HELP: Chicks Sneezing and Dying

[Steph21]

I'm going to explain what is going on as thoroughly as possible so this might be long. On Thursday (4/14) I bought 3 turkeys and 5 chicks (3 were barred rock) from Rural King. The next day (Friday), one of the turkeys was dead. I noticed this turkey was smaller and a little less active than the others to begin with so I think that's what mainly contributed to it dying. At this time, all the other chicks were fine. The day after that (Saturday), I went to a livestock auction and got 11 more chicks. The auction, which is normally done around 2pm, went on until 10pm and is the longest one they've ever had. Had I known it was going to be that long I wouldn't have bought chicks. (My priority was to get some sheep that weren't auctioned off until pretty late that night.) The chicks consisted of 3 barred rock and 8 dominique, and my mom had always wanted dominique. As I kind of expected, when I got home around 11pm that night, I lost 1 chick just from it being away from food and water for so long. Another wasn't doing great but I got drinking and eating so it eventually perked on up and was fine. I did put these chicks in with the others from Rural King because I'm pretty limited on brooder space and have to keep them in my room. Between Sunday and Tuesday, I've lost 3 more chicks with no warning. One moment, they would be fine and the next, one would be dead. The most recent one was last night (Tuesday). I checked on them before I got a shower and when I checked on them afterwards, one was dead. The ones that have died have been both auction and Rural King chicks. At this point, I was kind of freaking out because I've raised a ton of chicks and others baby birds and this had never happened before. The only times I can remember losing babies was when I had a duckling with severe wry neck and a chick I hatched that had yet to absorb a lot of it's yolk. It was after this most recent death that I was really watching them and noticed they were sneezing a lot. And you could tell it was a stuffy nose kind of sneeze, not just a regular sneeze. Most of them, except the turkeys, seem to be doing it. Also, some of them are making this sound when they breathe that sounds like they have a stuffy nose. Besides this, they seem ok and are active, eating, and drinking. I know avian influenza is really bad right now. I'm located in Alabama and so far there has been 1 confirmed case in a wild duck in Madison County. The main thing I raise is ducks. I have a flock of 60+ with a lot of different breeds, including call ducks and silver mallards. I also have 20+ chickens and a few turkeys, guineas, and quail. Should I get rid of these chicks? Is it something that can spread to my other chickens and ducks? The chicks haven't been in contact with any other animals here. They've just been in my room. All the sneezing is really making me nervous and I just don't know what to do.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

stuffy nose kind of sneeze, not just a regular sneeze. Most of them, except the turkeys, seem to be doing it. Also, some of them are making this sound when they breathe that sounds like they have a stuffy nose. Besides this, they seem ok and are active, eating, and drinking.

Do you normally brood your chicks indoors in your room? If so, how many do you normally keep in a brooder at one time, is this a greater number than normal?
Is the bedding exceptionally dust?
Any deodorizers, irritants or sprays used?
Any discharge from the nostrils, bubbles in the eyes?
You don't mention the age of the chicks?
Ventilation good?
Photos of brooder setup and chicks may be helpful. If you are using a red light, please turn it off for photo and video.

Video of what they sound like would be good too, not holding them, just what they sound like in the brooder moving around normally. For video, upload to youtube and provide a link.

If the cause of the sneezing is respiratory illness, then yes, you do risk exposing your other flocks to disease. Getting some testing may be a good idea unless you find another valid reason like something environmental that is causing the symptoms.

 

[Steph21]

Do you normally brood your chicks indoors in your room? If so, how many do you normally keep in a brooder at one time, is this a greater number than normal?
Is the bedding exceptionally dust?
Any deodorizers, irritants or sprays used?
Any discharge from the nostrils, bubbles in the eyes?
You don't mention the age of the chicks?
Ventilation good?
Photos of brooder setup and chicks may be helpful. If you are using a red light, please turn it off for photo and video.

Video of what they sound like would be good too, not holding them, just what they sound like in the brooder moving around normally. For video, upload to youtube and provide a link.

If the cause of the sneezing is respiratory illness, then yes, you do risk exposing your other flocks to disease. Getting some testing may be a good idea unless you find another valid reason like something environmental that is causing the symptoms.

I usually keep them in my room for 2-4 weeks and then move them to the barn. I do that because right now I don't have a way to keep them at a consistent temperature in the barn so I let them feather out a little inside. We also keep having cold snaps where I live. I'm currently working on a 4 level brooder in the barn but I still need to get some heat plates. I have a few more chicks than what I normally do but they're divided between 2 brooders. The chicks are probably around 1-2 weeks old. The turkeys are a little older and were going to be moved to the barn soon. I haven't used any sprays or anything. I know testing would be ideal but unfortunately my parents aren't going to pay for it. I'll work on getting some pictures and a video.

 

[Steph21]

Do you normally brood your chicks indoors in your room? If so, how many do you normally keep in a brooder at one time, is this a greater number than normal?
Is the bedding exceptionally dust?
Any deodorizers, irritants or sprays used?
Any discharge from the nostrils, bubbles in the eyes?
You don't mention the age of the chicks?
Ventilation good?
Photos of brooder setup and chicks may be helpful. If you are using a red light, please turn it off for photo and video.

Video of what they sound like would be good too, not holding them, just what they sound like in the brooder moving around normally. For video, upload to youtube and provide a link.

If the cause of the sneezing is respiratory illness, then yes, you do risk exposing your other flocks to disease. Getting some testing may be a good idea unless you find another valid reason like something environmental that is causing the symptoms.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Take out the shavings, wipe all the dust down from your totes. Put the chicks on puppy pads instead of shavings. Offer wet chick starter.
See if the sneezing gets better or stays the same.