Chickens Coughing and Sneezing

[froulian]

Hello all! Looking for help on several issues.

My landlord owns around 60 chickens and the majority of them are currently suffering from a heavy lice infestation and respiratory issues. I hear them coughing and sneezing, and have seen many of them shaking liquid out of their nostrils. Several have visibly advanced ascites which I can only assume is from the moldy food they are sometimes thrown and the despicable state of their pen. I have NEVER seen it cleaned although I have lived here a year and the droppings are piled up 3-4 inches in some places. I have tried to speak to him on a few occasions but am told that the problem is I care TOO much, not that he cares too little. My own chickens are housed nearby and I noticed this past week that some of them are now sneezing as well. I clean inside their coop weekly and rake the droppings and feathers out of their run every second day. Their water dishes are wiped down and refilled every morning. I am using VETRX on them now, but don't know if my efforts are futile when my landlord's constantly sick chickens come crowd around my chicken pen when let out to free range because they are never fed enough and always try to get at my chicken's feeders through the fence.

Would love any tips on treating/ preventing respiratory issues and ideas on biosecurity when the chickens live in such close proximity.

Also, if anyone has any ideas on how to talk to someone who's "had chickens for years" and thinks they already know everything, I welcome your advice!

Thank you in advance

 

[Debbie292d]

Gosh, I'm not sure what you can do to keep his chickens away from yours, and considering he's your landlord, I'm wondering if you could put some cheap fence up between his and yours.

The other thing you could do is get some antibiotics like AquaMox (Amoxicillin 250 or 500 mg pills available at Chewy and some pet stores) and put it in a waterer that his chickens can get to, and have a separate one for yours. Then you'll be treating his and yours at the same time. Just make sure the waterer is on "your property" technically so he can't complain if he finds out what you did.

After about a week of that, all the chickens should be sounding and feeling better. Then I'd start putting Nutra Cell in your chicken's waterer once a week or two to get their immunities up. If you go the antibiotic route, be sure to follow up with probiotics.

I found Rooster Booster makes a product that is both vitamins and probiotics. I just ordered this from Chewy for my chickens.

I know you're in a hard place there that you can't report him to the city/county for mistreatment, but if you ever move out of there, I sure would!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello all! Looking for help on several issues.

My landlord owns around 60 chickens and the majority of them are currently suffering from a heavy lice infestation and respiratory issues. I hear them coughing and sneezing, and have seen many of them shaking liquid out of their nostrils. Several have visibly advanced ascites which I can only assume is from the moldy food they are sometimes thrown and the despicable state of their pen. I have NEVER seen it cleaned although I have lived here a year and the droppings are piled up 3-4 inches in some places. I have tried to speak to him on a few occasions but am told that the problem is I care TOO much, not that he cares too little. My own chickens are housed nearby and I noticed this past week that some of them are now sneezing as well. I clean inside their coop weekly and rake the droppings and feathers out of their run every second day. Their water dishes are wiped down and refilled every morning. I am using VETRX on them now, but don't know if my efforts are futile when my landlord's constantly sick chickens come crowd around my chicken pen when let out to free range because they are never fed enough and always try to get at my chicken's feeders through the fence.

Would love any tips on treating/ preventing respiratory issues and ideas on biosecurity when the chickens live in such close proximity.

Also, if anyone has any ideas on how to talk to someone who's "had chickens for years" and thinks they already know everything, I welcome your advice!

Thank you in advance

Welcome To BYC

Sorry to hear you're having troubles.

It would be hard to know what's causing the respiratory symptoms in your landlord's flock, could be respiratory disease, poor quality conditions (ammonia, etc.).

Respiratory disease can be spread through dust, dander, shared water/food, through bodily fluids, etc. so, if there's a way to keep his flock further back from yours that may be helpful.
Usually once illness has spread, all are considered exposed, and a lot of illnesses make birds carriers.

Keep your birds in the best condition you can, treat symptoms as they arise.
IF they become ill, then possibly treating for respiratory illness would be in order.

Which antibiotic to use would be dependent on which respiratory disease you are trying to treat. Mycoplasma is a common disease, Tetracyclines, Tiamulin (Denagard) and Tylosin/Tylan are common antibiotics to treat MG.
Amoxicillin is not a good choice for respiratory illnesses, especially MG since MG has no cell wall, the Amoxicillin would not be effective.

Infectious Bronchitis is a virus, so it will have to run it's course, if there's secondary bacterial infection, then you can use Tylan/Tylosin or Tetracyclines.

Infectious Coryza which has a very bad odor usually requires Sulfa Antibiotics, but Tylan can be used in conjunction if necessary.

I would not treat the landlord's birds unless explicit permission is given.
You can do the research to treat your own flock and take whatever risks you wish to take, observe withdrawal periods or not and can also determine if you or those that consume your flock's egg/meat may be allergic to the medications and take appropriate steps.


Here's a good list of Common Poultry Diseases:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ps044

 

[froulian]

Gosh, I'm not sure what you can do to keep his chickens away from yours, and considering he's your landlord, I'm wondering if you could put some cheap fence up between his and yours.

