Sneezing/ Coughing

[apryl29]

I've recently noticed a few of my birds coughing/ sneezing. The first I noticed was my cockerel, Odin, who is in a separate, but adjacent space. The females were pecking at his tail and he was bleeding so I separated him out into another small, temporary space. He's making a bit of a wheezing sound when he breathes. I checked his nostrils and there was some stuff stuck in there so I cleaned it out. Immediately after he stopped wheezing, but started again a bit later and was doing it the next day too. I didn't notice any of the other 13 birds wheezing, but I checked all of their noses and cleaned them all. A few of them had dirt in there clogging it. I got some vitamin/ electrolytes to put in their water, but it's only been a day. I'm not sure if they're sick sick, or if it's b/c we're having unusually dry, hot weather right now, or b/c of the recent bedding change. One of the birds sneezed 5 times in a row and when I caught her later to check her nostrils they were clear and try. We recently dealt with mites, but those cleared up a week after the infestation was noticed and I just completed the 3rd coop clean out this past weekend.

1) What type of bird , age and weight (does the chicken seem or feel lighter or thinner than the others.) - Odin, is a white leghorn, he's 7 mo old. Not sure about weight, but he does seem lighter than I remember him being before. The others are between 6-7 mo old and are different kinds. All seem normal weight.
2) What is the behavior, exactly. - Sneezing (I believe), possibly coughing. Odin will occ. shake his head, but he's always done that. It's usually when I get close to him so I think it might be him being aggressive, not a symptom.. but IDK.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? - Odin has been sneezing/coughing (not sure which one) infrequently for a week. I noticed it last weekend, but wasn't sure if he was actually sneezing b/c he'd only make the sound once.
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? - A couple others are making odd sounds that I think are a sneeze. One other has definitely sneezed.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. - No
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. - Not sure if it's weather related, or if they're actually sick.
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. - I recently switched their food to a higher protein crumble mixed with a layer pellet. I also started adding ACV to their water last weekend. This past weekend I started giving them vitamins in their water.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. - Odin's poop looked wet and grainy the one day, but then he has had other normal looking poop. I didn't see anything in his poop, like worms. The other 13 have a poop board and I haven't noticed anything unusual, though it did smell pretty bad for several days, but it's been much hotter here lately.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? - ACV in their water, then switched to vitamin in their water. Similar to this, but a different brand: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/durvet-vitamins-electrolytes-100-gm?cm_vc=-10005 & cleaned their nostrils with a q-tip and water. I used Vet-RX on Odin. I rubbed a bit of it on his comb and a little on his beak and put a drop in his water container. I only gave it to him once though.
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? - For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? - I'd like to treat them myself, if possible.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. - n/a
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use - Prior to the mites I was using compressed straw I bought from TSC, but after the mites I was using pine shavings. They were using pine shavings when the sneezing originally started. This past weekend I went back to straw, but it's from a local farm, so it's different than what I was using before.

Our chickens are more like pets than they are farm animals. My kids are particularly attached to several of the birds. I'm worried they may be really sick and I don't know if what I'm currently doing is the right thing, or if I should be doing more.

 

[Rickba]

I'd take 'em to the vet. I wouldn't take any chances.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here are 3 common respiratory diseases in chickens. Some are caused by virus, others by bacteria or mycoplasma. Read and compare the symptoms you are seeing. Injectable Tylan 50 can be given orally or as a shot into breast muscle to treat MG or coryza. Dosage is 0.2 ml per pound of weight twice daily for 5 days.

Infectious Bronchitis

Clinical signs: The severity of infectious bronchitis infection is influenced by the age and immune status of the flock, by environmental conditions, and by the presence of other diseases. Feed and water consumption declines. Affected chickens will be chirping, with a watery discharge from the eyes and nostrils, and labored breathing with some gasping in young chickens. Breathing noises are more noticeable at night while the birds rest. Egg production drops dramatically. Production will recover in 5 or 6 weeks, but at a lower rate. The infectious bronchitis virus infects many tissues of the body, including the reproductive tract (see Table 1). Eggshells become rough and the egg white becomes watery. (See publication PS-24, Egg Quality, for other causes of poor egg quality.)


Mycoplasma gallisepticum

Clinical signs: Clinical symptoms vary slightly between species. Infected adult chickens may show no outward signs if infection is uncomplicated. However, sticky, serous exudate from nostrils, foamy exudate in eyes, and swollen sinuses can occur, especially in broilers. The air sacs may become infected. Infected birds can develop respiratory rales and sneeze. Affected birds are often stunted and unthrifty (see Table 1).

There are two forms of this disease in the turkey. With the "upper form" the birds have watery eyes and nostrils, the infraorbitals (just below the eye) become swollen, and the exudate becomes caseous and firm. The birds have respiratory rales and show unthriftiness.

