Chicks & guineas sneezing—what could it be?

[MixedFlock23]

I have adult hens, a six week old chick, and 11-12 week old chicks. The hens are not sneezing.
My chicks started sneezing at less than a week old... they are now 11-12 weeks old and still rarely do I hear a sneeze here and there.
I bought guineas for my neighbor back in August also and recently they decided to move to my yard. Yesterday I heard the guineas sneeze for the first time.
I assume it’s a virus or bacteria, but I don’t know. There are no other symptoms. Whatever it is has a 36 hour incubation period and the only symptom is sneezing. My chicks started sneezing 1.5 days after I brought them home, my new 6 week old chick introduced after quarantine also sneezed 1.5 days after meeting the chick flock, and now the neighbors’ guineas. It’s been about 12 weeks and the only sneezing I hear is one or two random chicks sneezing once a day or so. Most of my chicks seem to have overcome it and haven’t sneezed in weeks now. My hens (also just across a fence) are not sneezing... but perhaps this came from them first and they beat it/are asymptomatic carriers or maybe it came from wild birds.

I’m keeping a closed a flock, and they don’t seem sick at all, just a couple of sneezes here and there. The hens are still laying normally, chicks are growing normally.

When this first began I gave them Bactrim & Corid (they had a confirmed outbreak of cocci), and then Denagard. The sneezing remained but chicks seemed to gradually get better on their own over several weeks after meds. I also did a ten day run of copper sulfate with apple cider vinegar. (Not a cure either)

I doubt I could even get a video of the sneezing. It’s literally like one “pffft” that I hear in the half hour or so I spend with them in the mornings. I think it’s only the white Silkie, bantam Cochin, and leghorn that still occasionally sneeze (out of the 13 chicks). All did sneeze at least once at the beginning in the brooder, I believe.

So what has a 36 hour incubation period, no symptoms except sneezing, and is contagious to guineas as well as chicks? Any ideas?
I’ve googled and googled and can’t find anything that would last this long (IB has a short incubation period but runs its course much faster (2-3 weeks) rather than 10+ weeks).

I’m not selling or giving away any chickens, and I’ll let these all die off naturally before starting over someday. I’m not going to depopulate my flock. I think they’ll stop sneezing totally soon. (& probably be carriers and may sneeze later in times of stress)) No one else has birds within miles except the guineas which decided to live in the tree above my chickens’ covered run. (I just covered the run after losing Henrietta to a hawk earlier this month.)

 

[Isaac 0]

A video of the chicks sneezing would be good, as would a few pictures of your setup.

If they are just sneezing, that could be a very mild strain of respiratory disease such as Mycoplasma Galliseptcum (MG), or Infectious bronchitis. The sneezing could also be caused by an environmental issue such as dusty feed, bedding, high ammonia, poor ventilation, etc.

You can have testing done by your state, or a national lab to determine if you're dealing with a mild respiratory strain or if it's environmental. Make sure to do a thorough look over your setup, and ensure there's nothing that may irritate their respiratory system.

https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
https://zoologix.com/avian/index.htm

 

[Eggcessive]

It sounds like infectious bronchitis with frequent sneezing as the common symptom. It goes through the flock over weeks to months, with each new case lasting around a month. I had it in my flock about 7 years ago. The following year when I added new chickens they got it from the carriers. They can be carriers for 5 months up to a year after recovery, so I would not add or hatch chicks for more than a year after the last one recovers. Wrinkled egg shells can be a sign of IB. Other egg shell problems can happen later. There is no treatment, since it is caused by a virus.

 

[MixedFlock23]

I’ll see if I can get a good video tomorrow. Thank you both! I suspected IB due to the fast incubation period, but they have zero other symptoms and I thought it ran its course faster than this. I’ve not seen wrinkly eggs except once in one egg. Maybe that’s it though.

 

[Isaac 0]

I’ll see if I can get a good video tomorrow. Thank you both! I suspected IB due to the fast incubation period, but they have zero other symptoms and I thought it ran its course faster than this. I’ve not seen wrinkly eggs except once in one egg. Maybe that’s it though.

Birds can show symptoms for a fairly long time (up to a year), depending on the strain. Often times the birds will breathe heavily, or gape while roosting at night. If the symptoms get worse, you can start the birds on an antibiotic which may help alleviate the symptoms, but if there just sneezing occasionally, leaving them would be fine.

Keeping their coop, and run area free of dust, increasing ventilation, reducing ammonia, can help combat the virus, and prevent airsaccultius. Research suggests supplemental zinc can help the bird's immune response to the disease.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I hear a sneeze here and there.

Whatever it is has a 36 hour incubation period and the only symptom is sneezing. My chicks started sneezing 1.5 days after I brought them home, my new 6 week old chick introduced after quarantine also sneezed 1.5 days after meeting the chick flock, and now the neighbors’ guineas. It’s been about 12 weeks and the only sneezing I hear is one or two random chicks sneezing once a day or so.

I’m keeping a closed a flock, and they don’t seem sick at all, just a couple of sneezes here and there

When this first began I gave them Bactrim & Corid (they had a confirmed outbreak of cocci), and then Denagard. The sneezing remained but chicks seemed to gradually get better on their own over several weeks after meds. I also did a ten day run of copper sulfate with apple cider vinegar.

You hear a couple of sneezes here and there or 1-2 random sneezes once a day - they don't seem sick at all and they have gradually gotten better on their own after several weeks.
I agree, it may be Infectious Bronchitis which will usually get better on it's own after several weeks without medications.

