Sneezing Chickens?

[sarahjessica]

Lately my chickens have been making sneezing noises, it's like a huff almost. I'm concerned but I don't think they would have any respiratory problems, their coops is very open in a huge building. Please let me know if this is something i should be concerned about.

 

[Wyandottes7]

Is their bedding dry or dusty? That could be causing them to sneeze and breathe heavily.

I think that they could have a mild respiratory disease. Even if chickens are kept in near perfect conditions, they can get respriatory diseases. They may be carriers of the disease and something stresses them out causing the disease to appear, or the wind/wild birds could carry disease to them. It doesn't sound to serious yet, so it is likely a mild viral disease.

If its a virus, they should get over it on their own. You can speed the recovery by giving supportive care, including nutrient rich foods (like scrambled egg), electrolytes, and probiotics. Make sure that they eat and drink enough.

A bacterial respiratory disease is possible as well. You'll need antibiotics to treat a bacterial disease. Tylan50 is the best antibiotic, in my opinion, so see if you can get some of that. The dosage for Tylan50 is 1cc for large fowl, .5ccs for bantams, given once daily for five days. You inject it into the breast muscle using a small needle and syringe (20-22gauge needle works well). Keep in mind that antibiotics will only help baceterial diseases. If you try antibiotics and see no improvement, you might be dealing with a virus.

Other antibiotics liked Terramycin, Duramycin, and Tetroxy HCA-280 can also be used, but may not works as well as Tylan. These antibiotics are water soluable, though, so they may be better if you have a larger flock.

Hope this helps!