Chick coughing, sneezing, squeeling, breathing hard, runny nose!

mycitychickens

Songster
13 Years
Mar 14, 2011
210
7
204
I have a chick that is about a month and a half old. He started making a squealing noise every so often, turns out it was a cough. He is now sneezing and shaking his head all the time. I brought him in the house after he started coughing. He was and still not eating or drinking much and just stands there and closes his eyes. I looked up the symptoms and it sounds like it's Infectious Laryngotracheitis? The website says you have to remove the plug from their throat with a q-tip? I have no idea how to do that! Also it says you can get antibiotic eye drops, anyone know where I could buy some? Please help me! He's a precious little chick, his name is Jack. I don't want to lose him!
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Update:
He now has a runny nose and keeps smacking his "lips" aka beak, like he's eating something but he's not. Maybe he has something in his throat? He is coughing, sneezing, and making a squealing nose. He is also panting sometimes. Here's a video of him panting and making a sqeal:
Please help! He is getting worse and worse!
 
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Could your little chick be sneezing? Check around it's nose after makes the sound you describe and see if you notice any water around it's nose. (I say "nose" although I think maybe nostrils makes more sense!) What kind of coop bedding are you using?
 
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No it's not a sneeze it's like a hiccup type of nose like he can't get air? I use pine shavings.
 
I seriously doubt it's ILT...it usually happens in older birds and if your bird had it, he would be slinging blood all over the place. If your are feeding crumbles, he mightve snorted a crumble in the nostril and it's irritating the bird. Not much you can do if it's in deep, but it'll work its way out, or eventually be swallowed, or may rise to the surface of the skin on the face and appear as a hard white "zit"...then you'd have to cut the surface of the facial skin and use tweezers to remove the crumble. Check him for lice/mites, especially the head, neck and vent areas.
There may be something stuck in the throat, soak a small piece of bread in olive oil and give it to him to eat, then gently massage the crop. Then there is always the possibility of a respiratory disease in which most are contageous. The question would be where and how did he catch it. Smell the nostril/head area for a foul odor, if you smell it, it's most likely coryza. If there's no foul odor, it could possibly be mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG.) The only way to be sure would be to submit a blood sample to be tested and analyzed, perhaps a vet could help you in that regard.
 
I put Apple Cider Vinegar in his water like a site suggested, he seemed to perk up but is now doing about the same or a little worse than before. Where can I get antibiotics for him or the eye drops?
 
You can go to any feed store and get eye drops, you want to get Terramycin Eye Ointment 1/8 Ounce Tube is an antibotic, twice a day. He may need more then just eye drops though, perhaps he needs some Tylan it's an antibotic injection. Tractor Supply carries the Tylan I'm not sure about the Terramycin I got mine at my regular feed store. Hopes this helps..
 

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