- Jul 19, 2012
- 26
- 3
- 24
Hello,
I am relatively new to chickens and need advice about a chicken that is sneezing.
I have three light Brahma chickens in a mobile pasture pen at my house across the road from the main farm (one rooster and three hens).
I picked up 4 Pekin hatching eggs from a poultry swap, and 3 hatched. I raised the Pekins to 7 weeks and processed them yesterday (Sunday).
Before processing the Pekins, I attended another poultry swap and came home with 2 Americaunas, a cockerl and a pullet, that the woman selling them said were around 5 months. I also picked up from the same woman 3 Black Copper Marans and an easter egger, all chicks. Two of the marans were said to be a couple days old, then one marans and the easter egger were a couple weeks old (they were all in the brooder together).
The Americauna female was missing her tailfeathers, and I was told that she had been in a pen with a lot of roosters and had just been picked on. All of the birds seemed healthy at that time, minus the tail feathers on the hen.
I also picked up one hatching bantam egg (mixed breed) from the same woman.
I went out of town two days after getting the birds. The day after I came back, one of the chicks, the smallest Marans, died. The instructions I left the farm sitter with for the heatlamp were misunderstood so the chicks had no heat. I live in Virginia so it wasn't super cold, but did get down to 68 at least one night. The brooder is in an insulated chicken hut, but still.
Also, the Americauna hen was sneezing
. No discharge, and it was about a sneeze every 60 seconds or so.
Upon inspection of the remaining chicks, I found bugs on them, I am assuming lice, as they were located around the vent. One of the chicks (the second smallest one, the smallest one remaining) had missing feathers on it on its neck and under its wings.
I checked the Americaunas and found bugs on the hen. I dusted all 5 birds with 5% Sevin dust on Wednesday, 8/22.
Today I moved the 3 chicks to a larger brooder and re-dusted them with the Sevin, even though I didn't see any bugs I didn't want to infest the new area.
When I was feeding the Americaunas today I noticed the hen was sneezing a lot, and her beak was shiny. I caught her, and indeed she has clear discharge around her nostrils. Also, the feathers immidiately around her head are damp.
The rooster seems unaffected from what I can tell. Both birds are bright and alert, eating and drinking well.
I have all three sets of chickens separated by hundreds of feet (different buildings on a large farm), but I am very concerned I have brought some sort of chicken plague to my farm.
One of the chicks (the littlest) looks like one of its nostrils isn't open, it has a slightly yellow covering to its nostril, but it seems to be part of the beak and not discharge if that makes sense. The chick isn't sneezing, or acting sick, I wonder if it was hatched that way. They are much quieter than my last chicks (the brahmas) I don't know if that is due to them not feeling well or if they are just a quieter breed.
I really have no idea what to do, or how concerned I should be. I bought the Americaunas as a breeding pair, but the sneezing/discharge that has gone on this long has me very worried, but the rooster seems completely normal. I did not separate the rooster from the hen as without her I really don't have use for him, and I didn't want to stress them out by being alone.
Thoughts? Should I be worried about the hatching bantam egg (should be hatching September 2nd). I have candled it and it is alive and seems to be developing appropriately. I have another poultry swap in my area September 1st and I was going to pick the lone chick up a friend but now I am scared of the swaps!
Sorry this is so long, thank you for any and all advice.
-Amanda
I am relatively new to chickens and need advice about a chicken that is sneezing.
I have three light Brahma chickens in a mobile pasture pen at my house across the road from the main farm (one rooster and three hens).
I picked up 4 Pekin hatching eggs from a poultry swap, and 3 hatched. I raised the Pekins to 7 weeks and processed them yesterday (Sunday).
Before processing the Pekins, I attended another poultry swap and came home with 2 Americaunas, a cockerl and a pullet, that the woman selling them said were around 5 months. I also picked up from the same woman 3 Black Copper Marans and an easter egger, all chicks. Two of the marans were said to be a couple days old, then one marans and the easter egger were a couple weeks old (they were all in the brooder together).
The Americauna female was missing her tailfeathers, and I was told that she had been in a pen with a lot of roosters and had just been picked on. All of the birds seemed healthy at that time, minus the tail feathers on the hen.
I also picked up one hatching bantam egg (mixed breed) from the same woman.
I went out of town two days after getting the birds. The day after I came back, one of the chicks, the smallest Marans, died. The instructions I left the farm sitter with for the heatlamp were misunderstood so the chicks had no heat. I live in Virginia so it wasn't super cold, but did get down to 68 at least one night. The brooder is in an insulated chicken hut, but still.
Also, the Americauna hen was sneezing
. No discharge, and it was about a sneeze every 60 seconds or so.Upon inspection of the remaining chicks, I found bugs on them, I am assuming lice, as they were located around the vent. One of the chicks (the second smallest one, the smallest one remaining) had missing feathers on it on its neck and under its wings.
I checked the Americaunas and found bugs on the hen. I dusted all 5 birds with 5% Sevin dust on Wednesday, 8/22.
Today I moved the 3 chicks to a larger brooder and re-dusted them with the Sevin, even though I didn't see any bugs I didn't want to infest the new area.
When I was feeding the Americaunas today I noticed the hen was sneezing a lot, and her beak was shiny. I caught her, and indeed she has clear discharge around her nostrils
. Also, the feathers immidiately around her head are damp.The rooster seems unaffected from what I can tell. Both birds are bright and alert, eating and drinking well.
I have all three sets of chickens separated by hundreds of feet (different buildings on a large farm), but I am very concerned I have brought some sort of chicken plague to my farm
.One of the chicks (the littlest) looks like one of its nostrils isn't open, it has a slightly yellow covering to its nostril, but it seems to be part of the beak and not discharge if that makes sense. The chick isn't sneezing, or acting sick, I wonder if it was hatched that way. They are much quieter than my last chicks (the brahmas) I don't know if that is due to them not feeling well or if they are just a quieter breed.
I really have no idea what to do, or how concerned I should be. I bought the Americaunas as a breeding pair, but the sneezing/discharge that has gone on this long has me very worried, but the rooster seems completely normal. I did not separate the rooster from the hen as without her I really don't have use for him, and I didn't want to stress them out by being alone.
Thoughts? Should I be worried about the hatching bantam egg (should be hatching September 2nd). I have candled it and it is alive and seems to be developing appropriately. I have another poultry swap in my area September 1st and I was going to pick the lone chick up a friend but now I am scared of the swaps!
Sorry this is so long, thank you for any and all advice.
-Amanda
