Chicken Cold?

[writergirl]

Two days ago I noticed Barbecue, my 1.5 yr old Barred Rock, was sneezing and not coughing but wheezing/gurgling a bit. I've listened to her breathe by putting my ear to her back and her lungs sound clear. She has no swelling to the eyes, or head. She has no nasal discharge. Her comb and waddles are bright red and her eyes are clear. Her activity level is normal and her eating and drinking are normal. Her poop is normal, no diarrhea or anything. I even got her mouth open after making a chicken burrito with her and a towel and there is no foul odor or anything abnormal in her mouth or throat. She hated it, but I looked down her throat and everything looked fine, no sign of worms or anything (i've read up on gapeworm). The first day I noticed her sneezing, I went ahead and doused her nostrils with VetRx and put a couple drops down her throat. Last night when she was in the roost, I noticed she was still having issues and decided to bring her in. She's less than thrilled with being in my brooder tote, but she can stand and move and nest. I have continued to dose her with VetRx and spent the day shoveling out my chicken run, treating everything and making sure the rest of the flock is not having symptoms. I ran out of daylight and will be doing the same to the coop tomorrow. I'm at a loss other than possible allergies if it isn't a cold. I'm in the extreme northern part of California (an hour away from the Oregon Border) and the nights have been pretty cold (in the 20's) and the days have been up to the 60's (crazy January). Last week I did put a couple wheel barrows full of pine needles and pine cones from my back yard in to help with the mucky run. (I had been using straw, but $$ adds up and my parents have to pick it up from our local feed store for me) With colder weather I've been closing a shutter on one half of the coop to decrease draft but may have possibly made it not air out as well?? I also may have inadvertently re-homed one of her friends. I decided I'm not as happy with the egg laying of my Brahma's and one of my friend's mom really loves Brahma's so I gave her one of mine and a 22 week old roo. I didn't realize Barbecue and Parmesan were friends.

So long and short - the fact that there's no swelling and no discharge, and everything seems normal other than sneezes and wheezing/gurgling - is it something to really worry about and just keep up the VetRx or should I be worried?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Saaniya]

Two days ago I noticed Barbecue, my 1.5 yr old Barred Rock, was sneezing and not coughing but wheezing/gurgling a bit. I've listened to her breathe by putting my ear to her back and her lungs sound clear. She has no swelling to the eyes, or head. She has no nasal discharge. Her comb and waddles are bright red and her eyes are clear. Her activity level is normal and her eating and drinking are normal. Her poop is normal, no diarrhea or anything. I even got her mouth open after making a chicken burrito with her and a towel and there is no foul odor or anything abnormal in her mouth or throat. She hated it, but I looked down her throat and everything looked fine, no sign of worms or anything (i've read up on gapeworm). The first day I noticed her sneezing, I went ahead and doused her nostrils with VetRx and put a couple drops down her throat. Last night when she was in the roost, I noticed she was still having issues and decided to bring her in. She's less than thrilled with being in my brooder tote, but she can stand and move and nest. I have continued to dose her with VetRx and spent the day shoveling out my chicken run, treating everything and making sure the rest of the flock is not having symptoms. I ran out of daylight and will be doing the same to the coop tomorrow. I'm at a loss other than possible allergies if it isn't a cold. I'm in the extreme northern part of California (an hour away from the Oregon Border) and the nights have been pretty cold (in the 20's) and the days have been up to the 60's (crazy January). Last week I did put a couple wheel barrows full of pine needles and pine cones from my back yard in to help with the mucky run. (I had been using straw, but $$ adds up and my parents have to pick it up from our local feed store for me) With colder weather I've been closing a shutter on one half of the coop to decrease draft but may have possibly made it not air out as well?? I also may have inadvertently re-homed one of her friends. I decided I'm not as happy with the egg laying of my Brahma's and one of my friend's mom really loves Brahma's so I gave her one of mine and a 22 week old roo. I didn't realize Barbecue and Parmesan were friends.

So long and short - the fact that there's no swelling and no discharge, and everything seems normal other than sneezes and wheezing/gurgling - is it something to really worry about and just keep up the VetRx or should I be worried?

Thank you in advance.

Hi ,

Seems to me a mild respiratory infection / distress
Do you have vetrx or any antibiotics
Available


Doxycycline or Tetracycline or baytril

If avail I will keep them near and fist I give some chopped garlic

Add some 1-2 drop of oregano essential oil in 1 gallon of water
Oregano oil helps in mild respiratory infection

You can give very very little diluted in a cup and give all day

If these things cure great if not then I start antibiotics for 3-5 days as per needed 2 times a day with direct oral administration with liquids

 

[writergirl]

She's on vetrx now. Do I need a vet to prescribe the antibiotics? Will try garlic and see if I have oregano oil in my essential oil stash

 

[Saaniya]

She's on vetrx now. Do I need a vet to prescribe the antibiotics? Will try garlic and see if I have oregano oil in my essential oil stash

Yes if u can take her to vet
U can give her first aid by garlic and oregano

 

[Eggcessive]

There are different types of respiratory infections in poultry, some caused by virus (infectious bronchitis, ILT,) some by mycoplasma (MG) or bacteria (coryza, others) and mold fungus (aspergillosis.) If you are not seeing any eye bubbles or swollen eyelids, you might be dealing with a virus, so if she doesn’t seem in distress, I would watch her. Antibiotics will not treat a virus. But if her symptoms get worse, or she is lethargic, go to your feed store and buy Tylan50 injectable in the cattle medicines, and a few syringes with needles. Dosage is 0.25 ml 3 times a day for 5 days. If she has infectious bronchitis virus, you may see other chickens get symptoms, and IB lasts about a month. To read about some of these diseases, here is a good link:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[writergirl]

I took her out to a small side yard that she could graze in and I could watch her. She had a couple solid poops, but then she had a few that were rather mucusy. On the up side her appetite and energy seem to be normal. Is it still a good idea to keep her separate from the rest of the flock or the fact that she had been with them up until two days into symptoms kind of making it to where they've already been exposed to whatever she has (if it is contageous) and there's no point? She's not happy in the brooder tote in my kitchen and neither are my cats (she can't see them but they are terrified of her).

 

[Eggcessive]

I would put her back in the coop with the others so that she will be more comfortable. If she has a virus, the others have already been exposed, but she doesn’t have any mucus secretions and doesn’t sound terribly ill. If she seems to be cold or chilling, you can bring her back inside. Some poops could be cecal poops which are slimey and more odorous.