Sneezing and diarrhea in 11-week-old chickens. Respiratory Infection?

[jschmi]

Hello! I am looking for some suggestions on what to do. I am new to taking care of chickens and I have been noticing my chickens sneezing numerous times and I have also noticed what appears to be diarrhea in the coop. The diarrhea is a dark brown (almost black) liquid and has a foul odor.
I have been reading about cecal, and maybe it is that? My thought it that it's diarrhea and not cecal, because the cecal was light brown and has a different odor than this, or at least it was in the brooder.
I have also noticed poops that appear to be normal and have the white top, but at more runny and ill-formed.
I also noticed a clear liquid looking diarrhea one time. It could have happened more, it's just difficult to notice.

The chickens are about 11 weeks old at this point. I just moved them into their coop from their brooder probably about 3 weeks ago.
I tried to give them a mixture of probiotic and electrolytes for three days, I am not sure if that really made a difference. I also purchased VetRX to try but it says it it's more for prevention than treatment. Plus, it says to put it directly into the chicken's mouth using a Q-tip. and that is just near impossible! I have been putting a drop under each of their wings at night for a few nights now and also added a few drops to a second water source as it says you can do. But I am still noticing the sneezing and diarrhea-like poop.

The chickens are very active, and eating a well, and not showing any signs of lethargy. They do not have swollen eyes or discharge from their nose that I can see. I have noticed yawning a few times which I am not sure if it was just a yawn or if they are gasping. I have been trying to do research but there are so many different things I am feeling rather overwhelmed by it all.

I am pretty sure it is something respiratory because of the sneezing involved. But I have also read about gapeworm and I am wondering maybe it is some type of worms based on the yawning/gasping I noticed?

I have read you can use oral antibiotics that can be placed in water, but I cannot find these for chickens available to purchase anywhere. Any ideas where to purchase them? Can you use antibiotics out of precaution if they don't have a respiratory infection?

Being that I am new to this, I could be overreacting. Maybe I am just an over-concerned newby and the chickens are actually healthy?

They should start laying within a few weeks and I want to make sure they are as healthy as possible.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

How are your chicks?

A video of their actions may be helpful. Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

Photos of poop?

Active, eating/drinking, no signs of lethargy, no swollen eyes, discharge or mucous...they don't sound sick to me.
Chickens can sneeze from a number of things - from getting a piece of food or water in their nostrils, dusty feed/bedding, molds to respiratory illness.
Observe and see when they sneeze, it may just be a sneeze and nothing else.

Gaping can be yawning or adjusting the crop. Provide grit (crushed granite) for your flock.

Photos of all of them, your set-up etc are always welcome.

 

[jschmi]

Welcome To BYC

How are your chicks?

A video of their actions may be helpful. Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

Photos of poop?

Active, eating/drinking, no signs of lethargy, no swollen eyes, discharge or mucous...they don't sound sick to me.
Chickens can sneeze from a number of things - from getting a piece of food or water in their nostrils, dusty feed/bedding, molds to respiratory illness.
Observe and see when they sneeze, it may just be a sneeze and nothing else.

Gaping can be yawning or adjusting the crop. Provide grit (crushed granite) for your flock.

Photos of all of them, your set-up etc are always welcome.

I apologize for such a late response; I really appreciate you taking the time to reply! It's been a few months now and I have been watching them diligently.
It seems like the sneezing subsided for the most part, still a few now and then. Still no signs of swollen eyes, lethargy or discharge. I haven't noticed and gasping or yawning since that one time. I do have grit in there for them.
For the most part their poop seems normal. I have noticed a few that seem waterier and more of an orangish color than normal. There was one case the other day where one looked real gross. I uploaded that photo. Let me know your thoughts.


They are about 24 weeks old at this point. I am having some concerns about their egg production and some of their comb color. Am I worrying too early about this? I have 6 total chickens and I have only been getting one egg every 2-3days and that only started about a week ago.

I have 3 Rhode Island Reds, one of them has a very full red comb, while the other two have more pale and short combs. I was reading that pale combs could be a sign of anemia or worms. I am not sure how to even tell if that is the case here. I attached two photos of the chickens that have the lighter/pale colors combs if you care to take a look.
Any thoughts or advice is appreciated!

 

[Eggcessive]

So, they are about 23 weeks old at this time, right? The 2 with pale combs may not yet be laying. The dropping looks like a cecal poop, and that is normal a couple of times a day. Are they on layer feed with some crushed oyster shell in a separate container? Here is some info on cecal droppings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cecal-vs-regular-poop.75555/

 

[jschmi]

So, they are about 23 weeks old at this time, right? The 2 with pale combs may not yet be laying. The dropping looks like a cecal poop, and that is normal a couple of times a day. Are they on layer feed with some crushed oyster shell in a separate container? Here is some info on cecal droppings:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/cecal-vs-regular-poop.75555/

I believe they are 26 weeks old. Yes, they are on layer feed. I have not provided oyster shells. I do give them treats that are supposed to help with laying. I can’t recall the name of them at the moment. I will get some oyster shells and try that.
Thanks for the info about the cecal, it puts me at ease.
I appreciate it!