Is this guy sneezing or what? Please watch short video.

[MuddyHillFarm]

My Wheaten Ameraucana roo has been sick with a respiratory condition. He had really rattly lungs and was acting quite peaked. After two antibiotics, he seems MUCH better (Denagard did the trick), but he still is making this weird noise. To me, it sounds like a sneeze, so I hesitate to reunite him with his lady friends. I have not had any other chickens ever come down with respiratory disease, so this is new for me. Opinions, please...

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes that is sneezing. He probably has infectious bronchitis or mycoplasma. Without the swollen face or eyes and eye or nasal drainage, it may be IB, which is a virus and would not improve with antibiotics, but they would help in treating any secondary bacterial infection. IB will last for about a month and usually spreads quickly through aerosol droplets to the whole flock. There can be a decrease in egg laying by the flock, but then it should improve. Here is some info: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[MuddyHillFarm]

Yes that is sneezing. He probably has infectious bronchitis or mycoplasma. Without the swollen face or eyes and eye or nasal drainage, it may be IB, which is a virus and would not improve with antibiotics, but they would help in treating any secondary bacterial infection. IB will last for about a month and usually spreads quickly through aerosol droplets to the whole flock. There can be a decrease in egg laying by the flock, but then it should improve. Here is some info: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

Thank you so much, Eggcessive. He has been in our isolation crate for almost a month now. He seems to be feeling much better but with the continuing sneezing I think we are going to cull him. He is a gentle fellow, but we have been disappointed with him as a sire.