The other thing you could do is get some antibiotics like AquaMox (Amoxicillin 250 or 500 mg pills available at Chewy and some pet stores) and put it in a waterer that his chickens can get to, and have a separate one for yours. Then you'll be treating his and yours at the same time. Just make sure the waterer is on "your property" technically so he can't complain if he finds out what you did.

After about a week of that, all the chickens should be sounding and feeling better. Then I'd start putting Nutra Cell in your chicken's waterer once a week or two to get their immunities up. If you go the antibiotic route, be sure to follow up with probiotics.

I found Rooster Booster makes a product that is both vitamins and probiotics. I just ordered this from Chewy for my chickens.

I know you're in a hard place there that you can't report him to the city/county for mistreatment, but if you ever move out of there, I sure would!


View attachment 3693250

Thank you so much for the reply, Debbie! I am in Canada, so Chewy only has dog/ cat products here and I can't get antibiotics unless I go to the vet, but looks like I can get some of the Rooster Booster products on Amazon. I do have electrolytes from a different brand so I will start adding to the water for both my chickens and the others - thanks for that tip!
(My landlord already knows that I clean out and fill a little trough for his chickens every day - it's right in front of their enclosure and he can see me doing it, but he's never said anything about it)
So far I only seem to have one of my younger roosters with 'cold' symptoms - sneezing and nasal discharge, but he's still eating and acting normally. I have been treating him with VetRX (like vicks vapour rub for chickens) and keeping him in a rabbit cage away from the others.
May look into putting up some poly sheeting around the lower half of the coop just as a wind block for winter, so that may help act as a bio barrier too.
Appreciate your help on this!

 

[Chicken_Little_AGray]

Hello all! Looking for help on several issues.

My landlord owns around 60 chickens and the majority of them are currently suffering from a heavy lice infestation and respiratory issues. I hear them coughing and sneezing, and have seen many of them shaking liquid out of their nostrils. Several have visibly advanced ascites which I can only assume is from the moldy food they are sometimes thrown and the despicable state of their pen. I have NEVER seen it cleaned although I have lived here a year and the droppings are piled up 3-4 inches in some places. I have tried to speak to him on a few occasions but am told that the problem is I care TOO much, not that he cares too little. My own chickens are housed nearby and I noticed this past week that some of them are now sneezing as well. I clean inside their coop weekly and rake the droppings and feathers out of their run every second day. Their water dishes are wiped down and refilled every morning. I am using VETRX on them now, but don't know if my efforts are futile when my landlord's constantly sick chickens come crowd around my chicken pen when let out to free range because they are never fed enough and always try to get at my chicken's feeders through the fence.

Would love any tips on treating/ preventing respiratory issues and ideas on biosecurity when the chickens live in such close proximity.

Also, if anyone has any ideas on how to talk to someone who's "had chickens for years" and thinks they already know everything, I welcome your advice!

Thank you in advance

Have you called animal control? That is animal abuse, and his chickens need to get out of that situation. I don't know if animal control will take chickens, but I would call around and see what's possible. Maybe there is an equivalent to a welfare check for animals. Those animals need to be cared for properly.

 

[froulian]

Welcome To BYC

Sorry to hear you're having troubles.

It would be hard to know what's causing the respiratory symptoms in your landlord's flock, could be respiratory disease, poor quality conditions (ammonia, etc.).

Respiratory disease can be spread through dust, dander, shared water/food, through bodily fluids, etc. so, if there's a way to keep his flock further back from yours that may be helpful.
Usually once illness has spread, all are considered exposed, and a lot of illnesses make birds carriers.

Keep your birds in the best condition you can, treat symptoms as they arise.
IF they become ill, then possibly treating for respiratory illness would be in order.

Which antibiotic to use would be dependent on which respiratory disease you are trying to treat. Mycoplasma is a common disease, Tetracyclines, Tiamulin (Denagard) and Tylosin/Tylan are common antibiotics to treat MG.
Amoxicillin is not a good choice for respiratory illnesses, especially MG since MG has no cell wall, the Amoxicillin would not be effective.

Infectious Bronchitis is a virus, so it will have to run it's course, if there's secondary bacterial infection, then you can use Tylan/Tylosin or Tetracyclines.

Infectious Coryza which has a very bad odor usually requires Sulfa Antibiotics, but Tylan can be used in conjunction if necessary.

I would not treat the landlord's birds unless explicit permission is given.
You can do the research to treat your own flock and take whatever risks you wish to take, observe withdrawal periods or not and can also determine if you or those that consume your flock's egg/meat may be allergic to the medications and take appropriate steps.


Here's a good list of Common Poultry Diseases:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ps044

Oh my goodness, Wyorp, so much amazing information. You are a wealth of knowledge!

I'm up in Canada, so I'd have to take a chicken in to a vet to get antibiotics. For now I will take preventative measures with my own chickens and call my local vet if I see escalation of symptoms. Hopefully they would be able to diagnose accurately and give me the right antibiotic if necessary.

Appreciate your help!

