4 week chick gasping for air and sneezing (sometimes)

[Besebenomo]

This 4 weeks chick has started gasping for air and sneezing a few days ago. I noticed that whenever he can, he lays down (but might also be because he has increased in size very quickly in the last week and the weather it’s really too hot).

He also sometimes gasps for air (but not always) and sneezes, flaps his wings. But he eats a lot and flies and his poop is mostly fine, sometimes it is liquid and orangish but it has improved. I gave him some antibiotics (they gave me tetramisole) but didn’t seem to have improved significantly. Could it really be that the weather is too hot? Or that he always does dust bath with grit?

Is there any natural remedies?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I gave him some antibiotics (they gave me tetramisole) but didn’t seem to have improved significantly.

Could it really be that the weather is too hot? Or that he always does dust bath with grit?

Welcome To BYC

Do you have a video of his actions? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

If not, photos of him and his poop may be helpful.

Where are you located in the world?

What do you feed, including treats?

Looks like Tetramisole is an anthelmintic (Dewormer) instead of an antibiotic, so it probably would not be effective against bacterial infection from respiratory illness.

Do you have enough ventilation in his housing, is it dusty or is there any mold/mildew?

Do you notice him sneeze the most when he's been dust bathing or does he sneeze a lot at other times?

 

[Besebenomo]

Welcome To BYC

Do you have a video of his actions? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

If not, photos of him and his poop may be helpful.

Where are you located in the world?

What do you feed, including treats?

Looks like Tetramisole is an anthelmintic (Dewormer) instead of an antibiotic, so it probably would not be effective against bacterial infection from respiratory illness.

Do you have enough ventilation in his housing, is it dusty or is there any mold/mildew?

Do you notice him sneeze the most when he's been dust bathing or does he sneeze a lot at other times?

I have not see him sneezing or gasping for air today yet, but when he does I will take a video. He is at home with me, as he was peaked in the head when was born and decided to wait till he is a bit older to put him with the others. He was with the heat lamp until 3 weeks old but now the temperature is very hot anyway so he doesn’t.

I give him chick feed they gave me at the coop (I live in Italy), some small seeds and protein feed or egg yolk as treats.

I gave him acv and garlic water yesterday and I hope he might be feeling better, I heard him sneeze only once today. Yesterday I saw him gasping for air when dust bathing in grit.

His poop is very normal, probably improved after giving him tetramisole, but twice a day it looks like this:

 

[Wyorp Rock]

The poop looks like cecal poop, it can be various colors. Usually you will see a cecal poop about once out of every 8-10 formed "normal" poops.

Do you provide grit (crushed granite) for him since you give a little bit of seeds?

 

[Besebenomo]

The poop looks like cecal poop, it can be various colors. Usually you will see a cecal poop about once out of every 8-10 formed "normal" poops.

Do you provide grit (crushed granite) for him since you give a little bit of seeds?

Thank you that’s reassuring. Yes he has grit. I am starting to think that he might have gapeworms because he doesn’t have mucus on his beak, or closed eyes. It might have been my fault because I have given him some red worms. I gave him tetramisole (a dewormer) but didn’t do anything apparently or the dose was too low. He is still growing and eating, maybe this issue will go away with time?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

With Gapeworm he'd not be eating/drinking and he'd be in distress.

 

[Besebenomo]

With Gapeworm he'd not be eating/drinking and he'd be in distress.

Then might be just a little cold, or can chicken have allergies? He doesn’t seem to worsen

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Something in his environment could cause an occasional sneeze. Dusty bedding, poor ventilation, food/water in the nostrils, molds, etc.

 

[Besebenomo]

He has started doing that again, every time it’s so scary I am afraid I am losing him! Here is a video:

He now fell asleep, with beak closed .

What could it be? Tomorrow I will go buy medicine, what do you suggest?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you provide grit (crushed granite) for him since you give a little bit of seeds?

Yes he has grit.

every time it’s so scary I am afraid I am losing him!

He has grit (crushed granite) to process food and seeds you feed him correct?

The action you are seeing is crop adjustment. It's common to see this. He's eaten and he's yawning/stretching his neck and beak to adjust his crop.

Do make sure his crop is emptying overnight.
Feel his crop when he goes to sleep at night, then first thing in the morning before you give him food/water. The crop should have food in it at night (you'll feel a bulge) and it should be flat/empty in the morning after a full night's sleep.

The little chirping sounds he's making is sounds that chicks make when settling in, usually at dark. As they mature, they stop making that sweet little sound.
I don't hear any sneezing at all.