Sneezing chickens, should I worry?

[fluffychicksmomma]

Our 9 month old Silkie hens are sneezing a little. They look fine and perky otherwise, eating and acting normally. Do I need to worry? If something is wrong I would like to catch it early. Do I need to put some sort of antibiotic in their water, and if so, what kind/how much? Thanks for any suggestions or help! : )

 

[Hottchick]

Mine were sneezing some too and it never got any further than that. It may be nothing. I got a bottle of Vet rx and put some in their water. Seems to be good stuff.

 

[Domestic_goddess]

My chickens had the same problem. I started them on Auromycin for 10 days, they have the directions on the bag on the amounts . You can't eat the eggs for a couple of weeks after treatment. I also gave them some Electrolytes in thier drinking water....they did well and all are healthy now. Good luck!

 

[maizey]

I was gonna ask this same exact question! One of mine sneezed a couple of times today..of course so did I...but still, you worry. On an unrelated note...one also passed gas today too..it wasn't going potty at the time either, it just tooted as if from nowhere

It was sorta funny, all the other chickens looked at her, she seemed embarassed.

 

[JLS]

My first batch of chickens did that last year. I called the vet. They said to "wait and see" if anything developed. The chickens did just fine. No treatment. Then my new batch, this year, started sneezing a little when the temps started to drop. But they have all recovered without treatment. I am of the opinion to use meds as a last resort.

 

[PamB]

Quote:
What is considered enough to medicate? If it is any more than sneezing? What crusty nostrils? I have a chicken who suddenly (today) started sneezing and has crusty nostrils. She is currently separated from the flock. But, she has been acting normal...eating, drinking, pecking.

 

[JLS]

Quote:
What is considered enough to medicate? If it is any more than sneezing? What crusty nostrils? I have a chicken who suddenly (today) started sneezing and has crusty nostrils. She is currently separated from the flock. But, she has been acting normal...eating, drinking, pecking.

I would do just as you did...seperate her from the flock. Then I would do research to see if her symptoms matched any condition which required meds. None of my birds have ever had crusty nostils. On occasion there was a little clear wetness (mucus??). If it's a virus, antibiotics will not do anything to help the bird (from my knowledge). There's a link on here that talks about chicken"colds". It's very helpful. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=123652

 

[PamB]

Quote:
What is considered enough to medicate? If it is any more than sneezing? What crusty nostrils? I have a chicken who suddenly (today) started sneezing and has crusty nostrils. She is currently separated from the flock. But, she has been acting normal...eating, drinking, pecking.

I would do just as you did...seperate her from the flock. Then I would do research to see if her symptoms matched any condition which required meds. None of my birds have ever had crusty nostils. On occasion there was a little clear wetness (mucus??). If it's a virus, antibiotics will not do anything to help the bird (from my knowledge). There's a link on here that talks about chicken"colds". It's very helpful. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=123652

Thanks. Very helpful information. The one thing that isn't a symptom is the eye discharge. I just had a thought...the chickens only slept in their coop all summer, stayed outside all day. Now that it is colder, they have been spending a lot of time in the coop scratching around. I had sawdust mixed with the wood shavings because I had read it would help with dampness. Now, I'm wondering if THIS could be my problem and possibly why no other chicks are showing signs of illness. I did a quick search online and found a lot of info about how the sawdust can cause respitory issues. I'm hoping this is the cause.

Sorry for hijacking the thread for a bit, fluffychicksmomma, I hope your babies are better really soon!!

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

Thanks to all for the info. I was kinda thinking what some of you said, to watch and see if anything else developed, because they appear perfectly normal in every other way. I was wondering if they catch "colds" like us, we just had a major cold front come in and the daytime highs have dropped 20 degrees, nights are below freezing now. (I'll read that link that was sent). But I thought it would be a good idea to find out what some of the antibiotics are that are used, so if its any worse tomorrow, I will head to the feed-store. : )

 

[chkn]

I'd treat them with antibiotic if it keeps happening.