Sneezing Chicks

LadyVictorian

Songster
Dec 22, 2016
456
66
106
Minnesota
I am utterly baffled, my chicks have started sneezing the past two days and I am baffled as to what is causing it. I give them electolytes and probiotics int heir water, change food and water daily, clean out water and feeder, spot clean brooder daily and am going to do a full clean tomorrow and change out all the shavings. I am using pine shavings and keeping them at 85*. They are a little over a week old. Like 1 week and 3 days old. They are eating, drinking, and active like they are healthy but still sneezing. My feed is medicated and I changed it out a few times wondering if the feed was too dusty but they are still sneezing. There is no discharge or wetness from their noses, just the sneezing. I am so baffled. Could it be my bedding? I also keep a little plate of grit with crushed mealworm and chick cake also called chick forage cake. I know the shavings get a little dusty but I have been wiping down the dust off the brooder with a warm damp cloth. My chicks are not sick are they?
 
Sounds like a dust issue more than anything. You've been wiping dust off the brooder walls but that doesn't help at all for the dust in the air that's making them sneeze ;) A brooder cleanout will probably help. They are also growing new feathers, which is a very dusty time as the sheath on the outside of the new feathers is flaking off and making lots of dust. I don't think they're sick, they're just sneezing from all the dust.
 
What can I do to keep the dust down more then? Especially if they are making the dust from their new feathers? I can't imagine they like sneezing like this. I have noticed it's calmed down a little more this morning and isn't that bad. Could it be my daily spot cleaning kicking up dust in the brooder? I haven't cleaned it out yet today but I am thinking of a full dump, wash down, and fresh shavings today if that will help. I try to spot clean daily since the poo so much and I don't want them walking all over it with their feathered feet. The poo will get stuck tot he feathers.
 
More frequent brooder changes is really all you can do. The bedding itself gets really dusty as the chicks' activities break it down into smaller pieces and cause dust, and then with the feather dust on top of that it can get very dusty quickly. More ventilation near the brooder if possible would help as would an air purifier if you can do either of those.
 
I do have an air purifier I keep for the summer and I am going to to a total clean today to see if it clears up the sneezes. Also read sometimes boiled egg yolk can help with sneezing so I boiled them an egg for today and put a second in the fridge for tomorrow to see if that makes a difference.
 

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