Chickens and ducks with a cold?

[ZoeysBirds]

Hello all. I have a question. My one an only Roo has been acting lethargic the past 2 days. He's not really wanting to leave the coop. Told he's been laying down all day inside the coop while everyone else is enjoying the day and getting treats. I've also noticed that a couple of my hens and also 2 of my Ducks have been sneezing and making kind of a wheezing noise. None of them have a discharge from their noise and all but my EE too are acting totally fine and normal. Is this cause of concern or normal? I'm in Michigan and the days are oddly colder then normal right now. I've been doing the deep litter method in both coops starting last week. We had a nice day so I decided to give them one last good cleaning. I believe I've been keeping both coops dry and comfy for them. Please let me know if I'm doing something wrong and if I can do anything to get them to stop sneezing and to help my boy out. TIA

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you added any new birds to the flock lately that might have brought in a chronic respiratory disease? Some diseases are viral and won't be affected by antibiotics, but others may respond to Tylan, Gallimycin, or Oxytetracycline. Providing good ventilation high inside the coop, not heating the coop, and keeping dust and ammonia odors down are key in preventing respiratory diseases. Here is a good link to read about the more common diseases such as infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (MG,) coryza, ILT, and aspergillosis: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[ZoeysBirds]

My newest birds have been here 3 weeks I believe. They all seemed fine. Up until the past couple days. My Roo is one of the newer birds. I believe both coops are well ventilated. I add fresh straw on top of the old straw every couple days or sooner if either the smell is strong or there's an abundance of poo

 

[Eggcessive]

MG can have an incubation period of 6 days to several weeks. Getting new birds is the most common way of bringing in a disease. Even at a poultry swap or a show, the new birds you bring home may even pick up diseases from birds there. It's always good to quarantine new birds for at least a month. Even then, diseases may not show up until they are ound other birds. Giving your chickens a good poultry vitamin and probiotic may help in giving them good immunity to fight off diseases. Worming them twice a year may also help. Tylan 50 injectable is a good medicine that you can give either orally or as a shot into the breast for 3-5 days. It works well against MG and secondary diseases that may accompany any disease.