You have already given Denagard (Treats MG) and they have had a Sulfa drug (can be used to treat Coryza).
I think I would just observe and see how it goes. Like mentioned, Infectious Bronchitis can make birds carriers for up to a year, but you are keeping a closed flock which is a good idea.

Hopefully over time you will hear the sneezing less and less - but do keep in mind, that birds will sneeze here and there if they get food/water in the nostrils, from dust, etc.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[MixedFlock23]

I guess it depends on the day. Yesterday I only heard the leghorn sneeze once over several trips in the pen (probably over an hour total) and no other chick sneezed that I heard, but the guineas sneezed repeatedly in the few minutes I watched them through the fence that morning.

Today, I stayed with the chicks for over half an hour upon letting them out of the coop and the guineas right outside the pen didn’t sneeze at all, nor did the leghorn or any other chick, but the white Silkie sneezed four times in the thirty-two minutes I took photos and videos. I finally caught the fourth sneeze on video!

So “here & there” some days and “once a day” some days and many days we don’t hear any sneezing at all. (Thus why I introduced the new chick that my friend raised for us for the first month (she only wanted two chicks, but minimum purchase was three). New chick began sneezing 36 hours after meeting my chicks and sneezed for two days but not frequently. Now I haven’t heard it sneeze at all since, which was ten days ago!)

I’ll attach some photos of our setup as well as links to the videos of the chicks and the sneeze.

The little coop is where the 13 chicks are currently. As they outgrow that space (24 sq ft coop/220 sq ft run), I’ll put 3 or 4 or 5 cockerels in the chicken tractor (8 sq ft coop/40 sq ft run) just temporarily, until the pullets are large enough (in another month or so) to put in with my laying hens in the large coop/run. (I have them together trying to identify the cockerels for sure. Today the black Silkie crowed for the first time! So I guess I could move the 3 crowing cockerels to the tractor now, but I don’t want to separate roos if there are indeed more that just haven’t crowed yet. I want them to live together harmoniously & not have to re-establish pecking order. I read roosters raised together can live together in a bachelor group without fighting.

When the pullets are then living with the hens, the small coop will be for the bachelor cockerels. I think I’ll have an Ayam Cemani, Polish, & three Silkie cockerels living in the bachelor coop/run (4.8 sq ft/roo in the coop) and eight pullets and seven hens in the large coop/area (56 sq ft coop/960 sq ft run). I realize that’s only 3.73 sq ft/bird in the big coop, but four are bantam sized (1.75-3lbs) and five more are light breeds (3.5-4.5lbs). I read bantams need 3 sq ft and standards need 4 sq ft, so I’m okay with these 15 in 56 sq ft. Next up, I’m going to measure all my ventilation and make sure I have 1 sq ft per bird of ventilation.

Thank you all!

All the chicks gathered under the coop for breakfast this morning:

The sneeze at the 22 second mark:

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I guess it depends on the day. Yesterday I only heard the leghorn sneeze once over several trips in the pen (probably over an hour total) and no other chick sneezed that I heard, but the guineas sneezed repeatedly in the few minutes I watched them through the fence that morning.

Today, I stayed with the chicks for over half an hour upon letting them out of the coop and the guineas right outside the pen didn’t sneeze at all, nor did the leghorn or any other chick, but the white Silkie sneezed four times in the thirty-two minutes I took photos and videos. I finally caught the fourth sneeze on video!

So “here & there” some days and “once a day” some days and many days we don’t hear any sneezing at all. (Thus why I introduced the new chick that my friend raised for us for the first month (she only wanted two chicks, but minimum purchase was three). New chick began sneezing 36 hours after meeting my chicks and sneezed for two days but not frequently. Now I haven’t heard it sneeze at all since, which was ten days ago!)

I’ll attach some photos of our setup as well as links to the videos of the chicks and the sneeze.

The little coop is where the 13 chicks are currently. As they outgrow that space (24 sq ft coop/220 sq ft run), I’ll put 3 or 4 or 5 cockerels in the chicken tractor (8 sq ft coop/40 sq ft run) just temporarily, until the pullets are large enough (in another month or so) to put in with my laying hens in the large coop/run. (I have them together trying to identify the cockerels for sure. Today the black Silkie crowed for the first time! So I guess I could move the 3 crowing cockerels to the tractor now, but I don’t want to separate roos if there are indeed more that just haven’t crowed yet. I want them to live together harmoniously & not have to re-establish pecking order. I read roosters raised together can live together in a bachelor group without fighting.

When the pullets are then living with the hens, the small coop will be for the bachelor cockerels. I think I’ll have an Ayam Cemani, Polish, & three Silkie cockerels living in the bachelor coop/run and eight pullets and seven hens in the large coop/area (56 sq ft coop/960 sq ft run). I realize that’s only 3.73 sq ft/bird in the big coop, but four are bantam sized (1.75-3lbs) and four more are light breeds (4-4.5lbs). I read bantams need 3 sq ft and standards need 4 sq ft, so I’m right on target with 56 sq ft, I believe. Next up, I’m going to measure all my ventilation and make sure I have 1 sq ft per bird of ventilation.

All the chicks gathered under the coop for breakfast this morning:

The sneeze at the 22 second mark:

Personally, I still wouldn't do anything but observe symptoms and make sure they have plenty of ventilation in their coop, especially at night if you are closing it up. They are eating/drinking/active.

 

[Eggcessive]

When my birds had infectious bronchitis, they sneezed every few minutes, and would get worse in the evenings. I separated the sick ones for a month, and once they were better, a couple of others would get it, then get over it, and then a few others. Antibiotics do nothing to help.

I would just watch them. If any develop bubbles/foam in an eye or facial/eyelid swelling, that might be MG or mycoplasma.