With the "lower form", infected turkeys develop airsacculitis. As with chickens, birds can show no outward signs if the infection is uncomplicated. Thus, the condition may go unnoticed until the birds are slaughtered and the typical legions are seen. Birds with airsacculitis are condemned.

MG in chicken embryos can cause dwarfing, airsacculitis, and death.


Infectious Coryza

Clinical signs: Swelling around the face, foul smelling, thick, sticky discharge from the nostrils and eyes, labored breathing, and rales (rattles—an abnormal breathing sound) are common clinical signs. The eyelids are irritated and may stick together. The birds may have diarrhea and growing birds may become stunted (see Table 1).

Mortality from coryza is usually low, but infections can decrease egg production and increase the incidence and/or severity of other diseases. Mortality can be as high as 50 percent, but is usually no more than 20 percent. The clinical disease can last from a few days to 2–3 months, depending on the virulence of the pathogen and the existence of other infections such as mycoplasmosis.

 

[Rickba]

Eggcessive is correct, however the different illnesses take different treatments. That's why you take 'em to the vet to be sure.

 

[Eggcessive]

Respiratory diseases can be hard to diagnose without testing, or culling a bird or two and getting a necropsy by your state vet. A virus, such as infectious bronchitis, will not respond to antibiotics, but will have to run it's course over a month or so. Antibiotics are extremely hard to come by for use in poultry, due to FDA guidelines. Tylan 50 can be found at many feed stores. Here are a couple of articles that you may want to read:
http://www.chickenvet.co.uk/health-and-common-diseases/respiratory-disease/index.aspx
http://www.hobbyfarms.com/7-tips-to-prevent-respiratory-infection-in-poultry-3/

 

[apryl29]

I guess I'll be trying to find a chicken vet now. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Eggcessive]

You may want to make sure they are all drinking plenty of fluids. Mix up a small bowl of water, chicken feed, some yogurt--plain is best, and a little egg. Sometimes they will get more fluids this way. Sick chickens may need to be kept warm. Do you see any eye foam/bubbles, pus in eye, facial/eyelid swelling, or thick nasal drainage? If only sneezing, coughing, I would watch them, since it may be viral. If any one or two are especially sick, get them drinking water, and think about the injecable Tylan 50 given orally. Get 3 ml syringes with 20 gauge 1/2 inch needles to withdraw it from the vial.

 

[apryl29]

My daughter has been feeding them mash since she discovered it last week. We also cut up some peaches and froze them into a block and they were eating that yesterday too. I didn't see anything unusual about their eyes. Not swelling or eye drainage. All were clear. I cleaned their noses yesterday, except one b/c she's hard to catch. They were mostly clean, but the ones that had stuff in them mostly looked like dirt had gotten in there. There was only 2 where I actually had to pick stuff out, and that was also all brown, so I think it was dirt. Odin had more stuff in his nose and some of it looked like feed. I looked at him yesterday and he didn't appear to have any more stuff in his nose. The one that I'd seen sneeze several times didn't really have anything in her nose. I was surprised as I expected there to be drainage. They have been drinking the same as usual, I think. The chickens are at my parent's house. We go over in the evenings and let them out to roam around for a few hours before putting them back in the coop. We have a water dish in the yard for them too and I do see them coming over for a drink. I'll try the feed/water/yogurt & egg tonight. I saw the Tylan 50 at TSC but wasn't sure if it was the right stuff. I'll check them all again tonight and see how they're doing, then get the Tylan if they're worse, esp Odin. Thanks again!!

 

[Eggcessive]

I think I may have had an outbreak of infectious bronchitis once. It affected about six hens at once, with sneezing as the only symptom, so they were separated in a different area away from the others. No drugs were used, and they recovered in a few weeks. There was some decrease in laying, and I saw a wrinkled egg shell occasionally. IB makes carriers of survivors for up to a year, so I would not hatch or get new chickens for at least a year. Then they should be good thereafter. IB can be very hard on young chicks. Testing can be done through a local NPIP or extension agent to distinguish it from a mild case of MG.

 

[apryl29]

Unfortunately, I don't have another space to put the chickens that are sick. I have Odin in a separate space, but I think having him in there is what made him sick since he refuses to go inside the house and instead sleeps on top of it. I'm planning on building him a box off the right hand side of the big coop, off the current door to the run, but the run that will become his shares a center fence w/ the larger run. I'm thinking next year it might be a good idea to build another (smaller) coop for these situations, but right now I don't have the time, $, or materials to build something like that. I was going to build him a place a couple weeks ago, but then we ended up with mites so I had to deal with that the last few weekends. I imagine I'm not the only one who sits around at night muttering "f'ing chickens".