezer, just as it has melted, is ideal. I did find with my rose water that it contained a little residue from the petals, so I used the cotton wool pad itself as an extra filter, thus placing the undipped side against Clementina's eye.

Compresses and Cotton Wool

I was reading a web article recently which advised against making your own compresses because of the lack of sterility of the pads. Whereas, I would be more worried about the potential poisonous residues within the fabric. Given that 25% of the World's pesticides are used in the cultivation of cotton, I am really happy to have been able to obtain a large supply of certified organic cotton wool. I found these priced a few centimes per pack at our local thrift shop. It sells 'over stocked' goods and those which have imperfections, a classic being 'the Princess and the Six Elves Garden Set', an obvious malentendu between manufacturer and client for Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. The biodegradable bag the cotton wool was contained in split along its seam once I had opened and closed it on the drawstring a couple of times, which I presume was the problem. So if you have a similar discount shop in your area it might be worth paying them a visit.

The compress can be held against the eye for a few minutes but do not keep it on if your hen exhibits too much stress as you will be defeating the object. In this latter case it may be better to  give the eye a 'bath' which is obviously of a much shorter duration. I will demonstrate this in the next section. The compress is also a very useful way of opening an eye which has been stuck shut due to conjunctivitis, for example but always remember to use a fresh compress for each eye.

Infusion of Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)

Here in France, where the tisane or herbal tea is just as common a beverage as coffee, dried organic herbs for making a whole raft of them are readily available. Medicinal dried herbs are also found at high street chemists/pharmacies. Furthermore, in the larger towns and cities a pharmacy may have a dedicated herbalist offering loose herbs which may be bought by weight, this is where I purchased the euphrasia pictured below. You can also order herbs from a pharmacy and most can be delivered within 24 hours.This the French paradox, where allopathy, homeopathy and herbalism and many other traditional medicines coexist and there is a market for both and often from the same clients.

In Europe, Euphrasia officinalis has been used as a medicinal plant for diseases and conditions of the eye since the fourteenth century and in particular those associated with the various forms of coryza (catarrh).

To make the infusion, take one teaspoon of the dried herb and add to 100 ml of boiling mineral or distilled water, let the mix boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to infuse for a further 10 minutes, then strain through a filter (I used an unbleached coffee filter). This infusion should be used whilst warm and will keep for a few days in a refrigerator.

To use as an eye wash or bath, get the hen comfortable on your knee and then simply run the infusion into the eye. This may look messy but I have found it works extremely well, particularly in the case of conjunctivitis, where there may be bubbles and crusty residues in and around the eyes.

Now if you'd like to, sit back and watch my film on using steam inhalation:

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube, Odysee  or BitChute Channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue

RELATED ARTICLES

Treating eye problems & facial swelling. Assessment-Observations-Techniques.

This is Clementina, she has a problem with swelling around both eyes and inflammation  of the third eyelid...read more

 
RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE
© 2013 Sue Cross

Treating Eye Problems & Facial Swelling - Homeopathy, Herbalism and Hens Part 1 Assessment, Observation & Techniques of Delivery.

This is my little Sebright/Polish/Sicilian Buttercup cross Clementina, she has a problem with swelling around both eyes and also an inflammation  of the third eyelid. In the case of any eye problems and I've had a few over the year, particularly with Sebrights, I have followed a combination of foodstuffs and homeopathic and herbal medicines which have proved a most effective combination.

Here she is again after a few of days of treatment.

As you can see her whole demeanor has changed. Apart from the swelling around the eyes, which had almost completely gone after the first 48 hours of treatment, her comb, always a good indication of health, had also returned to normal. She still has inflammation, particularly of the left eyelid, but I am now going on to treat this with compresses.

Assessment and observation

As with all health problems with my flock, the first thing I do is to have a look at the bird as a whole and see what is going on in her surroundings. I must say with Clementina because she is such a vivacious creature, it took me a fair few days before I noticed anything was wrong. We have a lot of nettles in our garden both to eat and as a food plant for caterpillars, so at first, I presumed she had been stung and that this was just a passing problem. She had no obvious other symptoms but I did notice she was being chased by one of my young cockerels, Pip, so presumed stress was part of the equation. I know this from my own experience, as the only time I contracted conjunctivitis, was during my exam finals and I treated it successfully with the same herb I always use on the poultry, viz., Euphrasia officinalis, common name, Eyebright. I also presumed if she was being pursued that she was spending a good time up trees and less time foraging and eating and she would already have been in the vicious circle of stress induced nutrient depletion, which would cause her more stress. So the first thing was to remove her from the flock momentarily and up her quota of the A and E vitamins, which have a direct influence on the health of the eyes. I also gave her some virgin organic coconut oil, which is a great support for the immune system.

