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Speckledhen is correct and she was not being in any way harsh or saying "cull the bird". As stated, they do not get colds...a runny nose that is not clear or is gunky is something more serious than Terramycin will fix. Also, one bird with a respiratory illness can quickly and easily wipe out your flock. if you suspect it is more than just a "something they ate" or had just drank, separate the bird(s) in question and consider an avian vet exam...if not available, wait and see. Make sure they are getting plenty of vitamins and water, make sure they are eating, make sure their poo looks normal and wait it out. By separating the suspect bird(s), you could save yourself a lot of heartache.
If it caused by a virus, antibiotics will not affect it so it is a useless expenditure to pay for them not to work. What you are taking as harsh is merely being honest with you about what could be going on, what to look for and what will not work. If it is a viral thing or respiratory, then I would say cull the bird to spare your flock. That is were time, watching and waiting or taking the bird to a vet come into play.
Most of the members here who respond to the emergencies/diseases/illness forum, do not sugar coat their responses....it makes no sense to do so. Normally, by the time you notice a bird is ill, they are very ill. They hide illness and most often, you are fighting time so why waste time with sugar coated answers that merely waste time? When one of the more experienced members/moderators/administrators takes the time to respond to your post, you can rest assured that you have experience speaking...you can also expect to get the facts, the truth and their advice without pussyfooting around about it. Personally, I value that type of input and have learned tons from these folks. Try not to take it personally because none of us are going to run out and kill our birds each time someone sneezes, has a runny nose, has a loose stool or etc. Most of us view them as pets.
