Tried tetracycline and wazine- STILL they're sneezing clear bubbles

[teddiliza]

I have 2 bantams I bought from elsewhere, and the male started having clear runny nose and sneezing a month ago, now the female has it. They are about half grown. I've been avoiding putting them with my other birds because I'm concerned it's something contagious. They act happy and healthy, and I thought maybe it was just allergies until they both got it. I started tetracycline in their water at the higher 800mg per gallon concentration 3 days ago with no change. I'd done wazine 3 weeks ago thinking maybe it was worms. I've even dusted them with poultry pyrethin dust this weekend. WHAT NEXT?

Should I euthanize them for fear of something that spreads?

Or do you think it's just a food allergy or mold allergy to the stuff that seems to sprout near their feeder dish until I move their tractor?

Winter is on the way and I can't leave them in the outdoor tractor.

Any past experiences would be helpful.

Thanks!

 

[speckledhen]

If they have a virus, no antibiotic will do anything for it. And worms do not cause respiratory symptoms that I'm aware of.

I don't think chickens get allergies like humans do--their biology is different in that regard. They do, however, react to a damp environment and high levels of ammonia with eye issues, etc. The stuff near the food bowl, do you mean mold in the feed that spills or what? That is not good if they are consuming moldy feed.

I am not the one to ask about what to do because if you look at my "Speckledhen's Ten Commandments of Good Flock Management" stickied at the top of one of the sections, you'll see my solution.

 

[teddiliza]

Mold in whatever lands on the ground. I keep my feeder on a wire rack where it won't touch the ground. But dampness might be an issue. I have a feeling if they don't get better in the next 10 days I'm going to have to cull these cuties. The other 2 bantams I bought with them and kept with them originally do not have symptoms, and the symptoms didn't start until a few weeks after I'd bought them, which is why I wonder about mold. Maybe I will try putting them in a hutch out of soil contact and see what happens- to test the mold theory. Otherwise I have to assume they caught something from the local squirrels, rabbits, and mosquitos.