Chick breathing hard - VIDEO ADDED

[welovechickens]

My 5-day-old Ameraucana chick finally recovered from its extreme sleepiness, but now it's breathing hard all the time. You can see its throat and backside moving as it breathes. He/she eats, drinks, chirps and runs around happily, but the breathing is weird. The other chick (6 days old) breathes normally, at about 1/2 the speed and intensity of this little one.

No runny nose or eyes, although they both sneeze almost constantly while outside. (They live inside under a radiant heater right now, but we take them out when it's warm)

Should I give them a round of antibiotics? They are on medicated chick starter (It has amprolium).

Here's a link to a video of him/her: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=2053606302736&comments

Let me know if this doesn't work.

 

[Miyashi]

I have no idea....sounds normal aside from the breathing.
Hope someone can help you out!
I thought I'd give you a bump...

 

[NJCmama]

No idea, but one of my ameraucana chicks is doing the same thing, with a little whistling sound as she breathes in and out. I lowered the temp in the brooder a few degrees, and she's only doing it occasionally now.

 

[welovechickens]

I haven't noticed any sounds with the rapid breathing. I wondered about the temperature, but then how come the other chick is breathing normally? If it was too warm in the pen, wouldn't both of them be breathing fast?

 

[NJCmama]

I really don't know - I have 4 other chicks in the same brooder and they are all breathing normally. But no one seems bothered by the slightly lowered temp, and the fast breathing whistling one has slowed down a bit, so I figured it wasn't hurting anything! Hope you can figure it out, and that it's nothing bad (for both of our babies!).

 

[Miyashi]

Has the little one been going to the bathroom and everything with no issues?
I really don't know....at first I didn't notice the breathing so much as the butt movement. Thought maybe constipation.
I'm sure that's wrong, I jump to conclusions.
Maybe if they are both sneezing when you put them outside....maybe it's some kind of respiratory infection.
I hope someone can help, I'm sure having a video will make it much easier for someone with more experience.
Good luck to you. <3

 

[welovechickens]

Oh yes, it makes plenty of messes! They seem to know when I've changed their paper towels, so they make a particularly big, smelly mess on the nice white expanse.

 

[Miyashi]

Oh the messes!
>_<
The only other thing I can think of is a respiratory infection.
Again, I hope someone can help and I hope everything works out!
Cute little one.

 

[welovechickens]

Thanks....I gave them some water laced with no-iron baby vitamins tonight, and I have Duramycin ready just in case.

 

[Miyashi]

I'm not quite sure what all is in this stuff....but I saw it at TSC the other day...
It's called Save-A-Chick?
It comes in three separate packets that are attached....kinda looks like bread yeast packaging.
That could help too, maybe?
I dunno...