# Ahhhh chooooo



## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

I have a sneezing chicken. Is there anything I can do? I rubbed VetRx on the nostrils and under wings. Tonight is the first night using it so I guess we will see?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

VetRX is nothing more than a feel good product, it does nothing to cure anything. I checked this product out years ago, none of the ingredients do anything to promote health. And with some of what I've learned they recommend the product for, it could cause more harm.

Chickens sneeze, just like we do. 99% of the time it means nothing more than something irritating the sinus'. Sometimes they get particles in their nares and they sneeze to rid themselves of it. It can be dusty conditions, it can be weather changes. None of those things is much of anything to get concerned about. 

If the eyes are clear and bright, if there is no drainage, if the bird is doing all of the normal bird things than just watching is all that needs to be done.


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

What Robin said!


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Robin is correct. It's possible your chicken may have inhaled feed dust or possibly a small feed granule, or inhaled dust/debris while dust bathing. If it persists, draw warm water with an eyedropper or needle-less syringe and do your best to put a drop or two of the warm water into the nostrils. The warm water will help dissolve the debris or particles. Then the chicken can shake her head to try to easily expel it by sneezing or swallowing.
VetRx contains alcohol and other ingredients similar to Vick's vapor rub. I never understood why VetRx would be recommended for use in chickens. 
Keep an eye on the rest of your chickens also. If they start sneezing, there might be something else going on that you'd rather not want to deal with.


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## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

Well I come home today and I have one hen that sounds like a goose now and 2 others sneezing. I started using Terra vet 10 after I talked to a owner of a feed store. I am also giving them herbs and garlic. We have had large amounts of rain here so everything is wet. I did notice that the inside of my coop was extremely wet today after a rain storm . I cleaned it and noticed moldy bedding which I removed and going to replace with sand. I fixed all the leaks ( keeping my fingers crossed. ) And I'm hoping I can get them over this mess. Open to any suggestions. .. I thought this chicken keeping was easy. Lol


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## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

I will add eyes and noses are clear. They are eatting and coming when called. They greet me in the morning and when I get home. So I got some happy sneezing chickens. Just want them to quit sneezing they sound awful.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

I suspect your birds may have aspergillosis caused by inhaling fungal spores from moldy bedding. You have to wear a mask when cleaning coops and removing feces/soiled bedding. I know several chicken owners who have contracted histoplasmosis from fungus/mold spores from feces inside chicken coops and are on respirators. Treatment in humans depends on severity of infection. This disease can be deadly to humans. Proper ventilation also helps deter fungus and mold problems. I also recommend removing soiled bedding frequently during adverse weather conditions.
As far as your chickens go, I would stop the Terra Vet 10. Terra Vet 10 is used for bacterial type respiratory diseases in poultry; such as mycoplasma diseases in which case I would recommend culling infected birds rather than treating them. Antibiotics have no effect on fungal diseases nor spores:
Here's a link regarding aspergillosis:
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/poultry/aspergillosis/overview_of_aspergillosis_in_poultry.html
Here's a link regarding histoplasmosis:
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/histoplasmosis/causes-risk-factors.html

As far as treating your chickens for aspergillosis; there is a product that you can use to not only treat fungal problems, but it will also treat bacterial and viral problems. Oxine AH.
Here's a link for you to read. I recommend that you read the whole article as it provides treatment instructions, dosages etc...
http://www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm
Here's a link where Oxine AH can be purchased:
http://www.revivalanimal.com/Oxine-Fogger-and-Oxine-AH.html?sku=15101-801&VID=109&VIID=1430

Keep in mind that chickens do NOT get a cold; they get a SPECIFIC disease, whether it be bacterial, viral, or fungal.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I'm leaning towards what dawg is thinking.


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## casportpony (Aug 22, 2015)

hayutfan said:


> Well I come home today and I have one hen that sounds like a goose now and 2 others sneezing. I started using Terra vet 10 after I talked to a owner of a feed store. I am also giving them herbs and garlic. We have had large amounts of rain here so everything is wet. I did notice that the inside of my coop was extremely wet today after a rain storm . I cleaned it and noticed moldy bedding which I removed and going to replace with sand. I fixed all the leaks ( keeping my fingers crossed. ) And I'm hoping I can get them over this mess. Open to any suggestions. .. I thought this chicken keeping was easy. Lol


No suggestions, but thought I might mention that the 800 mg dose of Terra Vet 10 is 1.5 tablespoons per gallon, it is not 1 tablespoon per gallon.

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## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

Ok thank u


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

Yes it would be easy to get aspergillosis. However, I think maybe they are having a reaction to mold, which can be aspergilli spores. I would empty your coop, possibly wash it down with something like Virkon or even Lysol cleaner, and let dry. I would focus on keeping the coop dry and bedding dry, and provide lots of ventilation even in the winter. I would not use straw. Since Aspergillosis can't be treated easily or cheaply, it's better just to prevent it. I lost a hen to it, on necropsy she had that growing in her lungs, outside her lungs and on her heart. Florida is great for mold.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

There are many products that will take care of mold in coops:
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There is a woman I do business with. She had been sick for months, they finally determined she had aspergillosis. She had no chickens and had no idea how she contracted it.


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## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

Yes .... I've been doing my research. I hoping and praying it's not aspergillus. Just hoping a URTI ....after talking to some people here even to my breeder she said with all the rain a lot of people have dealt with this. So I just don't know. I was given some Tylan 200 and gave them that today , along with herbs, garlic, and apple cider vinegar. I know I'm grasping at straw at this point but just trying to do everything I can to get these girls to stop hacking / sneezing. I read an article on mold and they said to use Oxine AH . I researched the Oxine and there were amazing reviews on using this to clean with even footing your chickens with respiratory issues. So I ordered some ...it was $25 with $7 shipping. But anything to try to make my babies better.


