Please tell me I'm overreacting

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Airilith

Airilith

Songster
10 Years
Sep 28, 2009
478
5
121
Eastern Shore, VA
Ok first time chick mommy here (these are the only birds I have, so no cross contamination). And I'm starting to freak out just a little. But if I look at this rationally I can explain everything without coming to the conclusion that I have a bad disease on my hands.

I got my chicks on Thursday from Ideal hatchery. Everything was just fine until last night. I did my chick check at 10pm only to find that one of the little silkies is sneezing alot. But I also figured out how the chicks were eating so much feed. They were taking dust baths in it (yes it's time to get a new feed dish). So there was feed dust everywhere. So after calming myself down I chalked it up to feed dust.

Well this morning she's still sneezing. And there are some gunk in the corner of her right eye. It look like my eye would when trying to get dust out. And she had feed dust on her head. So again, I'm trying to keep myself calm believing its all do to dust. She's not lethargic. She's eating, drinking and playing like normal. There is no nasal discharge at all.

From the other chicks (a total of 16) I've heard 2 sneezes. No one is acting funny. And she's the only one with dust (?) in his/her eyes.

So please tell me I'm just overreacting.

I tried to get a video of the sneezing, but no luck. She was so busy chirping and jumping at the camera that she stopped sneezing. It's a very light sneeze.

Here's a poor picture of the gunk:
DSCN0825.jpg


If I'm not overreacting please tell me what to do! And if I am overreacting should I take a chill pill and clean the gunk out of her eyes, or just leave it alone?
 
Clean the gunk out of its eye; clean out the brooder and put them on paper towels; give only a small amount of feed. Put the brooder in a somewhat humid area (laundry room, bathroom) or mist the brooder lightly with hot water. Watch and listen for a half a day. If it is illness, you will continue to hear sneezing. If it was dust, you have eliminated most of the sources for dust, so there should be little to no sneezing. If the eye is goopy because of illness, it will be worse; if it was tearing due to dust, it will not.

Goopy eye can also be a vitamin A deficiency, allergies or a tear duct that is too small to drain.
 
I don't know if this helps, but when I first got my chicks, they sneezed a lot. No known reason, and they weren't sick. My best bet is the cat hair in the air and things just irritated them. Once they got older it stopped.
 
Thanks Maggie! That's really what I'm looking to hear. I just want this sneezing to pass. But I've removed the shaving, cleaned up all spare feed, and removed all the dust possible. And we still have sneezes. Darn! And her eye has me a little bothered.

I knew I came across a picture that looked like my lil one's eye. Here's the link . It's just little tiny bubbles, and they're only in one eye.

She's the only one having issues (which are just sneezing and her one eye). Everyone seems healthy. All are eating, drinking, napping and playing normally. I'm just concerned that the sneezing and the bubbles are the start of a respiratory problem.

I did pickup Tylan 50 (injectable) and some 22 gauge needles and syringes, just in case today. I was near TSC, which is an hour from the house, today. I was hoping for water soluble but they didn't have any. I just wanted to have some on hand in case this is really a problem.

Thanks so much for all your help everyone!
 
Ok so DH is over with the chicks this morning and is concerned enough about the little one to call and mention that she looks like she's having a had time breathing. This can't be good. I'm going to head over there right now.

This is sounding more and more like a respiratory infection. So what do I do?

Please help!
 
I just got back. Boy do I wish I had internet over there.

She's about the same as yesterday. Still eating, drinking, napping, and playing normally. She still has bubbles in the one eye, and is still sneezing. When I pick her up to listen to her breath there is a very slight noise. In my head I describe it as a crackle, almost like you can hear the bubbles being made. Boy I hope this is making sense. When they all laid down to take a nap (all snuggled up, so cute) she would wake herself up sneezing. Her breathing seemed a little labored, but honestly when they're napping I think all chicks look like they're about to die. And she's still the only chick with symptoms.

I'm getting worried that I make have to administer the Tylan. The IM shot isn't the part that worries me, though it's been a while since I've done it. It's the dosage. I read on here that it's .1cc/lb of bird. Well the little one is currently 1.2oz. So I need 1/16 of .1cc. Do I just dip the needle in and poke her with it? Goodness that's a small amount.
 
If you have them on shavings then it could be that. I would put them on the paper towel as suggested earlier. Keep her eyes cleared and mist the warm water.

Put some electrolytes in their water. Do you have them on medicated feed?
 
Quote:
I removed the shavings yesterday, and lowered the amount of feed I put out for them to keep them from playing in it. I've been cleaning out her eye 2-3x a day. I just picked up a spray bottle so I'm gonna mist around lunch time.

Where can I get electrolyes? Would pedalyte work? And yes they are on medicated chick starter.

I'm also considering giving them a hard boiled egg today, all chopped up with a little raw garlic in it, as garlic works as penicillin does in humans. And I figured that they'd at least be excited about it.
 

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