New Chicks with possible respiratory illness

[Psychstew]

Sorry in advance for lengthy post I am answering questions from the sick bird check-list that are relevant to my birds. I will try to be concise and make it readable.

2 Cochin chicks about 4-5 weeks old. Normal weight. Seem to be growing normally.

Occasional sneezing, slight runny nose, some mornings they have a stuffed nostil, (kinda stinky face, suspect infectious coryza? But not sure) otherwise acting healthy, playing, eating (chick starter), drinking. These chicks are high energy they like to play fight all day and night and don’t seem fatigued.

They have been having symptoms for 3 weeks. Noticed a snot bubble on one of them, the day after I got him. They are quarantined from my flock and always have been. Have been in a brooder inside since about 1 week old when I got them from a local bird breeder.

None of my outside flock have symptoms. I have always washed hands sanitized boots and changed clothes before going inside and outside since before I got the new chicks. (Germaphobe) Increased safety measures once I noticed the nasal discharge.

Normal poop. Some solid some soft, normal smell.

As far as treatment I have only provided vitamins in their water and vet rx on their beaks and under wings. They are not acting sick other than having the nasal discharge and occasional sneeze. Don’t have funds for a vet right now due to other unforeseen emergencies.

They are in a homemade well ventilated enclosure with large pine bedding from tractor supply. The enclosure is a wooden frame with chicken wire around it. They have a brooder heater instead of a lamp. A roost, a bowl for feed and a waterer. There is enough room for exercise and play.

My question is could their nasal symptoms be caused by dry conditions? The humidity in my house is low due to running the heat. I am also having a runny nose everyday due to the dry air and dust. I dust constantly but it isn't much help. What does infectious coryza smell like. When I smell them they smell normal except for around the face it smells stinky like body odor not musty but like a sweaty bottom (sorry )

I would like tips and opinions on keeping them if they do have infectious coryza or some other contagious illness.

I am planning on keeping them most likely as indoor chickens in my basement. With an outdoor play cage/pen so they can still get fresh air when they are bigger. Or would it be better to keep them in their own coop outside??
It would be far away from my other flock I live on 21 acres my outside flock free ranges on 7 acres in my back field that is fenced and they can’t get up to the front field.
I would have the Cochin’s pen up front its over 4000 yards distance between the two areas.

Regardless of if I keep them, I will always sanitize boots and clothes and make sure I take care of my healthy birds before them. They are just such adorable sweeties I couldn’t cull them especially when they barely seem sick.

Don’t have many photos of them, this is the best one of their face from a week ago. The symptoms haven't gotten worse or better. Just a bit of nasal discharge, stuffed nostril, and a a sneeze here and there. I hear them sneeze maybe 3-4 times a day. Likely sneezing more but I don’t notice it. I am around them most of the day because they are in my craft room.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Occasional sneezing, slight runny nose, some mornings they have a stuffed nostil, (kinda stinky face, suspect infectious coryza? But not sure) otherwise acting healthy, playing, eating (chick starter), drinking. These chicks are high energy they like to play fight all day and night and don’t seem fatigued.

Can you post some photos of where they are housed now?

You mention they smell in the mornings? How much ventilation do you have in their housing?

Where are you located in the world?
Birds that are active, eating/drinking, with high energy and play all day are not sick. Get them outside as soon as you can so they have fresh air and sunshine. See if those minor symptoms resolve.

 

[Psychstew]

They don’t smell in the mornings they just smell sometimes, and their cage doesn’t smell. I keep it clean,daily poop removal/bedding refresh and weekly bedding change. But if I am holding them and I get near their face I notice a stinky smell. My other chickens didn’t smell like this and they don’t smell now. I don’t know if its because they are in the indoor brooder. My first set of chicks were raised in the garage but it was summer time. Its too cold here in central Virginia to have them outside or in the garage.

This is where they stay. We drape a towel on the front of the cage if it gets chilly so more heat gets trapped inside. If its a comfortable temp inside we leave it open because they like to see whats going on around them.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Could be the feed that smells if you only detect an odor every once in a while.
If it were infectious Coryza, then the birds would have a very bad odor all the time, would be sick and not active.

 

[Psychstew]

Could be the feed that smells if you only detect an odor every once in a while.
If it were infectious Coryza, then the birds would have a very bad odor all the time, would be sick and not active.

Thank you! I was wondering about that because they don’t seem depressed or fatigued. They don’t cough. Just a little bit of sneezing and the runny stuffy nose. And I think the stuffy part is food getting stuck to nose when it’s runny.

 

[Eggcessive]

Good advice from WyorpRock. You may want to do some research on respiratory diseases since they are lifelong carriers, and probably will pass on the disease to your flock once they are introduced. It would be very hard to not accidentally spread the disease from one flock to the other. I would not keep them. Culling them or giving them back to the seller might be options. Your state vet could test one or two chicks to identify the exact respiratory disease you are seeing. Zoologix, a national lab, will also send you swabs to collect to test them for up to 8 diseases. Here is a good link that contains info about the common diseases, including the respiratory ones:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ps044

 

[Psychstew]

Good advice from WyorpRock. You may want to do some research on respiratory diseases since they are lifelong carriers, and probably will pass on the disease to your flock once they are introduced. It would be very hard to not accidentally spread the disease from one flock to the other. I would not keep them. Culling them or giving them back to the seller might be options. Your state vet could test one or two chicks to identify the exact respiratory disease you are seeing. Zoologix, a national lab, will also send you swabs to collect to test them for up to 8 diseases. Here is a good link that contains info about the common diseases, including the respiratory ones:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ps044

I have been reading about chicken diseases since I got my first flock, and am always trying to learn more. Thank you for the article!

They will not be introduced to my main flock since I am not sure what is going on with them and I originally planned on keeping them separate because one of them is a rooster and I already have a rooster in my other flock. I am actually looking for information on if anyone has ever raised birds with suspected illness separate from their other flock without spreading the illness?

I already have a separate coop for them set up over an acre away in another part of the property. But once I noticed the runny nose and I started wondering if they were sick I decided I might have to keep them indoors.
I was thinking of putting fake grass in my basement and just letting them live down there. But these are just ideas. I don’t want to cull them if it is possible for me to raise them separate especially since they don’t seem sick otherwise.

I am completely willing to sanitize constantly and I always take care of my outdoor “helathy” flock before messing with the two babies. I have clothes that stay in my garage that I change into for my outdoor flock. Then I have a long coat I use to cover up my clothes when I handle the two chicks. I also disinfect my floor and surfaces daily and especially after handling the chicks or if they are out of their cage.

All shoes get disinfected when going in and out of the house and we have “house slippers” that are only worn inside and we are not allowed to wear other shoes inside. All shoes are kept in the mud room and disinfected at each use.