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2 week old chick with sneezing/cough/gasping and white bug

pinkl72

Songster
Dec 18, 2022
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153
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I just brought home 11 two-week old chicks (they are separate from my flock). One of them is making a sound I thought was a sneeze but it is not high-pitched like I hear on youtube videos described as a chicken sneeze so maybe it is a cough. It sounds almost like a slurp. This chick also seems to have labored breathing and will open its mouth and appear to gasp or suck air. I dont believe these chicks were kept on soil but I cant be sure. I rubbed vetrx under wings and started on Tylan because it is what I had on hand at 9pm on a Sunday holiday weekend. Another little chick in the bunch seems lethargic but it is late so maybe just sleepy but I did see a tiny white or light gray bug crawl across her back. I also rubbed vetrx under wings and started tylan. I also have injectable and pouron ivermectin but wasnt sure about using it on 2week old chicks. I have access to an Atwoods and Tractor Supply in the morning. I see suggestions for wazine but it doesnt look like atwoods or tractor supply carry it. Any help or advice is appreciated.
 
I just brought home 11 two-week old chicks (they are separate from my flock). One of them is making a sound I thought was a sneeze but it is not high-pitched like I hear on youtube videos described as a chicken sneeze so maybe it is a cough. It sounds almost like a slurp. This chick also seems to have labored breathing and will open its mouth and appear to gasp or suck air. I dont believe these chicks were kept on soil but I cant be sure. I rubbed vetrx under wings and started on Tylan because it is what I had on hand at 9pm on a Sunday holiday weekend. Another little chick in the bunch seems lethargic but it is late so maybe just sleepy but I did see a tiny white or light gray bug crawl across her back. I also rubbed vetrx under wings and started tylan. I also have injectable and pouron ivermectin but wasnt sure about using it on 2week old chicks. I have access to an Atwoods and Tractor Supply in the morning. I see suggestions for wazine but it doesnt look like atwoods or tractor supply carry it. Any help or advice is appreciated.
Can you get a video of the noise she's making?
Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

Photos of the chicks, brooder setup, bug, poop, etc. would be good too. If you are using a red heat lamp, please take a photo with the light on, then turn it off for the other photos, the red makes it hard to see clearly.
Thank You!

Are you giving the Tylan50 orally? If so, what's your dose?

What is the temperature of the brooder on the warm side and on the cold side?

Wazine has been off the market for a few years, it's a dewormer. Not sure if dewormer is an appropriate medication to consider at this time.

Treating for Coccidiosis may be something to consider, Corid can be found in the cattle section of most feed stores.

If the chicks have lice/bugs, then dusting them lightly with a Permethrin based poultry dust would be the way to go. I don't see the need for Ivermectin.

Could this chick have aspirated fluids/water? Did you happen to dip her beak in water when you brought her home?

I'd provide food/water, monitor her and the other chick. Keep us posted.
 
I will try to get a video and upload but shes not really making any noises now. I'm hoping shes just tired but the little one with the bug didn't make it. 0.1cc of tylan orally is what we gave them. We did not dip beaks in water but did give meds with a syringe. I do have corid on hand. I'm attaching pics of the setup which is temporary. A blue arrow shows the chick in question that's still alive. The warm side is 93 and I'm getting a reading of the cool side now.
 

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I just gave her corid .02ml droplet; I put on the end of her beak as best I could so I hope she actually got it. I also put corid .6ml and a drop of concentrated vitamin E oil in the basin of the waterer. I also moved the heat lamp away to try to give some cooler area in their brooder tub.
 
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She started being more active. Here's the link to the video


And a pic of her poop
 

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I just gave her corid .02ml droplet; I put on the end of her beak as best I could so I hope she actually got it. I also put corid .6ml and a drop of concentrated vitamin E oil in the basin of the waterer. I also moved the heat lamp away to try to give some cooler area in their brooder tub.
I will try to get a video and upload but shes not really making any noises now. I'm hoping shes just tired but the little one with the bug didn't make it. 0.1cc of tylan orally is what we gave them. We did not dip beaks in water but did give meds with a syringe. I do have corid on hand. I'm attaching pics of the setup which is temporary. A blue arrow shows the chick in question that's still alive. The warm side is 93 and I'm getting a reading of the cool side now.
I would give them a lot more room, lower the warm side temp to 85, try that and see how they do.
A plastic tub or bucket is going to hold in a lot more heat than you think.

Check her nostrils to make sure they are clear of dried food and/or mucous. A photo of eyes and face would be good.

Corid liquid dose is 2tsp per gallon of water given as the sole source of drinking water for 5-7 days. I'd treat them all, the poop is mucousy.

Tylan doesn't seem necessary unless you see more symptoms of respiratory disease like mucous from the nostrils, bubbles in the eyes, facial swelling, etc.
It sounds like she's clearing water or feed from her nostrils or it could be fumes from the heated tub or something dusty.
 
I moved the heat lamp away some and they all protested about 4am so I put it back some. We also put the really sick chick in her own tub and put another droplet of corid on her beak around 1030am and in the water. We went to get the permethrin powder from the store and came back around 6p and she had passed away 😞 the rest of the chicks seem ok and are still getting the corid in the water. The tub brooder was a last minute solution when we saw how unhealthy the chicks were.
I have older birds from the same person who also make that slurp sound. They are outside with the rest of our flock and we've had them for approximately 3 months, one is almost 5 months old and the others are 6 months. They are outside on a fenced acre with a coop they go in at night. The "slurp" started in the young bird and then spread through those birds getting worse with time. Our original flock didnt seem to get it but one of our roosters presented with wry neck two weeks after they were introduced. Injury could not be ruled out as the cause of the wry neck. The whole flock was treated for coccidiosis. Theres really no other symptoms in the birds who make the noise but it did seem to be communicable. The youngest one and one other still seem to make the noise. I didnt connect the symptom to the new birds until we picked up these chicks and one was making the exact same noise. Any advice?
 

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