# baby chick sneezing



## Koux33

Hi all. Background: I'm a newbie with my first set of baby chicks. I got the pullets from a feed store this weekend. A Cuckoo Maran, Welsummer, and Buff Orpington. Their brooder is a Sterlite tub with TerrAmigo pine pellet bedding, heat lamp set to 90 degrees. I've been adding a small capful of Apple Cider Vinegar to their water, I heard it can have antibiotic properties and is helpful.

I noticed a few hours after we got home that my Orpington is sneezing (I think?). I thought it was just cheeping at first, but she shakes her head really fast when she does it, and the other two don't do it at all. It's been about 2 days and hasn't improved at all. She has no drainage or buildup from the nostrils or eyes, and vent is clear. She is active and eating/drinking/pooping fine. She will "sneeze" sometimes several times in a minute, and sometimes has her beak open when she breathes but otherwise doesn't seem to be labored breathing or wheezing. Is this something to be worried about, or just normal "chick" stuff? I really don't want to lose our first baby chick!


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## chickenqueen

Chicks and their food is dusty.That being said,have you checked her nostrils for any foreign objects like a food crumble?As long as there is no nasal discharge I wouldn't be too concerned.Some chickens sneeze more than others.At one time I even had a rooster named Sneezy.


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## robin416

I'm also wondering if the off gassing by the pine isn't a problem for the peep. Being a closed environment the odors from the pine can stay trapped in the tub.


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## Koux33

robin416 said:


> I'm also wondering if the off gassing by the pine isn't a problem for the peep. Being a closed environment the odors from the pine can stay trapped in the tub.


I have the whole lid open and covered with hardware cloth. Should I cut open some holes on the sides too? I thought it would help keep them warmer to have it all closed off but I don't want to cause respiratory problems.


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## Koux33

chickenqueen said:


> Chicks and their food is dusty.That being said,have you checked her nostrils for any foreign objects like a food crumble?As long as there is no nasal discharge I wouldn't be too concerned.Some chickens sneeze more than others.At one time I even had a rooster named Sneezy.


I've looked at her nostrils pretty thoroughly and didn't see anything, maybe I'll try taking a flashlight to it. Those holes are just so stinking tiny! I might need a magnifying glass.


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## dawg53

Might be dust from the bedding causing the sneezing, particles you cant see.
Get rid of the apple cider vinegar and provide regular fresh water. Chickens dont need apple cider vinegar.


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## Koux33

dawg53 said:


> Might be dust from the bedding causing the sneezing, particles you cant see.
> Get rid of the apple cider vinegar and provide regular fresh water. Chickens dont need apple cider vinegar.


Ok, will do. Thanks!


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## robin416

To eliminate the pine being the issue I would remove it totally. 

Most of us have found cages actually work quite well. They allow for air movement while keeping them safe and warm.


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## Koux33

robin416 said:


> To eliminate the pine being the issue I would remove it totally.
> 
> Most of us have found cages actually work quite well. They allow for air movement while keeping them safe and warm.


So what bedding should I use to replace the pine?


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## seminole wind

You may want to just cover the shavings with papertowels and see if that helps and take a moist tissue and wipe her face and dry.


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## dawg53

I always use a cage with a tray at the bottom like Robin mentioned. I've always used paper towels for the first week, then switched to newspaper. Newspaper has to be removed and replaced often. As chicks get older they'll scratch and rip the paper. By that time they are able to go outside and be placed in a "playpen" during the day and brought inside in the afternoon. Of course it all depends on the weather and temps.
I've heard of chicks eating shavings which can cause all kinds of problems.


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## dawg53

Here's another pic with newspaper:


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## chickenqueen

I use small flake pine shavings for my babies.I've never had a problem with it yet.It is more absorbent then paper or straw and smells nice(before being pooped on).They don't eat it and they have good traction for walking unlike newspaper which can get slippery.


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## Koux33

UPDATE: My chick is going downhill, not sure if she's going to make it.  I tried laying paper towels over the pine and it didn't help, so I changed the brooder to a wire cage today, with rubber shelf liner on the bottom (it's a wire bottom and I don't want their little feet to fall through), and paper towels on the tray underneath. Hopefully this will help with the dust and ventilation, at least. I also tried feeding boiled egg and leafy greens but no one seemed very interested. The sneezing is getting worse, and now she is seeming to struggle with every breath, opening her beak and lifting her head and tail with each breath. I called the stock shop and they said there's not much they can offer besides electrolytes. They did say they would replace the chick if she doesn't make it though. They have something called VetRx which she said is an oil you can put on their nose, but it only helps with bacterial issues, not viruses. I'm going to pick up some Pedialyte tomorrow at the store for her if she makes it through the night. I feel so helpless and discouraged. Not the best first experience with chicks. The other two seem to be fine, I just hope they don't catch what this one has.


