My flock is sneezing and opening their beaks like they can’t breathe! What do I do?

[The ChickInn egg supply]

Hello, I recently noticed most of my hens sneezing very high pitched during feeding and throughout the day. They also have their beaks open during feeding like they can’t breathe very well. I have been worming with DE, so I am not sure if it is gapeworm? Or what else could it be? What can I do about it? Thanks so much!

 

[Mamatomany123]

Do they have any discharge from the nose, eyes, or mouth? Any bubbles in the eyes. De will do nothing for internal parasites. It works when dry. Obviously it will not be dry inside of a chicken.

 

[Kiki]

Hello, I recently noticed most of my hens sneezing very high pitched during feeding and throughout the day. They also have their beaks open during feeding like they can’t breathe very well. I have been worming with DE, so I am not sure if it is gapeworm? Or what else could it be? What can I do about it? Thanks so much!

DE doesn't do a thing for worms and may be part of the problem.

Can you take a video of your chickens and upload it to YouTube?

 

[The ChickInn egg supply]

They do not have any discharge that I can see. I dont have YouTube. Thanks for the replies! Any ideas?

 

[The ChickInn egg supply]

They do not have any discharge that I can see. I dont have YouTube. Thanks for the replies! Any ideas?

If you look up using De to worm chickens, many sites say it works well to worm them. I found this technique from a YouTube channel with over 75K views and many other sources. Is this false? Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

DE can be dangerous to breathe and irritating to eyes. I would get a proper medicine such as Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer that is proven to treat worms safely, and toss the DE. Respiratory diseases can cause sneezing, watery eyes, nasal drainage, gasping, head shaking, and noisy breathing. There are several common ones. Sneezing during feeding or when there is poor ventlation or dust, can be normal. I have seen infectious bronchitis before, and the chickens may sneeze every few minutes, and it can last about a month, eventually running it's course over time. Some observation of when they are sneezing and other symptoms, can help determine if you are seeing an illness or just irritation.

 

[Myrshine]

I wouldn't use DE, as it can cause respiratory issues and/or death, it's normal for chickens to sneeze while eating/drinking.