I bought some chickens just after Christmas, who have been in a separate pen from my other chickens. I was getting ready to start intergrating them into the main flock in another 4 or 5 days. I noticed a few days ago that one the the chickens was sneezing, and my son noticed the same chicken sneeze yesterday. I had a good look at her, no nasal discharge, no other signs of illness. Could it just be dust getting up her nose? She is a rather vigorous dust bather! No other chickens are sneezing. Should I hold off on moving the new chickens into the main pen?
I've had birds sneezing when crumbled feed turns to powder. They eat it vigorously and the powder in their throats makes them cough or sneeze. When I moved to a good organic mini pellet I never saw that behavior again. That could be it if you don't hear any congested breathing (rattles in the throat) or nasal discharge, swelling around the face/eyes. Observe the bird closely for awhile and let us know.
