Sneezing- Are they sick?

[chickity-chick]

Hi all,

I have 7 birds. My 4 adult birds i have noticed are sneezing. Its not constant but when I go out there I notice that each one will sneeze 1-3 times. Its not all the time tho. Are they sick? When they sneeze they spray their snot or liquid out of their little nose. I put some drops of vet rx on top of two of their 3 waterers hoping that that will help but I'm not sure what to do or if their is an illness. Thank you for all of your help I would appreciate any guidance you can give.

 

[Isaac 0]

Sorry to hear your birds are feeling unwell.

Could you post a video of the chickens sneezing? To post a video you'll need to upload it to a video platform like Yotube or vimeo, then copy/paste the link here. Could you post a few pictures of their setup? Is there swelling around their faces? Is there any rattled breathing going on? How does the discharge smell?

Sneezing in poultry can be caused by environmental issues such as dusty feed, dusty bedding, allergies, but, a lot of the times, its related to respiratory disease. There are several respiratory diseases that can affect poultry, but we tend to Coryza, MG (mycoplasma gallisepticum , and infectious bronchitis the most. If you'd like to read into these respiratory diseases you can read the links provided below.

MG

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-infection-in-poultry

Coryza

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/infectious-coryza

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-coryza/overview-of-infectious-coryza-in-chickens

Infectious Bronchitis

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-bronchitis/infectious-bronchitis-in-poultry#:~:text=Infectious bronchitis is an acute,be caused by some strains.

(If they do have a respiratory disease) Instead of treating them with a broad-spectrum antibiotic, you can send some swab samples into your state veterinary diagnostic lab, or a national lab like Zoologix so you know exactly what disease you dealing with so you can choose an antibiotic best suited for that disease. But, sadly, with most respiratory disease, antibiotics will only alleviate the symptoms, and during times of stress, symptoms may reappear. That is why some folks on here, depending on the severity, choose to cull their flock, as there will need to be egg/meat withdrawals put in placed during/after antibiotic therapy, not to mention, after some time the antibotic might become useless, so a stronger one will need to be chosen. Links to where you can send swab samples to are provided below.

Testing.

https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

 

[chickity-chick]

Sorry to hear your birds are feeling unwell.

Could you post a video of the chickens sneezing? To post a video you'll need to upload it to a video platform like Yotube or vimeo, then copy/paste the link here. Could you post a few pictures of their setup? Is there swelling around their faces? Is there any rattled breathing going on? How does the discharge smell?

Sneezing in poultry can be caused by environmental issues such as dusty feed, dusty bedding, allergies, but, a lot of the times, its related to respiratory disease. There are several respiratory diseases that can affect poultry, but we tend to Coryza, MG (mycoplasma gallisepticum , and infectious bronchitis the most. If you'd like to read into these respiratory diseases you can read the links provided below.

MG

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-infection-in-poultry

Coryza

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/infectious-coryza

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-coryza/overview-of-infectious-coryza-in-chickens

Infectious Bronchitis

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-bronchitis/infectious-bronchitis-in-poultry#:~:text=Infectious bronchitis is an acute,be caused by some strains.

(If they do have a respiratory disease) Instead of treating them with a broad-spectrum antibiotic, you can send some swab samples into your state veterinary diagnostic lab, or a national lab like Zoologix so you know exactly what disease you dealing with so you can choose an antibiotic best suited for that disease. But, sadly, with most respiratory disease, antibiotics will only alleviate the symptoms, and during times of stress, symptoms may reappear. That is why some folks on here, depending on the severity, choose to cull their flock, as there will need to be egg/meat withdrawals put in placed during/after antibiotic therapy, not to mention, after some time the antibotic might become useless, so a stronger one will need to be chosen. Links to where you can send swab samples to are provided below.

Testing.

https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

I will try and get a video in the next few days- they don't always do it. My set up is half sand and half normal dirt ground. The sand part has a cover on it and it is play sand. The dirt part does not have a roof and gets rained on. They do not have any puffiness and are still eager to eat treats when I come out daily to give them. Wait so is sneezing not something that is normal? Should a healthy hen never sneeze?

 

[chickity-chick]

Sorry to hear your birds are feeling unwell.

Could you post a video of the chickens sneezing? To post a video you'll need to upload it to a video platform like Yotube or vimeo, then copy/paste the link here. Could you post a few pictures of their setup? Is there swelling around their faces? Is there any rattled breathing going on? How does the discharge smell?

Sneezing in poultry can be caused by environmental issues such as dusty feed, dusty bedding, allergies, but, a lot of the times, its related to respiratory disease. There are several respiratory diseases that can affect poultry, but we tend to Coryza, MG (mycoplasma gallisepticum , and infectious bronchitis the most. If you'd like to read into these respiratory diseases you can read the links provided below.

