New to chickens & One Sneezes often... is this bad???

[UrbanChick101]

I have read a few different things. I have read, "Yes it is bad". Or I read, "Sometimes they sneeze." I have a black australorp that was hatched in March. I just brought the birds home less than two weeks ago. I noticed about a week ago that this one pullet seems to sneeze, often enough my 5 year old noticed and was amazed to see her sneeze. My son today, (he's 9) has studied the oystershell bag over the past week. He came in today and said, "Mom, I think one of our chickens is sick" I asked him, why he thought that, and he went to the Oystershell bag and read some of it to me about sneezing, goopy noses & eyes, and he said watery or green diarreaha. He said that our chicken that has been sneezing, also just had poo that looked like water. So, I don't really know what to think, I was blowing it off, as it does not seem to have any congestion or noticeable goo by its face at all. And I have never seen any other symptoms other than a sneeze or two every so often, when we happen to be watching "Chicken TV". I really don't want to have a sick bird and let it be, and end up with six sick birds. If anyone has any thoughts, I have an open ear... or in this case an open eye or two

 

[chicmom]

I've had that happen. This summer, I noticed one of my hens, a Speckled Sussex, sneezing quite often, and she sounded kind of like she had a cold. Otherwise, she acted perfectly fine, so I didn't worry much, but then I noticed another hen starting to sneeze. So I put them on Duramayacin for a week, and they're fine now. They must have had some kind of respiratory thing going on.

The only bad thing is that you have to wait two weeks after you stop the meds to eat the eggs....I hated throwing the eggs away, but I did. (Really, that makes three weeks of wasted eggs.)

You could isolate that one hen, and give her the meds, and that way you would still have eggs from the rest of the flock, but I dosed my whole flock just to be safe.

Good luck!

Sharon

 

[UrbanChick101]

Quote:
I guess the bonus is I haven't gotten any eggs from anyone yet.

I have been hoping that the sneeze would go away, like I never heard it before. I would hate to have all six get the sneeze! Where do you buy the meds?? and is it expensive??

Oh, Where, Oh Where would I keep one chicken away from my others??? hmm?? Things to think about!!!

 

[chicmom]

I get the Duramayacin from the farm store (Tractor Supply), and it's in a packet and costs only $4.99. You use one tablespoon per gallon of drinking water, and you have to change the water once a day. It's a powder.

And, I use a dog kennel when I isolate a sick chicken. You could keep her in the garage....I have a walk out basement, and I kept my sick hen in a room down there. Since you're not getting eggs yet, why don't you just give it to everybody just to be safe? That would be my choice.

I've had this sneezing happen twice, and everybody recovered.