Is this a cleft palate?

[Snowingamanda]

Hi, a couple weeks a ago posted here because my flock died of heat and my mistake. Many wonderful people here comforted me and encouraged to start again. So, 2 days ago I went to a breeder who gets his birds from Cackle Hatchery and vaccinates then. I go to these 2 chicks. Yesterday we noticed that the birds were coughing and had mucus, so we treated them with VetRX and electrolytes. But when I tried to swab VetRX inside I noticed his crack in the middle of their palate. Could it be cleft palate or Ian that’s normal?? And the white stuff there - is it due to their cold or something else?
Thank you!!
PS - I called the breeder and he swore they were healthy. Later he did acknowledge that they might have caught a cold and will Ben good as new in a couple days. I can’t imagine calling him again with this question!

 

[Eggcessive]

No, that is completely normal in all chickens. It is called the choanal slit.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Totally normal. That's what their pallet looks like. If they are snotty you can use a dry swab in their beak and get some gross slimy stuff out. Then use the vet rx. I like to use extreme care, a product made my my local bee keeper, and do a facial. I clean their nares and face of any yick then rub some on their beak and into their comb and waddles. That way they breathe it in. I would think you could do the same with vet rx.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you just brought those birds home 2 days ago, then they may have brought something with them. The stress of caging them and transporting could have brought about an outbreak of a respiratory disease. MG or mycoplasma gallisepticum, infectious bronchitis are very common, and some others are ILT and coryza which are a little more serious. Chickens get these from a carrier in the flock or from wild birds. Usually symptoms can show up in about 3-10 days or longer. If you have other chickens, then you could take them back, get them tested to identify the particular disease, or keep them isolated from your flock. Sorry that you are going through this. Tylan (tylosin) powder can be used in the water to treat symptoms of MG, and it can be ordered online here:
https://www.foyspigeonsupplies.com/medications/respiratory/559-foys-tylan-soluble-powder

Here is a good list of common diseases and symptoms, and read especially about infectious bronchitis and MG:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Snowingamanda]

Totally normal. That's what their pallet looks like. If they are snotty you can use a dry swab in their beak and get some gross slimy stuff out. Then use the vet rx. I like to use extreme care, a product made my my local bee keeper, and do a facial. I clean their nares and face of any yick then rub some on their beak and into their comb and waddles. That way they breathe it in. I would think you could do the same with vet rx.

Thank you, this is a great news!

 

[Kiki]

Chickens don't get colds.
They get diseases...bacterial or viral.

 

[Snowingamanda]

Thank you! I do think thy brought it with them because the drive was only 30 mins. I didn’t also pick up a couple of other chicks from another breeder and I didn’t notice these were sick so I didn’t put them together (same age). I separated them next day and gave all other chicks VetRX and electrolytes too and put hot water humidifier with VetRX in it.
I’m not sure I can take them back because when I called the guy only said to use VetRX and didn’t mention anything about testing them. He said it’s just a cold. I’ll read up on other diseases in your links. Thank you!

 

[Snowingamanda]

Chickens don't get colds.
They get diseases...bacterial or viral.

But they can recover from it? Or not? Should I insist on taking for them back?

 

[Eggcessive]

Chickens can be carriers of most respiratory diseases, and may infect others, making the whole flock carriers. Breeders should know that chickens don’t get colds. Do some reading about respiratory diseases in poultry. Many of these are common in backyard flocks, especially MG, and wild birds can spread them from flock to flock. It is always a gamble to get chickens from another person, since they may not be that concerned about diseases, but raising chicks to sell. When they tell you what to use on a sick bird, that is kind of a give away or hint that something may be off.

VetRx which consists of herbal oils and camphor, is much like Vicks—there is nothing in it that will cure a virus or bacterial disease. If the chickens have a virus—infectious bronchitis or ILT— they will have to suffer through it for a minth or so. Bronchitis is milder, but ILT can be pretty serious. If they have MG or coryza (coryza is worse,) then antibiotics can be used.

 

[Eggcessive]

If these are your only birds, you can close your flock to new birds or letting go, and treat them with the Tylan powder. Get them tested if you can since knowing what they have is helpful. If it is only bronchitis, the flock would only be carriers for up to a year. The state vet may be helpful in getting testing, or your local vet may be, and there is a commercial lab in TX (Zoologix) who will mail you the swabs to test them for a respiratory panel if interested. It costs $95. Since most respiratory diseases only remain alive for a few days once all of the chickens are gone, it is possible to start all over if you lose them or choose to cull. Culling for me would depend on the disease. I would cull for ILT or coryza, but the other 2 diseases are fairly common. Sorry that you are dealing with this.