Gaping, possibly sneezing. Help!

[TinaRew]

I feel like I’m on high alert being a new chicken mama and after losing our ten week old girl about 2 weeks ago. After Mae died (vet and we weren’t sure what was wrong but I suspect Marek’s or Newcastle Disease. Truth is could have been any number of things). I started my other 4 girls on corid followed by vitamins/electrolytes/probiotics for a few days and then a few days ago I did a dewormer that gets followed up on the 31st (safeguard goat dewormer).

My black olive egger (12 weeks) is gaping a lot today and I can’t feel or find her crop. I had her stand in cool water and tried to get her some water and watermelon thinking maybe she is hot. (We recently changed our waterer and I’m not sure she’s getting enough water yet, but am trying to keep an eye on her. We’ve also changed our feeder and it makes it harder to pick out their favorite parts (which is a good thing because we’re weaning them off certain parts of their feed) and I’m not sure if they are all eating less because of it - it’s hard to find 3 of the 4 girl’s crops!). When I was holding her, she sneezed twice - fluke? Don’t know. I was also having her drink water so possible it got in her nose? Maybe.

I honestly don’t know what to do, if anything. But I’m nervous and paranoid and we have vacation coming up and I don’t know what I’m gonna do if we have another sick girl. What would you do, that doesn’t involve the vet?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

ten week old girl about 2 weeks ago. After Mae died (vet and we weren’t sure what was wrong but I suspect Marek’s or Newcastle Disease. Truth is could have been any number of things). I started my other 4 girls on corid followed by vitamins/electrolytes/probiotics for a few days and then a few days ago I did a dewormer that gets followed up on the 31st (safeguard goat dewormer).

My black olive egger (12 weeks) is gaping a lot today and I can’t feel or find her crop. I had her stand in cool water and tried to get her some water and watermelon thinking maybe she is hot. (We recently changed our waterer and I’m not sure she’s getting enough water yet, but am trying to keep an eye on her. We’ve also changed our feeder and it makes it harder to pick out their favorite parts (which is a good thing because we’re weaning them off certain parts of their feed) and I’m not sure if they are all eating less because of it - it’s hard to find 3 of the 4 girl’s crops!). When I was holding her, she sneezed twice

Please post some photos of your pullets, their poop, the feeder, the water station, the feed bag or tag.

What do you mean by you changed the feeder and you are "Weaning" them off certain parts of their feed? What is it about the feed that you need to wean them from?

Have you observed to see if they are drinking well from the new water station?

Do you provide grit?

Your vet should have been able to run a fecal float to determine if worms and/or Coccidiosis were an issue. Was this why you treated with Corid and Safeguard?

Holding her and having her drink water = very likely the cause of 2 sneezes.

I'd provide her with fresh water, fresh chick starter, see that she's eating and drinking well. Check her crop at night when she goes to bed to see if she's filled her crop.

You mention you suspect Marek's or Newcastles as the reason why you lost the other. Did your vet not do any testing or send the body to your state lab for analysis? If not, then if you lose another bird, contact your state lab yourself and send the body in for diagnostics, this way you have information. https://www.metzerfarms.com/poultry-labs.html

Marek's disease and Newcastle are 2 vastly different diseases, so it's interesting that you mention the 2 for comparison?

 

[azygous]

It's quite normal to experience heightened paranoia following the unexplained loss of a chicken. But a sneeze isn't necessarily a sign of impending doom. A chicken can sneeze for very benign reasons, just as humans do.

The same goes for the appearance of unusual poop. People can get alarmed over a bright green poop or one that is neon pink or yellow instead of the normal ranges of brown.

These are all quite normal when you keep chickens. The key to knowing whether these signs have significance for the health of your chickens is if abnormal behavior is also occurring. If the chickens are all doing what they normally do, talking the way they normally do, pooping and eating and drinking and taunting one another and otherwise interacting as they normally do, all is probably hunky-dory in chicken world.

Gaping or panting is also normal and all chickens do it from time to time without it having sinister meaning. A chicken will gape when experiencing stress, and they will sometimes gape when snuggling in your lap. They gape and pant if they are hot and thirsty.

The time to be alarmed is when behavior has changed along with these small signs. A sick chicken will be standing alone, uninterested in the activity going on around them. She may have eyes that are dull and vacant or half closed. She may be facing tightly into a wall or corner, isolating herself. She may have a droopy tail and fluffed out feathers.

So, if all your chickens are behaving as normal chickens, they are likely just fine.