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## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

Not footing chickens lol I meant fogging the chickens while they are in the coop. (Sorry for the typo)


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

robin416 said:


> There is a woman I do business with. She had been sick for months, they finally determined she had aspergillosis. She had no chickens and had no idea how she contracted it.


Aspergillosis is usually caught by people with immunosupression, poor immune system, even long term antibiotic use.

Hayutfan, I would think it's a mold issue or dust.
With Oxine, it does not kill anything unless activated with citric acid. You can't fog birds with activated Oxine, but you can certainly do a good disinfecting fog/spray in the coop.


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## dawg53 (Aug 25, 2015)

Non activated Oxine can be used to spray over birds. Scroll down in this link to "Application Information:"
http://www.revivalanimal.com/articles/how-to-use-oxine-ah.html
"Oxine AH may also be used as a bacteriostat (non-activated) for control of surface and airborne microbial contamination.
While the use of more product may be necessary, depopulation is not required in this method of application."

According to Trudy Spradlin, director of customer relations, Bio-cide International Inc. 800-323-1398 Email [email protected]
"Oxine AH needs to be activated to kill viruses, bacteria. Nonactivated Oxine AH is a bacteriostat and fungistat and inhibits growth."
This information was dated 1/21/13.

I used non activated oxine on my 2 Light Brahmas that I thought had picked up a mild respiratory disease. However there wasnt any runny nostrils, facial swelling, watery eyes. I had used tylan 50 injectable and denagard to no avail. 
The deactivated oxine worked.
I didnt know it at the time, but mold had grown in the northeast corner inside their small coop. I cleaned and removed the mold and installed a fan inside the coop resulting in no more mold issues.

You can buy a cheap spray bottle at any home improvement store in the garden section and set the nozzle to a very fine mist. Mix 1/8 teaspoon of non activated oxine to one gallon of water. Fill the spray bottle with the mixture and spray over the heads of your chickens 3 times a day for 10 days. Make a fresh batch daily.


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## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

Yes I've read about the citrus activation. Thank you
On a sad note I lost one of my girls. I got some Tylan 200 the other day. I tried to give it to them orally and feathers were flying. So I researched the dosage and youtube how to administer it IM. I gave them the dose and all of a sudden one started to have a seizure like a fish out of water and died. This bird had a slight sneeze (should have just left her alone). But she was the only one that was fractious and did not liked to be caught. So I'm not sure if the stress did it or I got in somewhere bad. I pulled back on the syringe and I didn't see any blood. The other girls have been kind of lethargic as well. My girls weigh about 5lbs and I only gave them .4 so I don't think I over dosed them? I'm just so sick right now. I just want them to get better. This morning everyone was happy to see us and they greeted us at the back door for treats . I just don't know what else to do? I really seriously don't think they will be getting another injection from me. We might just have feathers flying trying to get it down them from this point on. Can someone tell me since they had an injection this am when can I start them back on the oral administration?


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## seminole wind (Aug 22, 2015)

I like Tylan injectable. I inject them in the thigh. 0.4 ml sounds about right. I don't know why a chicken died from an injection. If I give injections it's one at night when they're easy to catch. Aside from Tylan, I can't think of a better med to give.


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## casportpony (Aug 22, 2015)

hayutfan said:


> Yes I've read about the citrus activation. Thank you
> On a sad note I lost one of my girls. I got some Tylan 200 the other day. I tried to give it to them orally and feathers were flying. So I researched the dosage and youtube how to administer it IM. I gave them the dose and all of a sudden one started to have a seizure like a fish out of water and died. This bird had a slight sneeze (should have just left her alone). But she was the only one that was fractious and did not liked to be caught. So I'm not sure if the stress did it or I got in somewhere bad. I pulled back on the syringe and I didn't see any blood. The other girls have been kind of lethargic as well. My girls weigh about 5lbs and I only gave them .4 so I don't think I over dosed them? I'm just so sick right now. I just want them to get better. This morning everyone was happy to see us and they greeted us at the back door for treats . I just don't know what else to do? I really seriously don't think they will be getting another injection from me. We might just have feathers flying trying to get it down them from this point on. Can someone tell me since they had an injection this am when can I start them back on the oral administration?


Sorry for your loss.
The amount you gave is ~35 mg/kg, which is listed as a normal dose in these three vet books:




































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## casportpony (Aug 22, 2015)

seminolewind said:


> i like tylan injectable. I inject them in the thigh. 0.4 ml sounds about right. I don't know why a chicken died from an injection. If i give injections it's one at night when they're easy to catch. Aside from tylan, i can't think of a better med to give.


fyi


> *intramuscular injections*
> intramuscular injections are often given more frequently in avian patients than in cats and dogs where iv catheters are more common. However, studies have shown that muscle necrosis happens frequently with intramuscular injections. Therefore other routes of administration should be considered when available. Im injections are most commonly given in the pectoral muscles located on either side of the keel bone. Due to the renal shunt of birds, where blood in the lower part of the g.i and caudal extremities may pass directly through the kidneys prior to being filtered by the liver, it is recommended that injections be given in the upper two thirds of the birds' breast muscling. These muscles also contain a higher number of capillaries makingaspiration before giving the injection even more important.



View attachment Technical Procedures for the Avian Patient.pdf


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## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

Well I really don't know what was wrong with my girls . But after one ended up dead yesterday after the injection of Tylan 200. My girls have had a total of one oral administration and one injection . And this evening I have not heard anyone cough, sneeze, or sniffle. And everyone seems back to normal. Waiting for my Oxine to come and I will be using it religiously.


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## casportpony (Aug 22, 2015)

Glad they are improving.


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## hayutfan (Jun 19, 2016)

Yeah me too


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