Sneezing and squeaking chicken

[marilyngurl22]

Me AGAIN!

Recap: I lost a chicken on Tuesday to what I assumed was the heat. I also noticed one of my others sneezing a bit, but not frequently. She was also shaking her head a bit and doing the gasping for air thing while shaking her head and/or sneezing. She was also struggling big time in the heat.

Fast forward to today. That same chicken sneezed a few times while I was out there but it sounded like a loud squeak. I thought it was one of my dogs playing with a loud squeaky toy. It wasn't until I saw her do it that I realized she was sneezing. I'm learning it's likely a respiratory illness. We just moved and the people through the woods behind us have chickens and they are not well taken care of. I'm thinking they could've passed it to my flock. Does this mean my flock is closed? And if his have it, does this also mean any chickens who come here in the future (even after these are gone) will get it? I'm panicking a little right now.

What do I do to treat? And how do I know which respiratory disease it is??

 

[mustang56]

get some vet rx
https://www.amazon.com/Vetrx-Poultr...ie=UTF8&qid=1468207013&sr=8-1&keywords=vet+rx

If they are hot....cool them off.... spray a hose on them.... or dip them in a bucket and get water also under the wings....

Find or make a cool spot ....

they have these ice packs for coolers.... that aren't to expensive...you can put in and about the coop for them
to lay on....

Hope someone can help you...!

 

[ramsburgchicken]

Me AGAIN!

Recap: I lost a chicken on Tuesday to what I assumed was the heat. I also noticed one of my others sneezing a bit, but not frequently. She was also shaking her head a bit and doing the gasping for air thing while shaking her head and/or sneezing. She was also struggling big time in the heat.

Fast forward to today. That same chicken sneezed a few times while I was out there but it sounded like a loud squeak. I thought it was one of my dogs playing with a loud squeaky toy. It wasn't until I saw her do it that I realized she was sneezing. I'm learning it's likely a respiratory illness. We just moved and the people through the woods behind us have chickens and they are not well taken care of. I'm thinking they could've passed it to my flock. Does this mean my flock is closed? And if his have it, does this also mean any chickens who come here in the future (even after these are gone) will get it? I'm panicking a little right now.

What do I do to treat? And how do I know which respiratory disease it is??

1. They may be hot but that's not the main issue. You have an upper respiratory infection going on. For sneezing use Denagard, you can purchase it from Amazon.com

2. Are you putting ACV in water? If so, you may not be using enough, as the gasping motion or yawning motion is due to a build up of yeast in the throat. ACV will clear this.

 

[ramsburgchicken]

Vet RX will not work for an URI! It is wasted money! I couldn't believe we wasted so much time putting that on one of our hens. The Avian vet threw it in the garbage. Also, No farm vet will ever tell you to use this or even recommend it. It's the equivalent of Vicks vapor rub for chickens. No actual active ingredients to treat a URI. Please don't waste your money and stick with vet approved treatments.

It's hard to say what set off this URI in your chicken(s).. Could be anything from mold, allergies, communicable cold. First thing you should always do with signs of an URI is contact your Dept of Ag to come out and test your chickens. They screen for everything and the testing in the state of WV is free. Can't imagine it would be expensive in other states.

Keep an eye on the RH (relative humidity). When that spikes and chickens go into coop (that is dusty), the wet mucous membranes in their respiratory tract become like glue to the dust particles. As he RH rises we see an uptick in the sneezing with our flock.

 

[marilyngurl22]

Keep an eye on the RH (relative humidity). When that spikes and chickens go into coop (that is dusty), the wet mucous membranes in their respiratory tract become like glue to the dust particles. As he RH rises we see an uptick in the sneezing with our flock.

Very interesting. It has been super humid here lately and we've had strong thunderstorms almost every night. I'll do a deep clean of the coop to remove as much dust as possible in case that's it or contributing. It would make since since she has zero other symptoms and is laying, eating, and otherwise acting fine. Thank you!

 

[marilyngurl22]

1. They may be hot but that's not the main issue. You have an upper respiratory infection going on. For sneezing use Denagard, you can purchase it from Amazon.com

2. Are you putting ACV in water? If so, you may not be using enough, as the gasping motion or yawning motion is due to a build up of yeast in the throat. ACV will clear this.

I was told ACV during the high heat we get isnt good?? So I stopped when the whether started consistently staying above 80 degrees. I've added electrolytes, though. Am I wrong about the ACV??

 

[marilyngurl22]

get some vet rx 
https://www.amazon.com/Vetrx-Poultry-Aid-2-fl-oz/dp/B005BV0KI0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468207013&sr=8-1&keywords=vet+rx

If they are hot....cool them off.... spray a hose on them.... or dip them in a bucket and get water also under the wings....

Find or make a cool spot ....

they have  these ice packs for coolers.... that aren't to expensive...you can put in and about the coop for them
to lay on....

Hope someone can help you...!

I think I've found a system for the heat. I also got one of those pet cooling mats that is made of gel and stays cool. Hopefully we don't go back to upper nineties!

I ordered some VetRX and plan on starting it as soon as it arrives. Even if it doesn't cure, hoping it will help!
Thank you!

 

[ramsburgchicken]

I was told ACV during the high heat we get isnt good?? So I stopped when the whether started consistently staying above 80 degrees. I've added electrolytes, though. Am I wrong about the ACV??

I asked the avian vet how long we needed to use it for. (We went during the warmer months to the vet with our girl for her checkup) and the vet said to "keep adding it to the water year round, especially if we are seeing that yawning motion", which is that yeast build up. I can always tell when we forget to add it or which chickens haven't been drinking out of the water bowls but have been sipping on creek water instead as they are usually the ones doing that.

I can attest that we have had 0 crop problems with our 49 member flock since using it. However, I'm also no vet, and I think that what may be good for one flock may not have the same impact on another. Best to call your closest avian vet and get their thoughts on the matter as ours is familiar with our guys & girls and their issues.

 

[ramsburgchicken]

Very interesting. It has been super humid here lately and we've had strong thunderstorms almost every night. I'll do a deep clean of the coop to remove as much dust as possible in case that's it or contributing. It would make since since she has zero other symptoms and is laying, eating, and otherwise acting fine. Thank you!

We try to keep our coop as dust free as possible as well. Just notified a spike with all the recent rain and increased RH and their sneezing fits. Our girls are also still laying, eating, etc. So whenever the RH in the coop jumps above 75%, we're doing box fans in reverse to pull that moisture out.

 

[mustang56]

I think it will help.... sure can't hurt...

to bad you can't air condition your back yard...! =)

stay cool...!!