MG

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-infection-in-poultry

Coryza

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/infectious-coryza

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-coryza/overview-of-infectious-coryza-in-chickens

Infectious Bronchitis

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-bronchitis/infectious-bronchitis-in-poultry#:~:text=Infectious bronchitis is an acute,be caused by some strains.

(If they do have a respiratory disease) Instead of treating them with a broad-spectrum antibiotic, you can send some swab samples into your state veterinary diagnostic lab, or a national lab like Zoologix so you know exactly what disease you dealing with so you can choose an antibiotic best suited for that disease. But, sadly, with most respiratory disease, antibiotics will only alleviate the symptoms, and during times of stress, symptoms may reappear. That is why some folks on here, depending on the severity, choose to cull their flock, as there will need to be egg/meat withdrawals put in placed during/after antibiotic therapy, not to mention, after some time the antibotic might become useless, so a stronger one will need to be chosen. Links to where you can send swab samples to are provided below.

Testing.

https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

Just tried to get a video and was unsuccessful. It is small sneezes with a tiny shake of the head and a little spray. I listened to her chest and did not hear any rattling. It is also not a constant sneeze. Just occasional. I am really worried.

 

[chickity-chick]

Sorry to hear your birds are feeling unwell.

Could you post a video of the chickens sneezing? To post a video you'll need to upload it to a video platform like Yotube or vimeo, then copy/paste the link here. Could you post a few pictures of their setup? Is there swelling around their faces? Is there any rattled breathing going on? How does the discharge smell?

Sneezing in poultry can be caused by environmental issues such as dusty feed, dusty bedding, allergies, but, a lot of the times, its related to respiratory disease. There are several respiratory diseases that can affect poultry, but we tend to Coryza, MG (mycoplasma gallisepticum , and infectious bronchitis the most. If you'd like to read into these respiratory diseases you can read the links provided below.

MG

https://extension.umd.edu/sites/ext... Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) Infecti....pdf

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/mycoplasmosis/mycoplasma-gallisepticum-infection-in-poultry

Coryza

https://thepoultrysite.com/disease-guide/infectious-coryza

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-coryza/overview-of-infectious-coryza-in-chickens

Infectious Bronchitis

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poultry/infectious-bronchitis/infectious-bronchitis-in-poultry#:~:text=Infectious bronchitis is an acute,be caused by some strains.

(If they do have a respiratory disease) Instead of treating them with a broad-spectrum antibiotic, you can send some swab samples into your state veterinary diagnostic lab, or a national lab like Zoologix so you know exactly what disease you dealing with so you can choose an antibiotic best suited for that disease. But, sadly, with most respiratory disease, antibiotics will only alleviate the symptoms, and during times of stress, symptoms may reappear. That is why some folks on here, depending on the severity, choose to cull their flock, as there will need to be egg/meat withdrawals put in placed during/after antibiotic therapy, not to mention, after some time the antibotic might become useless, so a stronger one will need to be chosen. Links to where you can send swab samples to are provided below.

Testing.

https://www.zoologix.com/avian/Datasheets/PoultryRespiratoryPanel.htm
https://www.metzerfarms.com/PoultryLabs.cfm
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/nahln/downloads/all_nahln_lab_list.pdf

One last question- i have play sand in my run- do you think that this could be the cause of the sneezing? It is play sand so it might have silica? Not sure if that can cause sneezing/is bad- i would love some guidance on this

 

[Isaac 0]

I will try and get a video in the next few days- they don't always do it. My set up is half sand and half normal dirt ground. The sand part has a cover on it and it is play sand. The dirt part does not have a roof and gets rained on. They do not have any puffiness and are still eager to eat treats when I come out daily to give them. Wait so is sneezing not something that is normal? Should a healthy hen never sneeze?

Just tried to get a video and was unsuccessful. It is small sneezes with a tiny shake of the head and a little spray. I listened to her chest and did not hear any rattling. It is also not a constant sneeze. Just occasional. I am really worried.

One last question- i have play sand in my run- do you think that this could be the cause of the sneezing? It is play sand so it might have silica? Not sure if that can cause sneezing/is bad- i would love some guidance on this

Healthy hens may sneeze on occasions, but if it repeatably happening every day, something needs to be addressed.

Repeated Sneezing is not normal, and as I mentioned earlier, it could be environmentally related, or could possibly be some sort of respiratory disease. A video of the chickens sneezing, and a few pictures of your setup would help. My suggestion as of now would be to eliminate any possible "dusty" things in their pen that may irritate their respiratory system and see if that helps.

 

[chickity-chick]

Half of the run is dirt the other half is play sand. They sneeze every day but are acting and eating totally normally. I don’t know what to do. All of them are sneezing. Attached are pictures of my set up.