Help with chicken with runny nose

[phate008]

I have 3 chickens that are about 4 months old. I bought a little coop to fit 3-4 birds on amazon, but I didn't want to put them in it too early so I had them in a room in my house since they were one week old. I ended up thinking this coop might have them too cold so I ended up buying a lifetime shed to house the coop for the winter. Two days ago they went from the house out to the shed/coop for the first time. I put down a layer of shaving and then put down a layer of hay on top. The inside of the coop has hay in the nesting box and on the tray below the perch.

They spent 2 days in the coop and when I got home from work and went out there to put them away for the night I noticed the big girl has a clear fluid runny nose. She was rubbing her beak like she does when she tries to get yogurt off, but she was doing it a lot. She also shook her head and fluid came out. She was also subtly shivering when I held her. The shed has been a little drafty, but I thought air circulation was good. I ended up duct taping over all the cracks, vents at the top, and around the doors to reduce drafts. Also, because they kick around a lot of the stuff on the floor there are areas where the shavings/hay are thin and these areas are colder for their feet. I plan on buying another bundle of hay tomorrow and making it a lot deeper tomorrow.

What should I do about the big girl? Should I take her to a vet? I should also note that when I went out there the waterer was spilled over. I am not sure how long they were without water, but I only keep it about half full so it didn't get things too wet. Otherwise, her behavior seems to be normal. She is eating normal, chatting, but the slight shivers and watery nose worry me.

Also, what is the optimal way for me to fixate the shed for them? I want them to be comfortable as I live in the North East and some winter nights and days can get quite cold. Thanks for any help, I really appreciate it.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. It can be good to keep a gallon waterer full always, and elevated to their shoulders, to keep them from easily knocking it over. Your chicks need overhead air circulation, for fresh air and to help remove odors and moisture, but no direct drafts on them. I usually keep a thermometer inside my coop that show temps and humidity. What was the temperature inside where they were kept, and what has it been the last 2 days? I wonder if they were used to the indoor temps, and may be having trouble adjusting suddenly to the cold. There could be something in the bedding that might be irritating the pullets, nostrils, but she might be getting sick. You might bring her back in for the night to observe her. Check her crop to see if it has emptied by morning. Some chicks when placed on hay or straw, may eat the bedding and get a crop impaction. Look for any sneezing or small bubbles in one eye or a watery eye. Edited for spelling.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I have 3 chickens that are about 4 months old. I bought a little coop to fit 3-4 birds on amazon, but I didn't want to put them in it too early so I had them in a room in my house since they were one week old. I ended up thinking this coop might have them too cold so I ended up buying a lifetime shed to house the coop for the winter. Two days ago they went from the house out to the shed/coop for the first time. I put down a layer of shaving and then put down a layer of hay on top. The inside of the coop has hay in the nesting box and on the tray below the perch.

They spent 2 days in the coop and when I got home from work and went out there to put them away for the night I noticed the big girl has a clear fluid runny nose. She was rubbing her beak like she does when she tries to get yogurt off, but she was doing it a lot. She also shook her head and fluid came out. She was also subtly shivering when I held her. The shed has been a little drafty, but I thought air circulation was good. I ended up duct taping over all the cracks, vents at the top, and around the doors to reduce drafts. Also, because they kick around a lot of the stuff on the floor there are areas where the shavings/hay are thin and these areas are colder for their feet. I plan on buying another bundle of hay tomorrow and making it a lot deeper tomorrow.

What should I do about the big girl? Should I take her to a vet? I should also note that when I went out there the waterer was spilled over. I am not sure how long they were without water, but I only keep it about half full so it didn't get things too wet. Otherwise, her behavior seems to be normal. She is eating normal, chatting, but the slight shivers and watery nose worry me.

Also, what is the optimal way for me to fixate the shed for them? I want them to be comfortable as I live in the North East and some winter nights and days can get quite cold. Thanks for any help, I really appreciate it.

I can't comment on the reason for shivering because there is no medical diagnosis.
It would help to know your location.
Fresh air is good. Don't limit it.
Most of those tiny coops don't have enough space or ventilation.
Forget cold. mature chickens can handle it better than a lack of oxygen.
Spilled water means there is high humidity in the coop, especially if you attempt to limit ventilation. That is a harbor for disease.
A vet may be a good idea if you have a good avian vet with poultry experience.
You can also contact your state poultry diagnostic lab. If we knew your state, we could give you the contact info.

 

[phate008]

I live in Westchester County ,New York.

I originally bought the shed because it had 2 top circular vents near the roof on two sides. I thought this was good to limit moisture and humidity, but I was a little bit panicked when I noticed her symptoms. I have had a few scares with illness in the past and I have a medication for coccidiosis as well as VetRX on hand. She may just be stressed from the new environment. I used to let them run around the house every morning and night for 4 months and then would have to clean up their messes afterwards. I think they are adjusting to the smaller quarters.

