Sneezy Flock

[asterisk]

Over the course of a few days, my flock has gotten sneezy all of the sudden. I thought it was the temperature change as things start to cool off, or maybe some plant that's flowering. Now, all of the chickens occasionally break out into fits of sneezing–some more than others–and the 12-week-olds seem to be the most sneezy and snotty, one of which is wheezing. I was told that garlic in the water can help their immune system, and that cleaning the coop and diffusing it with gentle essential oils might help, but what else can I do, and what might this sickness be? Any help regarding this would be much appreciated!

 

[Debbie292d]

Over the course of a few days, my flock has gotten sneezy all of the sudden. I thought it was the temperature change as things start to cool off, or maybe some plant that's flowering. Now, all of the chickens occasionally break out into fits of sneezing–some more than others–and the 12-week-olds seem to be the most sneezy and snotty, one of which is wheezing. I was told that garlic in the water can help their immune system, and that cleaning the coop and diffusing it with gentle essential oils might help, but what else can I do, and what might this sickness be? Any help regarding this would be much appreciated!

Chickens will sneeze, and usually it's attributed to something environmental, like farmers nearby harvesting crops, new bedding, new feed, etc. You've got some snotty ones though and wheezing, so I tend to believe that could be an upper respiratory infection. Any other symptoms at all?

I would put vitamins in their water every other day for starters. If this is affecting your entire flock, you may need to get an antibiotic if you don't have any, and treat the whole flock. They will go down fast if they have a respiratory infection so you should know if this is getting like us when we have a horrible cold. If you have VetRX, you can put a couple of drops under each wing and rub a drop on their heads. That's like Vicks for chickens so won't cure anything but might help them breath better.

 

[asterisk]

Chickens will sneeze, and usually it's attributed to something environmental, like farmers nearby harvesting crops, new bedding, new feed, etc. You've got some snotty ones though and wheezing, so I tend to believe that could be an upper respiratory infection. Any other symptoms at all?

I would put vitamins in their water every other day for starters. If this is affecting your entire flock, you may need to get an antibiotic if you don't have any, and treat the whole flock. They will go down fast if they have a respiratory infection so you should know if this is getting like us when we have a horrible cold. If you have VetRX, you can put a couple of drops under each wing and rub a drop on their heads. That's like Vicks for chickens so won't cure anything but might help them breath better.

Thank you! Would a kind of penicillin work, and in what form? (sorry, I'm so new when it comes to prescribing medicines to chickens) None of the chickens display any symptoms, other than sneezing, they're all active and seem relatively healthy. Do the infected chickens need a lot of attention to recover, or is the infection gradually overcome? It seems the little ones are taking the brunt of the sickness, but they have not shown and other symptoms other than a runny beak and wheezing.

 

[asterisk]

Update: The older chickens have stopped sneezing, but the younger two seem to be getting worse. They both have really runny beaks and wheeze occasionally, and one has been acting sluggish (especially contrasting to his personality), and smells sick, should I separate these and put them under a heat source, it's starting to get pretty cold out.

 

[Eggcessive]

What is your general location in the world? Have you seen any watery or bubbly eyes, or swelling of the face or eyelids? Sneezing is sometimes due to environmental causes, but if the same chicken sneezes every few minutes around the clock for a few weeks, that can be infectious bronchitis, a virus that lasts about a month and affects most of the flock over time. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics. Sometimes they can develop a secondary infection or air sacculitis, which would make them more sick. In that case an antibiotic may be helpful. If you lose a chicken, most state vets will perform a necropsy to identify the disease. The body has to be kept cold, not frozen and taken in soon. Here is a list of state vets to contact in the US:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html.

 

[asterisk]

What is your general location in the world? Have you seen any watery or bubbly eyes, or swelling of the face or eyelids? Sneezing is sometimes due to environmental causes, but if the same chicken sneezes every few minutes around the clock for a few weeks, that can be infectious bronchitis, a virus that lasts about a month and affects most of the flock over time. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics. Sometimes they can develop a secondary infection or air sacculitis, which would make them more sick. In that case an antibiotic may be helpful. If you lose a chicken, most state vets will perform a necropsy to identify the disease. The body has to be kept cold, not frozen and taken in soon. Here is a list of state vets to contact in the US:
https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html.

Thank you, I'm in east Texas and the temperature is changing quite a bit, it could be blistery one day, and the next it's cold, could this have contributed? My flock is doing well, it's just the two younger ones who are worsening. One sneezes almost constantly, and the other is completely lethargic, has what seems to be dry pox, and is not eating well. I'm really worried for him but I'm trying out different treatments.