Help please!

[Tragicbun]

Hi I have a one week almost two week old chick, I’m kind of worried because I noticed she’s been making a clicking sound whenever she breathes. I thought hey maybe this is normal until she started having sneezing fits every once in a while, she also opens her mouth like she’s yawning trying to get something out. I mean other than this she’s perfectly fine, normal appetite normal poop she’s also really active. If anyone knows what I could do to help please let me know I just don’t want whatever she has to get worse.
any advice would be great help!!!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

I'm not certain what wrong with your chick, but welcome to Backyard Chickens. How long has she been making this sound? Is her throat clear? Is her bedding clean and has been clean?

 

[Tragicbun]

Thank you! I noticed the clicking a few days ago maybe around 4 nights ago, I change her bedding consistently and change her food and water pretty often. I just want to know if the clicking, sneezing, and gaping is normal. I am a worry wart so I might be over thinking it

 

[Tragicbun]

I'm not certain what wrong with your chick, but welcome to Backyard Chickens. How long has she been making this sound? Is her throat clear? Is her bedding clean and has been clean?

How would I check her throat?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I just want to know if the clicking, sneezing, and gaping is normal. I am a worry wart so I might be over thinking it

Hi there and welcome to BYC!

It's completely NOT normal, sorry.

Clicking is usually something inside the lungs, in my experience.. Most often caused by me trying to teach chicks how to drink accidentally making them inhale water. With fluid in the lungs, just breathing is exhausting.. Since she isn't showing any signs of lethargy, that's great! Maybe another chick bumped her while she was getting a drink?

Open mouth.. sometimes to burp. *Usually* if there is something stuck near their throat they will shake their head as they have no gag reflex. On occasion it may be to adjust their crop. But any consistent weird mouth opening is abnormal.

The sneezing.. in addition to the other symptoms.. could also be respiratory infection (disease), sometimes passed through the eggs.. where did the chicks come from? But again, maybe not since there's no sign of lethargy that you've mentioned. Is there any discharge from the nostrils or bubbles in the eyes?

I mean to look in her mouth, I would get a flash light and see next time she opens it.

What type of bedding are you using, for informational purposes? Also what are you feeding regularly including treats and supplements?

I'm an avid over thinker.. but with chickens.. very often, if you're familiar and think there's something wrong.. it's true. So better safe than sorry and look into it, like you are!

Hope it quickly resolves!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

The clicking, sneezing, and gaping isn't normal so it's ok to be a worry wart. I check my hens' throats by gently massaging their throats or by gently opening their beaks and looking in with a headlamp. How it's been a few days, the reason that I check my chickens throats for probably wouldn't be the problem. They sometimes get food stuck in their throats and I almost lost a free ranging bantam once due to the fact that she got my standard's layer pellets stuck in her throat. Sneezing sometimes can be from the grain being too powdery, but with her being the only one with the issue, I don't think that's the issue, either. If it was just the clicking, I would wonder about deformity, but that might not be it, either. With the bedding being clean, that would cross out the possibility of ammonia. Is there a small possiblity that she always did this all but was either never noticed until now or it just got worse? Did you hatch this chick out, or did you get her somewhere else?