Wheezing/Sneezing Pullet

[DyingPhoenix]

So, I went out into the coop today and noticed one of my Black Austrolorps is puffed up, looking miserable and wheezing slightly, sneezing frequently. I don't see any discharge from sneezes but she was kind of breathing with her beak open for a little bit before settling back into just breathing from her nares. She isn't moving around much and is kind of sitting there looking like an uncomfortable lump, blinking long blinks and keeping her eyes closed at times. Her crop has contents.

These are my first chickens and around 9 weeks of age.

One thing I noticed right away when getting my birds as day old chicks is they were always occasionally sneezing. I used pine bedding. The coop they have now is sand and a bit of DE mixed in. I'm working on the run so they don't get a lot of outside time these last couple weeks.

One of the other chicks is sneezing frequently but otherwise active and normal. Most chicks sneeze a little.

They recently switched to meat bird feed, as I was running out of medicated and wanted off medication and the chick feed at the store was all medicated.

Help! My babies are very tame and very much pets. She was acting completely normal yesterday and was crowding around, begging for treats with the rest of them when I opened the door.

 

[DyingPhoenix]

Quick update. Checked this morning and the pullet is acting totally normal. Weird. Still a bit of sneezing going on though.

 

[slukeplass22]

Here's what I do in similar situations (instead of sneezing I get a weird voice from the chicken...nose stuffed up in those cases)

1): Get a small corner of a paper towel.
2): Grab some Doterra Breathe Oil or a drop of Eucalyptus Oil and a drop of Mint Oil (Might be available at a local vitamin store or Organic food market)
3): Place a drop of the Breather Oil or a drop each of Eucalyptus and Mint on the paper towel.
4): Grab the affected chicken and hold the tiny paper towel right next to the chicken's nose (not touching). I do this for 10 minutes or so.
5): Let the chicken free.

In case you can't do that, you can also take a warm water vaporizer into the chicken coop (make sure chickens can't get to it, heat will burn them. I caged mine off) and place a few drops (or whatever instructions say) of Vet RX(link below) in the vaporizer and let it steam for an hour (preferably at night when chickens are on the roost). You can find this at a local TSC (Tractor Supply Co.) or a similar farm store.


http://www.amazon.com/Vetrx-Poultry...ie=UTF8&qid=1463582716&sr=8-1&keywords=Vet+RX