Homeopathy 

In France, where we live, homeopathy (and herbal medicine) co-exist alongside allopathic treatments and are often available in high street chemist's shops. However, they are also readily available online and some laboratories also have them as certified organic. I have found the 'pillule' the easiest form of euphrasia to give to poultry. The required dose of 3 pellets or pillules is fed into the top of the container and then these can be poured directly into the beak.This process is important as homeopathy has very specific rules about its delivery to the patient as handling the pillules contaminates them with oils from the skin and renders them ineffective. This is because homeopathic pills do not have a protective covering and thus even a slight contact with the fingers can cause the pills to begin to dissolve onto the skin thus altering the dosage. For the same reason if you drop the pills onto the floor or table, for example, they will be compromised, so throw them away Similarly you should not be giving any strong additional medicine, such as essential oils, at the same time.

The same company I use, Boiron, sells Euphrasia Officinalis 6c (USA) which I have also used here in 6ch (European).  Boiron also sells Euphrasia Officinalis 5ch in the UK too. These suggested potencies for poultry and the dosage of 3 pillules 3 times per day, were suggested to me by a friend who is an organic farmer and also shadowed an organic vet as part of her training. In the case of a really bad infection, I have followed my sister's advice (also an organic farmer) and given 6 doses of 3 pillules in one day. The reason being, that within 48 hours i.e. six treatments, the patient should be responding well to treatment and looking much better. Therefore by the sixth dose you will know if you are on the right track, something really important in an advanced case. Also in advanced cases you can ignore the usual advice to give homeopathy outside mealtimes, the usual protocol is half an hour before or after food.

If you are giving treatment on your own, then my tip is to clamp the bird firmly but gently with your knees, this gives you both hands free to open the beak and pour in the pillules.

Another tip, if you are giving homeopathic medicine for the first time and/or to a nervous subject then buy more than one tube of pillules! Homeopathic medicine is not expensive, we a talking a couple of euros or a few dollars here and with the first two or three treatments you are possibly going to end up with a few pillules rolling around on the floor. I gave my first homeopathic treatment to Sneezy my Sebright when she had conjunctivitis, eight years ago but as you will see in the film, I can still waste a couple of pellets. 

Once I am sure, by using the 6 doses rule-of-thumb that I have the correct treatment, I continue with it until the symptoms have cleared.

Coryza

This is an interesting and quite common problem with chickens and often in the Winter months. Coryza or catarrh is not actually an illness it is a symptom, or a sign that the body is ridding itself of toxins. Often these may be moulds, dust or even draughts, anything in fact which can irritate the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. On rare occasions this can also be caused by bacteria, which can take hold of a flock if your birds have impaired immune systems. However, because chickens do not possess either hands or handkerchiefs, the running nose often seen with coryza can become blocked and lead to secondary symptoms and infection. In the case of this leading to eye problems, I have found euphrasia officinalis most effective in dealing with it. With regards to prevention, if your bird is exhibiting signs of coryza, then it is most important that the nose keeps flowing, I use a herbal inhalation for this, the link for which can be found in 'Related Articles' below. It is suitable for both adults, children and birds as it fills the whole room with fragrant steam rather than needs the patient to position themselves directly over the source. I did not find when I used it that it in any way impaired the efficacy of the euphrasia officinalis pillules.

So here is Clemetina looking a whole lot better but with still a little swelling in the left third eyelid. So I am now going on to treat this topically, which I will deal with in the next post. I will also be posting the film I made too. I always feel that hens know so much more about how to treat themselves than we do. Last night I let her into the outbuilding, where we keep all the vegetable and fruit crates, which we get from our local organic shop. The first thing she did was jump onto one of the crates and start consuming leaves of swiss chard!

Follow this link for Part Two which shows how to make the herbal and flower infusions and how I made organic compresses and eye baths to soothe and treat Clementina's eyes:

Thanks for dropping by and do feel free to share experiences or ask for further information in the comment section. If you have enjoyed this piece and found it useful think about sharing it with your family and friends, on social media and also maybe about joining this blog and/or subscribing to my Youtube, Odysee  or BitChute Channel or even supporting us on Patreon or

It all helps to keep me going!

Until next time, all the very best from sunny Normandie! 

Sue

RELATED ARTICLES

Treating Roup/Coryza Upper Respiratory Problems 1 Assessment, Nutrition & Herbs.

I'll start this article with a dip into literature. I think this is very important in the understanding of both why I treat a bird holistically and also as an illustration of how society has changed..read more

Treating Roup/Coryza Respiratory Problems 2 Steam Inhalation

Steam inhalation is one of the oldest forms of delivery for medicines. Evidence for its use is found in ancient Egyptian medical texts, such as the  Ebers papyrus (1,554 B.C.).....read more

RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE

© 2013 Sue Cross