Chick making sneezing sound and scratching ground a lot

[Stefankeyes]

Hi sorry I don't know if this is the right place to post. I have chicks that hatched on November 16th (First time raising them) I know scratching at ground can be a normal behavior for them, However one in particular seems to sneeze a lot and right after sneezing she scratches the ground and puffs up feathers for a few seconds. Is this anything to concern about? Or is it about time I bought them a dust bath to use? Just want to make sure there is nothing wrong and that she's comfortable!

Many thanks,
Stefan

 

[Stefankeyes]

I should add. sneezing is very frequent. In the 10 minutes in there it seemed every 30 seconds there would be a sneeze sound

 

[Kellyjenny]

Is your chicken still sneezing.

 

[Kellyjenny]

Do you see her nose dripping. Or anything in her nose

 

[RoosterML]

What does the brooder have for flooring? I recommend blue shop towels for first week. This will keep dust down as compared to wood shavings

 

[Stefankeyes]

Do you see her nose dripping. Or anything in her nose

I didn't see anything in or around her nose last night. Haven't had to chance to get out to see them today yet, Will update when I do, Many thanks!

 

[Stefankeyes]

What does the brooder have for flooring? I recommend blue shop towels for first week. This will keep dust down as compared to wood shavings

For the first week we used brand new bath towels. Now they have straw bedding that they love digging around in. One friend said its maybe chick crumbs causing her to sneeze? as it can be a dusty food. after I've filled their feeder all the food dust is all over my clothes. Think that could be it?

 

[Myrshine]

What kind of bedding are you using? Pine shavings and straw are notorious for causing respiratory issues in chicks and adult birds. Sneezing or harsh breathing may be symptoms of it. Good news is, that it's not always deadly. Yes— the feed you're giving can also cause sneezing because of the microscopic particles of dust in the food. Just keep watch to make sure it's not an illness. Is there any nasal discharge? Coughing? Watery/bubbly or foamy eyes?

 

[Stefankeyes]

What kind of bedding are you using? Pine shavings and straw are notorious for causing respiratory issues in chicks and adult birds. Sneezing or harsh breathing may be symptoms of it. Good news is, that it's not always deadly. Yes— the feed you're giving can also cause sneezing because of the microscopic particles of dust in the food. Just keep watch to make sure it's not an illness. Is there any nasal discharge? Coughing? Watery/bubbly or foamy eyes?

Hi and thanks for the reply. Aside from sneezing followed by scratching there's no other signs of anything. Upon closer inspection there seems to be no discharge of anything. We use Barely Straw as its what one local farmer said he used for chicks. as it also contains seed for them to fulfil their scavenge instinct. Is there other types of bedding you'd suggest to be safer?

Thanks
Stefan

 

[Myrshine]

I use straw myself— it hasn’t caused me or my chicks any harm.