Sneezing CX?

[tsarge]

My 25 CX are 12 days old. I have them in a 4x6 brooder on pine shavings. I noticed a couple of days ago they seem to sneeze a lot. They seem to be in good health? They eat, sleep, and poo like meaties, but they also run around the brooder and flap their wings apparently having a good time. Should I be concerned about the sneezing or is it just because they are so dusty? The shavings I have them on are pine shavings, about 4-5 inches deep. I stir it daily and top dress as needed to keep the smell down.

Any thoughts?

 

[scubaforlife]

I wouldn't be too concerned, my CXs do that too. I give them pro-biotics and apple cider vinegar, but CXs have sort of underdeveloped respiratory systems.

 

[uhuh555]

They sometimes do that if they are too warm and the air is still. CX do not require the higher brooder temps other breeds at that age do. We use a tiny fan for air circulation in the brooder area and something like a dimmer switch to "turn down" the heat lamps a tad each day. By day 14 the temperature is down to 70 F and off by day 21. Circulation of the air is important so the air doesn't stagnate causing lung infections; also for their comfort.

 

[CoopCrazy]

when mine did that I found that I didnt have proper ventilation. So after I cut out a new ventilation..

 

[Brunty_Farms]

Quote:
How do you bring in cool air without getting them chilled? I'm having this same issue with the greenhouse set up I have.... if I try to ventilate they get cold... and if I don't it just causes moister buildup in the greenhouse. I have had this in other brooder set ups as well just not as noticeable as the greenhouse set up. It's tough to regulate airflow without bringing in cool air.

 

[uhuh555]

We use a heat/air exchanger in the building that house the brooders and in the greenhouse there is a high velocity fan (HVF) mounted near the air inlet opening (at top of gable end) and the opposite end vent has an high volume exhaust fan forcing the air out thereby drawing clean air through the air inlet opening. The fans mix the air quickly preventing the chilling effect you would get if vents were mounted low. For every 25' of length another HVF is mounted down each side in opposite directions causing a circular movement of the air giving optimum movement and mixing of clean air.

With the vents high in the greenhouse it also has a cooling effect on sunny days, without them near the top the temps can get to 120-130F near the roof line and 85-95F at the ground (even on the coldest winter day). This venting system-air circulation system prevents a build up of harmful gasses and excessive humidity created by the birds waste. Even in the winter you’d be surprised how much heat is generated by the birds and the solar heat buildup (greenhouse effect) within a greenhouse.

With the exact layout that you'll need you can get diagrams and further advice for the type of greenhouse you are using from these links. They have all the available equipment you'll need at good prices.

http://www.greenhousemegastore.com/Ventilation-Systems/departments/1047/

http://www.farmtek.com/farm/supplies/cat1a;ft1_cooling_exhaust_fans.html

 

[tsarge]

Quote:
My brooder temp is running about 80F-85F under the lamp, but as you can see by the pic there is plenty of room to get away from the light. The brooder is in my garage and there is not much airflow. I was concerned about chilling/drafts, hence the 2' walls on the brooder. Should I raise my lamp even more to lower the temp? They should be 14 days old today/tomorrow.

There is no "snot" or drainage of any kind, and they ALL do it frequently. Kind of a little "whew" with a twitch of their heads. They still seem to sleep ok. They certainly can eat ok!

 

[uhuh555]

tsarge,

Put an outside 6' round Dollar store style thermometer on the floor (directly under the light) to check the temperature at floor level. Start at 90F with day olds (new hatches). Each day raise the lamp so the floor temp is 2 degrees lower each day until you reach 70F. Then if the day time temp is 60F or above turn off the lamp and at night if they are piling/bunching up in the corners turn it back on to avoid losses due to smothering.

Since you have a slow start of weaning them off the heat lamp raise the lamp about 2-3 inches each day until it is about 70F on the floor. Like I said above, if the day time temp is 60F or above turn off the lamp and at night if they are piling/bunching up in the corners turn it back on to avoid losses due to smothering.

Again go to the Dollar store (or get them both in the same trip) and buy a tiny (plug-in) fan and place it in a corner and use some welded wire to keep the chicks away from the fan. It only needs to be on low to be effective. Have it slightly tilted upward for good circulation.

Chicks are a tougher than many think they are and if you watch a mother hen by the 2nd week she will rarely sit down to brood them. They will be healthier if we try to mimic their natural environment.

CX chicks do better forging for food if they are taught about these foods from day one. Add chopped greens each day with some crickets (which are easy to raise) and increase the amount given as they grow. They are quite entertaining when they try catching their first cricket. This way when you put them outside in the pens, tractors or let them free range they will immediately know what to do.

This is very very important step with turkeys, they are big time grazers. Unlike chicks poults learn from their mothers what to eat, if you have ever watched a hen turkey with her poults she actually picks up tidbits and gives them to her young, that is how they learn. By having a few CX chicks with your poults they do better because the CX are eating machines. Take note, you will see the poults doing what seems like cleaning the beaks of the CX chicks. The CX chicks end up being the surrogate turkey hen teaching the poults to eat. We always remove the turkeys after they are a week or so old before they become too aggressive with the CX chicks.