 

[froulian]

Have you called animal control? That is animal abuse, and his chickens need to get out of that situation. I don't know if animal control will take chickens, but I would call around and see what's possible. Maybe there is an equivalent to a welfare check for animals. Those animals need to be cared for properly.

I have been looking into this for my area and have not found clear advice yet for backyard chickens beyond contacting the SPCA to report on animal welfare. I might just reach out to them for general advice as the situation bothers me so much. I have given several of them general care already (treatment for a crop impaction, care for a rooster who got in a fight and almost lost an eye, a bad case of scaley leg mites and warm quarantine for one particularly lethargic, congested bird) but as Wyorp mentioned, it might be a bad idea to provide treatment without consent. Sometimes it just breaks my heart, especially when I know there is something that can (and should) be done.

 

[Saaniya]

Hello all! Looking for help on several issues.

My landlord owns around 60 chickens and the majority of them are currently suffering from a heavy lice infestation and respiratory issues. I hear them coughing and sneezing, and have seen many of them shaking liquid out of their nostrils. Several have visibly advanced ascites which I can only assume is from the moldy food they are sometimes thrown and the despicable state of their pen. I have NEVER seen it cleaned although I have lived here a year and the droppings are piled up 3-4 inches in some places. I have tried to speak to him on a few occasions but am told that the problem is I care TOO much, not that he cares too little. My own chickens are housed nearby and I noticed this past week that some of them are now sneezing as well. I clean inside their coop weekly and rake the droppings and feathers out of their run every second day. Their water dishes are wiped down and refilled every morning. I am using VETRX on them now, but don't know if my efforts are futile when my landlord's constantly sick chickens come crowd around my chicken pen when let out to free range because they are never fed enough and always try to get at my chicken's feeders through the fence.

Would love any tips on treating/ preventing respiratory issues and ideas on biosecurity when the chickens live in such close proximity.

Also, if anyone has any ideas on how to talk to someone who's "had chickens for years" and thinks they already know everything, I welcome your advice!

Thank you in advance

cough and sneeze is very common when the weather changes i face with my rooster every year when we move from summer to winter in beginning i use to use multiple antibiotics nothing help but then i started this method

1 dice of nice fresh ginger crush it get the juice out in a spoon add this juice in 1 tbsp of lukewarm water
now soak a peice of bread in this and give to your chicken i use bread as it pushes down the mucus , u can use the liquid and water alone but bread help them get the entire dose in one attempt
ginger is very much helpful in coughing it contains medicinal properties and antiviral antibiotic properties it’s very helpful

u can also give Basil leaves and vitamin A supplements to boost respiratory function

 

[WoDia]

I really hope you will have someone come out and look at the conditions of the chickens ASAP. They don’t deserve an unhealthy, miserable life. With freezing temperatures, they will be in a more dire situation. They’re already ill and suffering and won’t be able to stay warm enough. You’re wonderful to care for them, treat them, and provide healthy food and clean water. They are very fortunate to benefit from your compassion. You MUST talk with their owner. And, if he will permit you to help him out (and if you are able), then do what you can do to improve their situation until you can have someone intervene and remove them to safety.

Here’s what you can do about your neighbors chickens:

Canadian provinces have the primary responsibility for protecting the welfare of animals, including farm animals and pets. All provinces and territories have laws in respect to animal welfare.

The Criminal Code of Canada prohibits anyone from willfully causing animals to suffer from neglect, pain or injury. The Criminal Code is enforced by police services, provincial and territorial Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and/or provincial and territorial ministries of agriculture.

Source:
https://inspection.canada.ca/animal...n-concerning-/eng/1358482954113/1358483058784

 

[AmyRoach]

Hello all! Looking for help on several issues.

My landlord owns around 60 chickens and the majority of them are currently suffering from a heavy lice infestation and respiratory issues. I hear them coughing and sneezing, and have seen many of them shaking liquid out of their nostrils. Several have visibly advanced ascites which I can only assume is from the moldy food they are sometimes thrown and the despicable state of their pen. I have NEVER seen it cleaned although I have lived here a year and the droppings are piled up 3-4 inches in some places. I have tried to speak to him on a few occasions but am told that the problem is I care TOO much, not that he cares too little. My own chickens are housed nearby and I noticed this past week that some of them are now sneezing as well. I clean inside their coop weekly and rake the droppings and feathers out of their run every second day. Their water dishes are wiped down and refilled every morning. I am using VETRX on them now, but don't know if my efforts are futile when my landlord's constantly sick chickens come crowd around my chicken pen when let out to free range because they are never fed enough and always try to get at my chicken's feeders through the fence.

Would love any tips on treating/ preventing respiratory issues and ideas on biosecurity when the chickens live in such close proximity.

Also, if anyone has any ideas on how to talk to someone who's "had chickens for years" and thinks they already know everything, I welcome your advice!

Thank you in advance

This is horrible. I think that ALL animal owners can be quite crazy when approached with critique, or what they feel is. I would go with a question route. "why do the chickens keep sneezing so much, is this normal?", "I keep seeing liquid dripping out of those holes right there, what are those holes? What is the liquid", "Do you do the deep litter method? I thought there should be more brown matter when addressing the deep litter method as a form of coop maintenance"