Do chickens get colds? UPDATE

[Almosta Farm]

VetRx also works well in their water. It floats on top, so everytime they dip their beaks to drink they get some in them and some on them.

 

[speckledhen]

Glad they are doing better.

It happens on a farm. As soon as one thing is fixed another falls apart. A friend once told me not to get attached because chickens don't live long. I have an old rooster that would clearly disagree with him on that


In case it ever happens again. Anything to do with respiratory can turn straight into pneumonia very quick. Separate them right away from the others and keep them warm.

Also from feed store or Co-Op they sell VetRX and place it in a little spray bottle.

Then take each sick chicken and spray the stuff into the crease of their beak slowly, give them time to lick it as you go or it could go down the wrong way. Wipe their heads down with it mixed with a little warm water at least 4+ times per day. It has a menthol smell and feel to it and I always use it in the winter time in an emergency. This is like chicken vaporub! It may take 4 days of doing this to see results. Other times they are back up as soon as a day of antibiotic is in them.

They may also stop eating sometimes when ill in which give them some warm oatmeal or something they might like while they are ill to keep them going. Mine stopped eating their food and one ate cornbread while sick while another ate scrambled eggs.

I'm just going to take your post as an example, not trying to pick on you, okay? This example here is why many people, in fact, I'd say most all breeders and a great number of backyarders who understand chicken disease, cull for respiratory illness. It never leaves the flock. Most are herpes viruses and we all know how that works in humans, right? You'll always be treating and re-treating, can never ethically let a bird leave your property. I am with you on chickens living longer that folks may tell you. I have a few 8 year old hens and some 7 years old, still laying even. If my originals weren't all hatchery stock, they might also still be with me, poor dears.

People who haven't experienced respiratory illness in their flocks should decide NOW what they will do if it ever rears its ugly head. Thats what I did, researched and made a decision before I even got the first ten chicks years ago. Though it's stated over and over, ad nauseum, not all flocks have MG/MS. Mine doesn't. My friend in Ky has an MG-free flock. It's not a given that it will happen if you practice reasonable biosecurity and never assume that getting birds from the same place you did before successfully or from an NPIP breeder will keep you safe. It may not.

VetRx also works well in their water. It floats on top, so everytime they dip their beaks to drink they get some in them and some on them.

Just so folks know, since it's been mentioned twice, VetRx is NOT a cure for anything, it may relieve some symptoms in a minor, temporary way, but so many people are misusing it for different reasons, putting it IN the eyes (ouch, dang it, that has CAMPHOR in it!), not using it as the package directs, causing pain to their birds. It's an aromatic, which can be a problem for avian species, though it's been used for many years. Vet Rx is more, IMO, for circulation in legs and feet and combs, maybe a few drops added to vaseline, A&D ointment, or cocoa butter to combat dryness. It contains no antibiotic, and as previously stated, is like Vicks Vapo Rub.

 

[Almosta Farm]

Yes, you are absolutely correct and I guess I should have stated that ... VetRx is definitely NOT a cure. It can, in some cases, give a little temporary relief to some respiritory symptoms. Thanks for clarifying that speckledhen!

 

[speckledhen]

Yes, you are absolutely correct and I guess I should have stated that ... VetRx is definitely NOT a cure. It can, in some cases, give a little temporary relief to some respiritory symptoms. Thanks for clarifying that speckledhen!

I am sure you knew that, but many people will take it and run with it as a cure. Wanted to make sure they understood.

I get the "grasping at straws" feeling some have when faced with illness in their flocks, very understandable.

 

[Wrightfamily]

Yes that is a great idea for others to remember, having a plan in place as to what to do in case of emergency so you never run into trouble like this unaware. And yep VetRX is just something we have locally since there is no chicken vet within 100 miles of us. Other local vets won't handle chickens.

The only ones I ever came close to losing in my years of chickens was one night in a storm the doors of the coop blew open and I didn't know it until the next morning. Birds got both cold and damp (which is a disaster!) but quick thinking helped all 6 of them. VetRX and my patience, and antibiotic helped them.

Nothing is a miracle cure.

 

[speckledhen]

Yes that is a great idea for others to remember, having a plan in place as to what to do in case of emergency so you never run into trouble like this unaware. And yep VetRX is just something we have locally since there is no chicken vet within 100 miles of us. Other local vets won't handle chickens.

The only ones I ever came close to losing in my years of chickens was one night in a storm the doors of the coop blew open and I didn't know it until the next morning. Birds got both cold and damp (which is a disaster!) but quick thinking helped all 6 of them. VetRX and my patience, and antibiotic helped them.

Nothing is a miracle cure.

That situation is one where a person might encounter a true pneumonia, one of the respiratory illnesses that I would feel okay treating since it's related to a situation and not contagious bird to bird. There are also fungal infections that happen in the lungs that you can treat, but not with antibiotics, but again, not contagious bird to bird.

