If chickens don't get colds, why is everyone sneezing?

[onehorse_2000]

I have a good number of chickens, pullets, roos, 4 - 6 months old that are either sneezing, wheezing, and/or rattling, but not much more then that. Manure looks normal, no swelling, blood, or discharge from anywhere (nose, eye, mouth) etc. Everyone seems to be eating and drinking well too. Pretty much all I am noticing is the sneezing, wheezing, rattling.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

They don't get colds, rather they get CRD (Chronic respritory diseases). You may want to look up Coryza, MG, IB, and ILT. Typically not good news stories and sadly common in backyard flocks.

They can get symptoms too from poor air quality, dust or excess humidity and ammonia.


Best of luck with it, seems it strikes many in the fall as temps drop and chickens are molting wich adds another stress sometimes bringing along a flare up of an otherwise dormant CRD.

 

[onehorse_2000]

Thank you, fortunately/unfortunately, I have read and re-read the symptom lists for each of thoses and can't figure out which it is, as really the only thing I am really seeing is the sneezing, coughing, rattling, etc. Drug of choice to get this under control? We are working on the other issues that I know about, housing and such, but this caught us before we got done with everything. Secondly, this is a younger flock, most have yet to start laying yet, so is molting really an issue there?

Thank you.

 

[chicmom]

Hello-

I always seem to get one chicken with the symptoms you describe every fall. What I use to treat them is Duramayacin. It's a powder that you add to their drinking water, and you can buy it at the farm store or stores like TSC. Now, if you want a stronger medicine, Tylan will probably knock it out faster, but it's very expensive.

Since your flock is relatively young, I don't believe they will have a molt until next fall. Typically, they skip the first fall.

Good luck to you!
Sharon

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Yes, with young flock molting is not the issue, but none the less a new flock is going to be stressed with moving, changes of diet or housing plus the weather and reduced light.

One thing for symptoms is that they are generalities, not always will the presentation of symptoms be text book, sometimes other oddball symptoms show up, some times fewer or milder symptoms. Often enough you can have a couple things going on at once. Coryza and MG often go together in a nasty combo.

Reducing their stress as much as possible, good diet, maybe some supliments and clean well vented coup will go along way to helping. Beyond that antibiotics may be a help, but it is not the route for everyone many opt for a more natural approach.