One chick started sneezing...

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nutmeg2356

nutmeg2356

Chirping
Feb 28, 2017
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Hello everyone!
Last night, pickle, one of our silver laced wyandotte chicks started sneezing. I put my hand in the brooder to let them jump on my hand, like I always do, and she sneezed and I felt water hit my arm. She isn't wheezing from what I can tell, and none of the other 7 chicks are sneezing from what I can tell. She doesn't have discharge (I think?). They were 3 weeks old on Thursday. They are currently in my office, in a large circle brooder on aspen shavings. The top is wire, so there is good ventilation, and there aren't any drafts since they're indoors and under the heat lamp

Should I be worried, or segregate her from the rest? I would hate to do that, as she is one of the "pushy" chicks, and I'm worried if I segregate her then she will be even more pushy when reintroduced..
 
One sneeze or many sneezes? Is she still sneezing? Is it continuous or isolated?

It's unlikely there is something to worry about. Chickens sneeze to clear their breathing passages just like humans and other animals.

By the way, there is no "medication" in medicated crumbles. It has amprolium in it only to block the uptake of B vitamins in order to inhibit the life cycle of the cocci parasite. Chicks raised indoors in a brooder don't even need it. It's mainly for raising chicks outdoors on ground where the cocci organism is present naturally.
 
It was a single sneeze every 45 seconds or so. The couple minutes I spent with them, she sneezed about 7 times
 
What are you using for bedding in the brooder? Cedar shavings let off a toxic vapor. Straw may be dusty and irritating to breathing passages. Peat moss is extremely dusty and may be hard on respiratory systems. DE is also irritating yet a popular ingredient in bedding as odor control.

Check out their eyes and nares (nostrils) for any kind of discharge. Other signs of illness are gasping or labored breathing, sitting around fluffed up all the time, soiled vent feathers, being lethargic and eating/drinking/poop changes. Also check the throat for any stuck foreign matter. You will need help to do this.

If all the chick is doing is sneezing occasionally, I wouldn't worry.
 
They are on aspen shavings. Just held most of them for a bit, no sneezing, but pickle and two others are still shaking their head and water is flying out. No discharge around their nose or eyes, they're EXTREMELY active. No gasping or other signs besides the head shaking with the water flying out.
 
Here once again frequency of occurrence is crucial. Constant head shaking is concerning while occasional shaking is normal.

You need to calmly observe your chicks for a while, and this will show you what's normal behavior. What you seem to be doing is what a new parent does with a first baby - panic at every isolated sneeze and cry. Observation will teach you about chick behavior, and after a while, you will then be able to tell when something is "off".

By the way, you may see that your chicks always shake their heads after drinking to get the water off their beaks.
 
I do watch them- a lot more than I probably should
love.gif
My fiancee thinks I'm losing it haha! But this head shaking is a new behavior, as well as the one gaping her mouth and stretching her neck out. I have never seen any of them do this, even after drinking. That's why it concerned me so much
 

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