chick sneezing - looking for advice

[uhblue]

Like the title says my chick has been sneezing on occasion(I notice it usually 1-2 times every 20-30ish minutes).. I know sneezing can be a sign for a handful of illnesses but it can also just be harmless and caused by dust or other irritants. There are no other symptoms from what I can tell.. He sounds fine when he peeps and breathes, his eyes are bright and clear, he has no nasal discharge aside from a very tiny amount of clear wetness on his nostrils right after sneezing, he's very active and eats/drinks as usual.

The main reason I'm concerned is because he isn't on any sort of dusty bedding.. He's on paper towels when he's not out and about on the floor with me. He is however growing in a lot of new feathers on his wings and I've noticed that the casings(?) on the pin feathers are pretty crumbly and dusty after they finish growing in and open up into proper feathers. Will his own feather dust cause him to sneeze? What else should I look out for to make sure he isn't getting sick with something?

 

[thecatumbrella]

2 out of my 3 chick broods have had a "sneezy chick". I don't know if some breeds have tighter nares (nostrils) than others and get all that dander and dust trapped up in there. It's always a concern for me as well, but as long as there's no other symptoms, I just watch and monitor. Both of my sneezy chicks outgrew it by the time they transitioned outside.

 

[Debbie292d]

Baby chicks rarely have anything wrong as they are hatched before germs. It takes a week or two, and that's when other things can start sneaking up, and why it's important they only get their chick crumbles (or grower or all-flock) until they are laying or crowing. Treats not until they are at least a few weeks old, and then sparingly. A small amt of scrambled eggs is all we give ours prior to 6 weeks old.

I'd tend to think there is something your chick is allergic to, or exposed to that's in the area. I say this as I've hatched over 500 silkies this year, and rarely saw an occasional sneeze, and nothing more.

If she were mine, I'd put some chick vitamins in the water, like Nutri-Drench or Poultry Cell, a couple of times a week. A vitamin boost will help should there be anything respiratory going on. I'd look around the area for what in or around the brooder could be causing an allergy or irritation.