Hi Everyone,
I just got some Silkie chicks shipped to me on Thurs. They are between 2 and 4 weeks old. When I took them out of the shipping box to put them in the quarantine crate, I noticed some of them were sneezing. They were in the shipping box for about 47 hours and they were very stinky by the time they got here, so I thought maybe it was the ammonia odor making them sneeze. After they got settled in and everybody had their fill of food and vitamin/electrolyte water, the sneezing seems to settle down.
Yesterday, I put them in a crate outside so they could get some air and I also gave them a litterbox filled with sand so they could take dust baths and get themselves cleaned up. When I went out to check on them about an hour after I put them out there, I noticed they were sneezing like crazy. One in particular. I proceeded to check everyone out. I cannot find any other symptoms whatsoever. There is absolutely no discharge from nose or eyes, their eyes are all bright and clear. Everyone is eating and drinking just fine. No lethargy, they are all very active. No raspy breathing, or gurgling in their lungs. No wheezing... nothing at all except the sneezing. The "sneeze" reminds me of when a duck puts it's head under water to clear it's nares. Or the "pfff" sound people sometimes make when in disbelief about something. When I brought them back inside for the night, the sneezing settled down again, but it doesn't go away completely.
I did make a short video of the splash that was sneezing the worst yesterday afternoon. Here is the link
Could it be I have chickens with hay fever? It has been a very dry summer here. The grass where I had them has never been treated with any chemicals... at least not since I've been here and that has been 5 years. I didn't notice them sneezing on the ride home from the post office, but they definitely were sneezing as I was taking them out of the box.
I did start them on some Duramycin-10 last night. That is all I had on hand. I'm still not convinced they are "sick", at least not with anything treatable with antibiotics, but on the other hand, I got them started on it right away if they are.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? If the sneezing is the precursor to something else, when should I expect to see other symptoms? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I have contacted the breeder, but she is perplexed as well.
I just got some Silkie chicks shipped to me on Thurs. They are between 2 and 4 weeks old. When I took them out of the shipping box to put them in the quarantine crate, I noticed some of them were sneezing. They were in the shipping box for about 47 hours and they were very stinky by the time they got here, so I thought maybe it was the ammonia odor making them sneeze. After they got settled in and everybody had their fill of food and vitamin/electrolyte water, the sneezing seems to settle down.
Yesterday, I put them in a crate outside so they could get some air and I also gave them a litterbox filled with sand so they could take dust baths and get themselves cleaned up. When I went out to check on them about an hour after I put them out there, I noticed they were sneezing like crazy. One in particular. I proceeded to check everyone out. I cannot find any other symptoms whatsoever. There is absolutely no discharge from nose or eyes, their eyes are all bright and clear. Everyone is eating and drinking just fine. No lethargy, they are all very active. No raspy breathing, or gurgling in their lungs. No wheezing... nothing at all except the sneezing. The "sneeze" reminds me of when a duck puts it's head under water to clear it's nares. Or the "pfff" sound people sometimes make when in disbelief about something. When I brought them back inside for the night, the sneezing settled down again, but it doesn't go away completely.
I did make a short video of the splash that was sneezing the worst yesterday afternoon. Here is the link
Could it be I have chickens with hay fever? It has been a very dry summer here. The grass where I had them has never been treated with any chemicals... at least not since I've been here and that has been 5 years. I didn't notice them sneezing on the ride home from the post office, but they definitely were sneezing as I was taking them out of the box.
I did start them on some Duramycin-10 last night. That is all I had on hand. I'm still not convinced they are "sick", at least not with anything treatable with antibiotics, but on the other hand, I got them started on it right away if they are.
Has anyone ever experienced anything like this? If the sneezing is the precursor to something else, when should I expect to see other symptoms? Any input would be greatly appreciated. I have contacted the breeder, but she is perplexed as well.
