Sick Chickens?

[Jason S]

Hi all!
New to the group here. I have 20 4mo old Buff Orpingtons and 15 Cochin Bantams that we got in Jan of this year. I just moved them out to their new huge coop and run last week. This morning a few of them were making a weird Awwwe Awwe noise and I heard a couple coughs or sneezes. I also noticed one of the cochins being a bit ruffled up and sluggish. Any ideas as to what could be happening?

 

[orpington13]

that's just a regular free range Chicken! I never really heard one sneeze before.

 

[orpington13]

also it means their not babies any more

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Hi all!
New to the group here. I have 20 4mo old Buff Orpingtons and 15 Cochin Bantams that we got in Jan of this year. I just moved them out to their new huge coop and run last week. This morning a few of them were making a weird Awwwe Awwe noise and I heard a couple coughs or sneezes. I also noticed one of the cochins being a bit ruffled up and sluggish. Any ideas as to what could be happening?

Hmm sneezing can be from environmental causes such as dust from the pine shavings.

Coughs are more concerning, and the awe awe noise is also concerning. Are they wheezing? Could they be coming down with a respiratory disease? Be on the lookout for swollen eyes, nasal drainage, etc.

There are treatments people give for respiratory diseases, such as Tylan and Denaguard, and other people cull. Some diseases render them asymptomatic carriers, and with Mycoplasma gallisepticum, it can even be transmitted through the egg to the baby chick.

Another thing to look for is ammonia levels in your coop. If you smell ammonia when you open your coop for the day, that needs to be remedied as it can damage the lungs and eyes of the chickens.

So check for environmental reasons and then be observant for respiratory illness. Here is a general link with diagnosis charts at bottom:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[orpington13]

our coop has never had ammonia and they still awe. there is probably nothing wrong with them if it is their first week.

 

[Jason S]

They appear to be sounding better today, I looked for nasal discharge or watery eyes. And none of them were showing signs. No Ammonia smell, the shavings are barely a week old and still fresh smelling.