One sneezy chick - advice??

[Aeropennchick]

One of our chicks seems to have symptoms like human allergies. He/she, "Grendel," was a little smaller to begin with, and would sneeze off and on. No nasal discharge, no lethargy, normal poops, eats and drinks normally and doesn't get picked on by the other chicks. She is growing and getting fluffier all the time - she's a four week old silkie.

It seems worse when I fluff the pine shaving bedding, so we made sure the brooder room was better ventilated. She sneezes more if I pick her up, if we go outside, any kind of stress really. Sometimes she opens her mouth to breath for a breath or two like her nasal passages are blocked - but this is very infrequent. She loves to be held though! She does dust baths in my lap and lies on her side to be scratched under the wings.

I thought it was a cold at first but it's been nearly two weeks. Is is possible for a chick to have allergies? I use water with electrolytes, I was thinking of switching to apple cider vinegar for a while and seeing if that helped. I have also heard of using a "probiotic mash" but am not sure what this is...any ideas?

 

[Judy]

I don't see why they can't have allergies, but really, it sounds like you need to reduce the dust even more. I'd also check her nasal passages; they can get plugged up with dust. You could always use rags or shredded paper for bedding, or puppy pads, though that could get expensive. Some people use old towels or rags (if they aren't raveling) and just have two sets and wash them.

 

[Aeropennchick]

Well we are finishing the run today and I'm thinking it would be best to just move them outside sooner than later - they will be four and five weeks old on Monday, and are pretty much feathered out except for their heads. From what I can see, there isn't anything clogging up her nose, but I am going to try a saline flush and see if that helps.