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## Koux33

Here are some pics:


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## dawg53

I recommend giving your chicks Corid 9.6% liquid solution. Dosage is 10cc's per gallon of water. Fill the waterer with the solution, make it fresh daily for 7 days straight for all your chicks to drink. For the sick chick: Use a syringe without a needle and draw the mixture into the syringe and give the sick chick drops on the side of her beak so that she is able to drink it. You'll have to do this at a minimum of 6-8 times a day in order for the corid to be effective. 
Continue doing this until she is feeling well enough to drink on her own. The corid can be found in the cattle section at the feed store.
Cocci can be a quick killer and spreads quickly to other chicks. Ensure feeders and waterers are sanitized free from feces. As chicks grow, the feeder and waterer should be raised higher to prevent chicks from pooping in either.
Please take a look at post #12 photo, where I placed a short piece of 2x4 wood under the waterer and feeder to raise them.


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## Koux33

dawg53 said:


> I recommend giving your chicks Corid 9.6% liquid solution. Dosage is 10cc's per gallon of water. Fill the waterer with the solution, make it fresh daily for 7 days straight for all your chicks to drink. For the sick chick: Use a syringe without a needle and draw the mixture into the syringe and give the sick chick drops on the side of her beak so that she is able to drink it. You'll have to do this at a minimum of 6-8 times a day in order for the corid to be effective.
> Continue doing this until she is feeling well enough to drink on her own. The corid can be found in the cattle section at the feed store.
> Cocci can be a quick killer and spreads quickly to other chicks. Ensure feeders and waterers are sanitized free from feces. As chicks grow, the feeder and waterer should be raised higher to prevent chicks from pooping in either.
> Please take a look at post #12 photo, where I placed a short piece of 2x4 wood under the waterer and feeder to raise them.


Thanks. I will definitely get a piece of wood to raise the food and water bowls up.

Just curious; what makes you think this is Coccidiosis? I've been watching their poop like a hawk and haven't seen any blood at all. I am the furthest thing from an expert, but to me it seems to be more of a breathing problem than an intestinal problem. I am happy to get the Corid if it will help but I just want to be sure. Thanks for all the help, I am so grateful!


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## robin416

There are so many challenges in trying to give a boost to peeps so young. Other than what dawg mentioned there isn't a lot more you can do that is safe. The fact it seems to have to work to breathe is not a good sign and could very well be a birth defect.

Normally dawg would mention this but his attention was focused on maybe helping peep, don't buy the Vet RX. It's a waste of money and the explanation you got from the feed store makes it obvious they don't know what they're talking about. Most of those working in feed stores don't have a clue about keeping poultry so it is best to do what you did, ask those that actually raise them.


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## dawg53

I missed it and Robin is correct about the VetRx, it is useless and a waste of money as is DE and VermX for poultry.
There are 9 types of cocci that birds can get, only 2 types can cause blood in feces. Environmental factors can exacerbate the problem with cocci as well as other factors.
Young chicks cannot survive respiratory diseases. It is true that Mycoplasma diseases can pass through eggs to chicks IF they survive. Other chicks would show the same symptoms IF that were the case.
The way I see your chick in the photo despite the sneezing/breathing; I see her as lethargic/eyes closed and I suspect cocci overload. Antibiotics would do more harm than good in chicks, they would probably harm/damage organs if not kill them. Corid is not an antibiotic, it is a thiamine blocker.
You have nothing to lose. Your other choice is to cull the sick chick.


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## Koux33

dawg53 said:


> I missed it and Robin is correct about the VetRx, it is useless and a waste of money as is DE and VermX for poultry.
> There are 9 types of cocci that birds can get, only 2 types can cause blood in feces. Environmental factors can exacerbate the problem with cocci as well as other factors.
> Young chicks cannot survive respiratory diseases. It is true that Mycoplasma diseases can pass through eggs to chicks IF they survive. Other chicks would show the same symptoms IF that were the case.
> The way I see your chick in the photo despite the sneezing/breathing; I see her as lethargic/eyes closed and I suspect cocci overload. Antibiotics would do more harm than good in chicks, they would probably harm/damage organs if not kill them. Corid is not an antibiotic, it is a thiamine blocker.
> You have nothing to lose. Your other choice is to cull the sick chick.


Ok, thanks for the explanation. That makes a lot of sense. I've been watching these birds closely all day, and now my smallest chick, the Welsummer, has been spotted sneezing. She looks like the Orpington did on the day I brought them home. Sounds like pretty much my only hope now is the Corid. The only other option I see is to return all 3 birds to the Feed store and get new ones, but now I'm not so sure that's going to be any better. I have no guarantee that my replacement chicks wouldn't have the same illness.


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## robin416

A few years ago a hatchery had a problem that infected quite a few established flocks. If the other peep is starting to display problems then either they hatched from infected parents, the hatchery they came from was infected or someone brought something in to the feed store. 

You're right to be concerned about getting any more from that feed store. You can try just watching what they have there to see if the others are displaying signs of illness but other than getting a refund there isn't a lot more you can do. 

If you lived close to me, I'd have five pullets that need a new home once my witch bird is done raising them.


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