Is sneezing normal?

[TheDoyles]

Today I noticed that my chickens' food was empty so I I fed them (7 of them) and as they were eating (fast I might add, because they were so hungry) they all started sneezing/coughing! I got so concerned I picked each and every one of them and gave them each a full look over and none of them have runny noses or crackled breathing, no discharge in the eyes or anything. I did notice a little frostbite on some of the combs so we put some vaseline on them. Is this normal coughing/sneezing when eating so fast?! It is winter here in MI and the temps are in the low 20's to 0. We do not have a heat lamp in their coop but so have an area in the run with a heat lamp so they have a place to go to get warm if they need to.

 

[hen madame]

Don't know for sure, but I can say that one of my girls will sneeze if I have just poured feed into the container and a little bit of "dust" (from the feed) gets in her "nose"

I'd be very careful with the heat lamp, just read an article today about a coop/run fire in Duluth, MN that did $500,000 worth of damage to the family's house...of course killed the chickens and 2 pet cats as well. Of course, one end of the coop sat under the house eaves.

 

[Judy]

No, it's not normal -- but it's not necessarily anything serious, either. From the circumstances, I suspect they all inhaled something dusty, perhaps the feed? Or perhaps new bedding that was dusty?

 

[calichicken]

My girl has always sneezed frequently off and on, but it has never been anything more. We have a lot of dust/dirt so thinking that's it. Also notice after she has dusted a lot or spent time in powdery dirt areas of the yard. I would just monitor for additional symptoms( not eating/drinking normally, abnormal poop, discharge or smell). Hopefully someone with more experience will comment as well...good luck!