I am using shredded straw and pine shavings in the shed/coop right now. If she did have an allergy to the straw would hay be better to try?

Thanks for all your help it is much appreciated!!

 

[Eggcessive]

I prefer pine shavings. Any of them will mold if they get wet, but hay or straw can mold easier. Anything dusty like bedding or powdery feed can cause sneezing occasionally.

 

[rosemarysugar]

I have 3 chickens that are about 4 months old. I bought a little coop to fit 3-4 birds on amazon, but I didn't want to put them in it too early so I had them in a room in my house since they were one week old. I ended up thinking this coop might have them too cold so I ended up buying a lifetime shed to house the coop for the winter. Two days ago they went from the house out to the shed/coop for the first time. I put down a layer of shaving and then put down a layer of hay on top. The inside of the coop has hay in the nesting box and on the tray below the perch.

They spent 2 days in the coop and when I got home from work and went out there to put them away for the night I noticed the big girl has a clear fluid runny nose. She was rubbing her beak like she does when she tries to get yogurt off, but she was doing it a lot. She also shook her head and fluid came out. She was also subtly shivering when I held her. The shed has been a little drafty, but I thought air circulation was good. I ended up duct taping over all the cracks, vents at the top, and around the doors to reduce drafts. Also, because they kick around a lot of the stuff on the floor there are areas where the shavings/hay are thin and these areas are colder for their feet. I plan on buying another bundle of hay tomorrow and making it a lot deeper tomorrow.

What should I do about the big girl? Should I take her to a vet? I should also note that when I went out there the waterer was spilled over. I am not sure how long they were without water, but I only keep it about half full so it didn't get things too wet. Otherwise, her behavior seems to be normal. She is eating normal, chatting, but the slight shivers and watery nose worry me.

Also, what is the optimal way for me to fixate the shed for them? I want them to be comfortable as I live in the North East and some winter nights and days can get quite cold. Thanks for any help, I really appreciate it.

@Eggcessive

 

[Eggcessive]

Already here.

 

[phate008]

Also I should note that I purchased all 3 hens from a local chicken store. I was told that the chicks had "all of their vaccinations". I have grown quite attached to them (especially the one with the runny nose), and although I originally bought them for egg laying, I now just look at them like I would any of my pets. Would receiving these vaccinations mean that I shouldn't be worrying to much about the bad things ie. respiratory diseases? The anxiety of waking up to her in bad shape is eating me up.

A quick story. About 6 weeks ago I bought them some diatomaceous earth, sand, and another dust bath mix from Amazon as they were constantly trying to dust bathe on a carpet. I made a tray full of the mix and let them jump in. They all had a good time dust bathing but I realized this was a big mistake when so much dust was kicked into the air that it irritated my throat on the second floor (I guess you live and you learn). The next day I noticed that the big girl was constantly sneezing and she had a similar issue that was no doubt caused by breathing in the dust. She also had a slight wheeze for a little bit and a runny nose. I immediately took the dust, dirt, and fine material out of the house. She actually cleared up pretty quickly and her symptoms only lasted a day. I wonder if this is a similar situation where she is breathing in the fine debris and is just irritated.

Eggcessive, how thick a layer of pine shavings do you lay down? Also do you use pine shavings in the nesting box as well?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Here is the Cornell diagnostic lab contact info.
Animal Health Diagnostic Center College of Vet Med, Cornell University
240 Farrier Road, Ithaca, New York 14853-8002
Phone: 607-253-3900

"All of their vaccinations" likely doesn't mean what you think. When hatcheries vaccinate it is usually only for Marek's disease. Sometimes they will vaccinate for coccidiosis. Rarely anything else. Only large poultry operations with hundreds of thousands of birds will vaccinate for an array of diseases.
If it was a feed store where you bought them, I wouldn't think any vaccinations were given other than the two I mentioned - and feed store employees rarely know much about chickens whether that be nutrition or health issues so beware seeking advice there.
Hay is really a bad idea for inside a coop, if it gets wet it will quickly mold and shed aflatoxins. pine shavings are superior in many ways. I do use straw outside on snow to give the chickens something to walk on but never hay.
Pine shavings can be used in the nest boxes too.
Do your best to provide as much ventilation as possible.
The best coops for ventilation are open sided affairs with just hardware cloth for predator protection and an overhang to keep rain out.

Female chickens aren't hens till 1 year of age. Under 1 year, they are known as pullets.

 

[phate008]

Thanks for the information. I was mistaken. It was actually shredded straw that I layed down with the pine shavings as well in the nest box. She actually seemed alright today and there was no fluid coming from her beak. I think she may just be extra sensitive to debris or dust. Or maybe she did have a little something caught in her crop. I changed out all the straw and anything that looked damp and layed down a thick layer of pine shavings for bedding and also in their nest box. I also built them a three level ladder type of perch.