New frizzle rooster has runny nose and wheezing, help!

[PekinFluff]

A bantam frizzle rooster we got about 4 days ago has a runny nose and sometimes wheezes when he is breathing. The discharge from the nose is clear and their isn’t much of it, but two days ago his nose was really blocked and I had to clear it for him. All the other chooks we have (Pekin Bantams) seem to be completely fine and healthy, so it’s just him. At the moment he’s sleeping in a cat carrier as the others aren’t completely accepting him yet, so there is a bit of a draft at night for him.
I also havnt seen him eating the pellets given to them. He pecks at them but doesn’t actually eat them. I gave him a piece of bread today and he ate that quickly so unsure as to whether it is just because he isn’t used to the pellets yet?
Any ideas on how to help his nose and breathing and what could be causing it?

 

[Pyxis]

I hope you have kept him quarantined have haven't put him in with the rest of your flock. It sounds like he is a carrier of a respiratory disease and the stress of the move has caused him to show symptoms. There are several diseases it could be, and all of them leave the birds sick for life, having symptom flare-ups whenever they are stressed.

If you have had him quarantined (in another building nowhere near your other birds) I would cull him so that it doesn't spread to your other birds.

If you haven't had him in quarantine, then your other birds are already exposed and should be considered to have the disease as well. If that's the case, there are two options. The first is to cull them all, let your coops sit empty for awhile, and then start over with new birds. The second option is to treat the symptoms, close your flock, and never sell or give away birds, chicks, or eggs for hatching. You will have to treat them every time they have a symptom flare-up.

Without knowing for sure what disease it is, it's hard to say what medication you will need. Since you have pekin bantams, I don't think you're in the US so I'm not sure what medications would be available in your country. Tylan is a broad spectrum one that works on several of the diseases, if you can get ahold of that, or Baytril is a good broad spectrum antibiotic as well.

 

[PekinFluff]

Oh no. I really hope he doesn’t have a respiratory disease. He hadn’t been quarantined. During the day they are all in the yard together. Is there any chance he might just have a cold?

An no, I’m in Australia, not the US.

 

[Pyxis]

Chickens don't get colds. They only get respiratory diseases, sadly. So no, there's no chance he has a cold. There's a slight chance something is irritating him like a lot of ammonia if you haven't kept up on your coop cleaning or if you're using cedar bedding or something, but in that case I would expect it would be affecting all your birds and not just him.

 

[PekinFluff]

I might just see how they go and try get some Tylan or something else like that I think. I can’t bring myself to cull them. Thanks for your help Pyxis

 

[Pyxis]

You're welcome and sorry you're having this happen

 

[LoveDatChickenLife]

Try feeding him pellets from your hand, my chickens love it!

 

[PekinFluff]

Ok, I’ll give it a go thanks