Weezles & Sneezles

[mylilchix]

I have 11, 2.5 week old cornish rocks. The other day I noticed a few of them sneezing. I changed their bedding thinking it was dust from the old bedding, but today they're still doing it. They crew is drinking well and eating like little piggies, so they seem healthy. We have been having wild temp. swings in CO lately, so I'm wondering if that's the cause. They're in a big cardboard box in my basement with the brooder lamp and a cover over them. The area near the lamp and a portion of the back of the box is open for ventilation, so I don't think it's drafty in the brooder. Should I be concerned, and what would it look like if they had runny noses? Their eyes and noses are clear right now.

Thanks, Sonja

 

[cjeanean]

Are they getting enough ventilation? A basement sounds kinda stuffy to me. They need to be kept at a pretty constant temp for the first few weeks, so temp fluctuations may do something. Might make them a little more suceptible to getting sick. I know chickens don't get sick the way we get sick, so if they were healthy when you got them I'd bet it has something to do with the environment. Has their bedding been kept clean? Mine were so messy it was impossible! Adequate food and water? Warm enough? You're not using cedar shavings, are you? (cedar has an oil in it that irritates their sinuses and eyes.) Ummmm....no moldy/wet feed, right?

 

[mylilchix]

The bag of bedding I've been using says pine shavings on it. I've been using it with my egg laying flock, and they haven't had any problems. The basement is pretty dusty, I wonder if that's doing it? I've been leaving the door to the basement shut to keep it warmer, maybe doing that isn't letting the air circulate very well. They were healthy on arrival. I had them on medicated feed for the first couple weeks, and now I'm switching them to a chick starter/broiler feed. I'll just keep watching them. They have been eating a lot, and I'm refilling their waterer several times a day. Hopefully, this will clear up soon.

Sonja