# Coughing/Sneezing Hen



## anelson726 (Feb 25, 2014)

My 11 month Black Australorp has been making this weird coughing/sneezing noise for the last few months. Some days are better than others. When it first started happening I quarantined her and gave her antibiotics for a week. No changes. I tried Vet Rx Poultry Remedy, still no changes. I keep their coop clean and dry and they get free range time whenever the weather permits. I've tried oatmeal treats with ACV. I've tried every herb I can think of in the coop. None of the other hens have shown the same problems. My BA is otherwise perfectly healthy. Laying regularly, eating, drinking, breathing just fine. Any ideas?


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## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

Chronic respiratory disease is my first guess. The cough that lingers

Can you take the chicken to the vet or get blood test?

There may be a specific antibiotic needed and any other wouldn't do it.

I don't know though because either the other is immune or it's something ele


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## anelson726 (Feb 25, 2014)

I haven't been able to find a poultry vet in my area. The closest I've found is an exotic bird vet and she seemed pretty clueless. So frustrating. 


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Can you get a decent pic of her face? That is always very helpful.

Did you check inside her mouth, check her nares?

Nothing in your description, so far, indicates CRD.


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## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

Can you or her take a blood test and send it to the usda. I think they still have a lab because they want to be sure there isn't any serious disease. You need a vet to do it tho. and they will run test and tell you what it is

It could be a lot of different things and a couple test may help. Most common antibiotics for respiratory are tylan and baytril but I wouldn't give it till I found which one it is.

Helpful USDA flyer


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I do not recommend putting her on antibiotics until more is known. You've done that once and it got her no where. Needless or improper use of antibiotics is creating resistant bacteria when we do need the drugs. 

This bird's issues could be wholly mechanical and have nothing to do with disease, this needs to be established with better information before running to the medicine cabinet.


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## anelson726 (Feb 25, 2014)

Here are the best photos I could get tonight. The color is a bit off because it's after dark.






















 I also added a link to a video I took this afternoon. You can't see her well but you can hear the sound.

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## hellofromtexas (Feb 16, 2014)

I'm sorry, I really don't know. But the flyer I gave earlier has the toll free number *1-866-536-7593* that can run blood test and has *state poultry vet* I think. The disease investigation is free. It really is your best option. The test you need especially is a culture and sensitivity. This test will determine what antibiotic will kill it.

Their primary goal is to make sure there isn't avian flu or Newcastle's disease but it probably isn't one of those because it's more of a zebra of a disease. It's a free service for this reason. Farmers are poor and if they charged they wouldn't find anything before it was too late.

Because it has been going on for so long it probably is chronic respiratory disease but there are many respiratory disease that can cause that. The name only describes the disease not the exact treatment. The symptoms are too broad. There doesn't seem to be a defining symptom for an exact disease.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

She looks completely healthy. Nice bright eyes, clear nares. 

She might be reacting to something in her daily life. Do they get hay, dusty hay can cause it. How about the bedding, is it dusty? Or the feed? Some mills screw up and crush the feed too small causing fines. 

And then there is the environment, there could be something there that is causing it. I have a 6 year old rooster that has issues every time the weather swings but he sounds far worse than your girl. He has prednisone when he has flare ups but she does not sound like anything at all needs to be done at the moment. 

Just watch her, normally it resolves on its own.

BTW, I find myself a good large animal vet for my birds. They are more willing to take a stab. But they do need as much information from us as they can get. I had a girl nailed in the head 8 years ago causing a brain injury. I took the information for treatment with me to the vet because I knew they wouldn't know what to do. I've still got that girl.


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## anelson726 (Feb 25, 2014)

Thank you so much Robin. You have been a huge help! This did seem to flare up right when the rain started. Hopefully this will solve itself when it dries up again. 


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## RhapsodyAcres (Nov 20, 2013)

Our rooster has been doing the same thing for quite awhile now. I thought it might be gapeworm so we treated for that but there has been no change (after two 3-day treatments about 10 days apart). I haven't tried antibiotics because I have no idea what we are dealing with. He sounds horrible - either a wet sneeze or cough and raspy breathing and his beak is usually gaping. I took a video but can't post it yet because it's too big to upload from my phone to my gmail. I'll have to connect my phone to my computer, save it, post it to photobucket and link it here.

Since it's lasted so long, I'm guessing it's chronic? None of the other chickens have these symptoms, just our roo.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Can anyone do injections where you are? It sounds as though he might benefit from a dose of penicillin. Our birds do get pneumonia. If you can give him an injection comfortably its .10 cc per pound in the muscle of the breast. Or double the dose and give it under the skin.

If you can't then start him on Tylan, not my first choice but is easily obtained locally. Keep him on that for seven days. 

If someone can do injections you should see improvement very quickly, no longer than 48 hours.


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## TheChickenGuy (Jan 29, 2014)

I have watched your video. I suggest you keep her separate for the time being. I'm really confused since this had been occurring for the past few months without other signs and symptoms. How is her droppings like?.


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