Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT)
A severe herpesvirus that attacks the windpipe. Classic signs are gasping, neck stretching, and coughing up bloody mucus. Often fatal. Survivors stay lifetime carriers.
Mix of AI illustrations and anonymized real cases shared by community keepers. Visual severity varies by bird, age, and stage.
Symptoms
- Gasping / open mouth breathing
- Head stretching to breathe
- Bloody mucus or coughing blood
- Wheezing / rattling breath
- Eye discharge
- Sudden death
Treatment
Call a vet immediately. There is no specific antiviral. Supportive care, warm, humid, low stress environment, separate sick birds. Vaccination of unaffected flockmates can slow spread but must be vet directed. Be ready for losses.
Prevention
Strict biosecurity. Do not visit other flocks during outbreaks. Vaccinate in high risk regions. Quarantine recovered birds for life, they shed the virus when stressed. Cull severely affected birds humanely to reduce flock suffering.