Sneezing Broilers 1 died today need help.

[WannaB]

I have a batch of 15 broiler chicks that started sneezing about three days ago. There is no discharge, no swelling, no gurgling noises, etc everything looks perfectly normal. They have normal looking droppings they eat good, drink good. They are 15 days old today. They've been eating medicated feed for a week (1st week feed store only had non-medicated) A couple of them look like they have labored breathing no gasping just breathing hard (you can see the bottom of their throats move when they breathe) They are indoors, under a light at all times but can get away from it to cool down if necessary. This afternoon I found one bird dead there were no obvious signs of stress. I am really worried about the others and not sure what to do at this point anyone got any ideas whats wrong or what to do?

 

[notv]

Sorry to hear of your flock trouble. Sounds like something respiratory, could be Mycoplasmosis/CBD,although tough to confirm if they aren't producing the other symptoms. I'm not sure if young chickens are allowed to have garlic or apple cider vinegar (in water) at 15 days, but both might be an early treatment step. Hope things start to improve for your flock.

 

[CMV]

Broilers? Do you mean CXs? If so, losses are expected with these guys. They are very fragile because of the amount of genetic engineering that goes into creating them. They serve one purpose- grow out as quickly as possible. This leads to lots of health issues and a distinct inability to handle stress of any variety. Their organs are mush, especially their hearts. Labored breathing is not unusual because of the heart issues inherent in the (cross)breed.

Sneezing, in the absence of any other symptoms, is not worrisome. Birds sneeze. If they are stirring up their bedding and it is dusty or dirty, then there is a lot of sneezing. It is important to keep the bedding as free of waste as possible with these guys because of their fragility and the massive quantity of waste that they produce.

I would not worry too much about the loss of one bird. Anymore start dropping and then I would worry. I have dealt with these birds several times and I have yet to raise a batch and not have losses before process date.

Good luck.