Chick with respiratory infection???

[RHP63]

I just started with my first flock, I have two separate older chicks and just bought four more less than a week old chicks two days ago. Everyone seemed to be doing well and healthy. Until today, I have a I'd say a 6-8 day old buff orphington that has started sneezing, at first I didn't really pay much mind, we have been turning on the ventilation system in the house and alot of dust was kicked up, most of creatures in our house were occasionally sneezing from the dust and pollen. But I was picking everyone up to give a once over today and when I picked her up (it is supposed to be a pullet) I noticed when she struggled a bit and exerted herself a raspy sound could be heard from her chest cavity and she started sneezing heavily. I was not putting any pressure on her crop either.

None of the other three are sneezing or making any sounds like that. These chicks had a very bad travel to my local farm where I bought them and were actually lost by the postal service and went a full four days without food or water, I'm not sure if this is a disease or just this one in particular grew ill under the bad conditions and stress. I am giving her vitamin drops in her food and water and waiting to see if this clears up any, but if it does not by tomorrow I will try giving ornacycline to her and see if that helps. Other than the sneezing she is not displaying any other signs of illness, stool looks healthy and solid, eyes are bright and clear with no discharge, no discharge from the nostrils either when she sneezes, no swelling on the face or paleness of skin. She is eating and drinking normally with the other chicks, sleeping well and even running around and playing with the other chicks, flapping her wings and jumping about so I'm not sure what to think.

I separated her initially in fear but she made such a racket and actually started flapping and jumping to try and get out to the other chicks, I was worried that if she was just ill from the stress that more stress would just make it worse so I put her back under the thought if it's anything infectious with how much she's already been sneezing it's not going to make a difference.

I'm wondering as well if this is all for nothing and she's actually just inhaled a bit of water or something, I have a parrot who scared the life out of me when he inhaled some water and choked and made awful sounds for a day which was actually very similar noises being produced from his chest as this chick, I gave him 24 hours with a vet appointment ready but it cleared up by that night and he's been fine for over two year now.

Does anyone have any experience with this or a similar situation?

 

[cafarmgirl]

I think you are on the right track. I would say just keep an eye on her since she is otherwise looking and acting normal. Generally when they come down with something they don't feel well and will often just stand around, may stop eating and drinking and just look sick. If she is energetic, eating, drinking, running around....it may just be a reaction to the dust in the environment or bedding. Just keep an eye on her and see how she does in the next day or so.

 

[RHP63]

I hope so, and that is what threw me off, how happy and un-sick she seems! I searched and searched many diseases and illnesses that effect the respiratory system but she isn't showing any symptoms of any of them. I don't know if this was already developing or just happened which is why I'm seriously thinking she may have just inhaled or choked on some water because I yesterday she was not sneezing or making any sounds when I examined her. I sincerely hope that is the case and I am just over reacting.

 

[RHP63]

She has slowed down on the sneezing but now shakes her head and tries to wipe her beak when she does like her nostrils are stuffy. No discharge though.

 

[RHP63]

Sneezing has slowed down alot and the rasping sounds are not as loud. I sat by the brooder and watched for about 5 minutes and she only sneezed twice in that time where before she was sneezing approximately every 45 seconds.

 

[IrishAcreFarm]

Hi RHP63, it does soynd like we are going hrough a similar thing!! I had decided to treat because all of my babies were sneezing, and wiping their faces on the floor. I had found after the fact that my adult girls were shaking heir heads and occassionally sneezing as well, so I must have unintentionally given it to my 6 youngsters. All of mine are eating and drinking, and acting fine as well. Weird that only one of yours is doing it! Would love to know how it goes with yours. Mine are doing a little better now, not sneezing as much!

 

[pappy1264]

You can pick this up and add to the water, for 5 days and see if it helps. duramycin.

 

[RHP63]

Ended up it is a defect in the chicken, I think her internal organs are not properly formed, it was the handling that makes her sneeze, when you pick her up you can hear fluid slosh inside her towards her lungs and she starts sneezing again. I contacted the seller about this problem and they offered a trade for another chick which is much older but quite healthy with no liquid sounds in her chest. I think I bought the chick with the problem and my bedding is kinda dusty which I think irritated her already flawed breathing. The seller is keeping me updated on her condition, for a while I thought it was maybe IB but she doesn't match up in the symptoms or sound and none of the other chicks displayed signs.

My chickens all sneeze often but I chalk it up to the dusty bedding and high pollen amount outside as it is usually worse after bedding changes or in the morning when I bring them outside which dies down after a bit. It's a very different sneeze as well, they all give very hissy singular airy sneezes and the one chick would give very watery sounding congested sneezes and several in a row. Also when one chick sneezes all the rest seem to copy, which is nothing new for them, they all like to copy my seeming to be lead hen the Rhode Island Red, could part of this be a monkey see monkey do thing? The RIR is a week older than the other two and they seem to follow her every move. I'm only slightly concerned that that chick could have had something contagious, the closet thing it could have had would have been IB but I've read that is supposed to spread very quickly while all of my chicks had possibly been exposed to it for about 6 days and nothing new going on, the older two have always sneezed often. The newer buff sneezes about the same ratio so I am assuming it is my bedding/pollen and the other chick had an individual problem.

I'd really love input from others to ease my worry. I also have parrots in the house which I have been concerned about spreading diseases to from the start, I make sure no direct or indirect contact happens, changing clothes, washing hands, showering before handling or feeding my parrots, though airborne is still open. I've read that some of the nastier things chickens can get does not spread to non-passerine birds, which parrots are so that is a bit soothing.

 

[RHP63]

You can pick this up and add to the water, for 5 days and see if it helps. duramycin.

I am stocking up on a host of meds on the chance the sneezing is more than pollen or dust and watching them carefully to see if it gets worse, thought the older two have sneezed since I got them 8 weeks ago, the bedding I have is quite dusty and I've been looking for ways to fix that, putting a layer of paper towels over it helps and I was told using a layer of pine straw over the pine shavings would help.