Vets are not that interested in handling chickens. Thankfully, I have a "long distance" vet, my friend's horse vet in Kentucky, who has treated her birds, knows quite a lot about chickens, has stitched up her rooster when he fought yet another predator (man, that rooster is one in a million! He's got hash marks on the coop for his kills, LOL) and he is very willing to look at photos and consult with me when I encounter something that makes me scratch my head. But, I have no vet here for my birds. WE are our own vets here. We do our own necropsies. We do our own minor surgeries.

 

[Almosta Farm]

This is the vet I use (in NC) ... he's great! He knows a couple of my hens intimitely.

If anyone's interested, he does phone consultations. The practice number is (919) 563-9663.

J. Steven Swanner, DVM
Dr. Swanner’s interest in caring for animals was sparked at the age of 10, when he received his veterinary medicine merit badge from the Boy Scouts of America. From that moment on, he knew he wanted to become a veterinarian. Dr. Swanner followed his dream. He received a B.S. degree in poultry science from NC State University and then graduated from the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. Dr. Swanner has a special interest in client education, internal medicine, dentistry, and soft tissue surgery. He enjoys caring for dogs, cats, and the occasional chicken! He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Dental Society, North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association.

 

[speckledhen]

This is the vet I use (in NC) ... he's great! He knows a couple of my hens intimitely.

If anyone's interested, he does phone consultations. The practice number is (919) 563-9663.

J. Steven Swanner, DVM
Dr. Swanner’s interest in caring for animals was sparked at the age of 10, when he received his veterinary medicine merit badge from the Boy Scouts of America. From that moment on, he knew he wanted to become a veterinarian. Dr. Swanner followed his dream. He received a B.S. degree in poultry science from NC State University and then graduated from the university’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. Dr. Swanner has a special interest in client education, internal medicine, dentistry, and soft tissue surgery. He enjoys caring for dogs, cats, and the occasional chicken! He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Dental Society, North Carolina Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Animal Hospital Association.

Very nice, thank you for posting that.

In past years, before knowing Dr. Mason in Kentucky, I consulted with Dr. Peter Brown, who is a PhD in poultry science and had been vet tech in the past, though not an actual veterinarian. He was such a giving man with his knowledge for many here on BYC. He literally saved the life of my now late BR rooster, Zane, sending me half price, then free antibiotics when I was trying to save him from a soft tissue injury that resulted in a bad hock infection. Zane went on to live four more years. So there are knowledgeable folks who will help, but it's rare to find a vet who will consult over the phone. More likely, you find those who know less than you do about chickens but are perfectly willing to take your money and kill your bird for you, unfortunately. So, thanks for the info on Dr. Swanner!

 

[dvcrztb]

Add some Apple Cider Vinegar = ACV to their drinking water. I have a 5 gal bucket and put a splash in. 1 tablespoon to a gal is fine. I take ACV myself when I feel a cold coming on and it is gone. I get Braggs at Whole Foods because it has the fermenting goodies in it and is not filtered like the supermarket brand. A health food store will have it. I shake it up before I pour. ACV will corrode a metal waterer, so use plastic.

My chickens occassionally sneeze and I think it has to do with the dust in the straw. It's not an ongoing thing, so I figure they are just clearing the sinuses and not sick.

 

[speckledhen]

Add some Apple Cider Vinegar = ACV to their drinking water. I have a 5 gal bucket and put a splash in. 1 tablespoon to a gal is fine. I take ACV myself when I feel a cold coming on and it is gone. I get Braggs at Whole Foods because it has the fermenting goodies in it and is not filtered like the supermarket brand. A health food store will have it. I shake it up before I pour. ACV will corrode a metal waterer, so use plastic.

My chickens occassionally sneeze and I think it has to do with the dust in the straw. It's not an ongoing thing, so I figure they are just clearing the sinuses and not sick.

Organic ACV with the mother has vitamins and minerals that are beneficial, certainly. I make a tea with it with raw honey when I get a very rare cold and it helps with their crop and gut pH as well. Doesn't cure but can help.

Sneezing alone is not reason to worry, only to watch to see if other symptoms show up. Even new plywood and caulk can cause sneezing in a new coop. Some birds are prone to it more than others.

I have an 8 year old Brahma hen who has a too small head on her so I suspect her nasal passage is not exactly right, either, and she's sneezed regularly since she was about a year or two old. It's just her. She got a fungal lung infection about 3 years ago during one odd summer along with a couple of others and after that was knocked out by misting with Oxine in a cold mist vaporizer, she got bubbles in one eye. Never having seen that before, we separated her out immediately and were close to culling her (that would have been rough, being VERY attached to her), but decided to call the then state vet, though I think he's since retired. He assured me that she was not contagious, that she had developed a secondary bacterial sinusitis subsequent to the fungal infection and to give her Tylan injections. But the point is, we were ready to put her down and would have if it had not been a non-contagious ailment. It's a matter of risking an entire flock for one bird. Caroline still has periodic sneezing fits and on rare occasions, we have to treat her for her recurring sinusitis, but no other birds have ever had that, so it's just something peculiar to this hen.

So, sneezing is only a cue to watch and observe. It can be brought on by dust in the bedding or feed or even ammonia levels that get away from you.