Probably the silliest question yet....

[keyt1969]

I'm almost embarrassed to ask, but I'm fairly new to this chicken thing. Do chickens get colds or sore throats? haha

I ask because I have a Plymouth Rock that makes a funky sound and shakes her head like she's sneezing. She only started doing this a few days ago. I've never heard a chicken make that sound before, but I've also never had a PR. Is this normal??

Like I said, I feel silly for asking lol

 

[sheaviance1]

No reason to feel silly, the only dumb question is the one not asked. I have heard of a type of worm that can cause this, maybe a gapeworm, but i think it is also fairly normal for them to sneeze occasionally.

 

[gacowgirl]

We had a round of infectious bronchitis and the chooks all sneezed, had runny eyes and noses and felt BAD. We bought some chicks locally and brought the disease into our closed flock. Lost 90% of our birds, had one autopsied and both dewormed and treated flock with two different antibiotics. We discovered that the few survivors responded best to heavy doses of kelp and supplemental vitamins and minerals. Based on my experience, the birds' immune systems were faulty. With time and super nutrition, flock health was reestablished. In 30 years with animals, this is the only major illness I have ever had. It was so very scary and painful to watch.

 

[keyt1969]

Wow. Well, she doesn't sneeze all day, but when she does it's like she sneezes 4 or 5 times in a row. She eats like there's no tomorrow (these have to be the most spoiled birds I have ever seen!) so that should be a good thing. What's so funny is when she wants someone to get away from something she wants to eat, she squawks and sounds like a huge goose! The others sound normal.

I'll just keep an eye on her and hope for the best! Thanks for the info!!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

Great Question! Yes, they occasionally sneeze, or gag, but this is a perfect opportunity to study up on gapeworm, another cause to cough or gag. This is one of many things you should learn about your chickens. The more you know, the more you will want to know. The "Chicken World" is a wonderful place to be!