Wet neck?

[taif1995]

One of my hens has what appears to be a wet neck. Today I noticed sneezing as well. She is otherwise normal, eating/normal crop/normal looking vent area....help?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!

Is it the front or back of her neck that's wet?

How old is she? Do you have any roosters?

 

[azygous]

Have you investigated to see if there's a logical explanation for her neck being wet? Do the feathers appear to be wet from water or something else such as oil? Have you smelled it? Have you looked to see if there are any water spills or other means for her to have gotten her neck feathers in this condition? Do you have a dog? Could a dog have gotten a hold of this chicken and what you see is perhaps dog slobber? Any sign of a struggle? Loose feathers? Have you looked closely for injuries to the chicken?

You are there. We aren't. You have a better opportunity to look for clues.

A photo would also be a big help.

 

[taif1995]

It is the front of the neck, and I have no roosters. I don't know her exact age, but about 2yrs old.

 

[taif1995]

I have not smelled it, but will today. With the sneezing I thought drainage from her nares, but I'm not seeing that. They do not have an oily sheen or apperance on them. Yes, I have dogs, but the hens are protected by fencing (and I mean 8ft high fencing), and the dogs are NEVER outside when we are not at home. I've lost a few hens to raccoons and owls, and have since taken measures to protect them as much as I can. They free range in a completely fenced area during the day, are let out of their coop by an electronic door once it's light outside, and I gather them up and place them in their coop before full darkness. I will look closely for an injury today, but the feathers don't seem disturbed, just wet. I will also post a photo today once it's light outside. None of the other hens seem affected, but if it's something that can affect them, I'd rather prevent it before it starts...

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I will be curious to see if her neck is still wet today.

Is the sneezing a constant thing? What kind of coop do you have? My metal roof sweats... but the front of the neck is a weird place to get wet. And birds dry out quite often... so I would suspect a weeping injury or something to that effect if it is still wet.

It is possible they got wet with something sticky and just still LOOK wet.

My birds sneeze during dust bathing sometimes.