One chick started sneezing...

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The neck stretching and beak gaping is normal. Chicks are little pigs and stuff their crops pretty full. They stretch their necks and act like they're yawning. This helps settle the contents. If you see a chick is doing this repetitively, you can help by massaging its crop in a circular and downward motion with your finger. It helps the contents go down and make the chick more comfortable.

Chick behavior is a fascinating study. You can't spend too much time observing your chicks. The more you learn, the better off your chicks will be.
 
nutmeg2356 said:
I do watch them- a lot more than I probably should
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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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I have heard that they open their mouth and do that when they are too hot. Have you checked that out?
 
BYCforlife said:
I have heard that they open their mouth and do that when they are too hot. Have you checked that out?
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Excellent point. The chicks are now in their fourth week. They should be weaned off heat very soon. At three weeks, chicks should no longer need heat during the day, and by this weekend, they should be ready to ditch the heat lamp at night, too.

You should have been reducing their heat beginning at the end of the first week. If you've been slowly weaning them in this manner, they should not be needing the heat lamp during the day now. Your chicks may in fact be too hot because they're wearing feather jackets now.
 
azygous, I had been weaning them off of the heat. It's pretty far away from their brooder now, the only reason I leave it on is because my office doesn't heat as well as the rest of the house, and can get very very cold. Since we're still in 30/40 degree weather, I'm just making sure they stay a tad warm. I've been weaning them off because I should have the coop done this week, and hope to finish brooding them outside.

As far as the sneezing chicks, I moistened their feed and cracked the window a bit, and it seems to have slowed down. I truly believe their food was way too dusty. Not sure if it was just a dusty bag, but I went to a different store yesterday an got a different brand, so I will be switching to that today.

Now I have my buff orph refusing to put weight on her leg.
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It's always something. After ten years, I still run into problems I don't have answers for. Right now, I have a six-year old Cochin who can't seem to lay her first egg of the season, though we're both doing everything we can.

Is the BO just holding her leg up against her belly or limping? Have you examined her legs and feet for injuries? You'd be surprised at the uncanny ability of chicks to find ways to injure themselves.
 
She is holding it up against her belly, which didn't worry me until I picked her up. She obviously put both feet down on my hand so that she wouldn't fall over, except I could feel how she put all her weight in the "non affected" leg. I looked at it, and when compared to the leg she bears weight on, her ankle seems very large and just the slighted shade of pink. The pad on her foot is also a lot bigger than the other foot, but it isn't hard, its soft and pliable without any black spots, so I don't think its bumble foot. Although I don't know how he would get bumble foot in the brooder..

So I'm not sure if she did something stupid, or got pecked by one of the others. I haven't noticed anyone pecking, though.
 

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