Can a chicken catch a cold

[sootysue]

Ginger, she of wobbly fame, seems to be sneezing quite a lot, and every now and then sounds slightly raspy, she doesn't have a runny nose and is bright eyed and bushy tailed, is eating ok and practising escapology on a regular basis. I have checked my chickens for the completely in experienced book, but everything descibed in there has far more nasty symptoms.

[lynda66]

a couple of mine sneeze a fair bit, and pingu and neva snore(nearly as badly as OH), i'm not worried as long as they look ok

[frias]

Just a thought, are you using dust extracted bedding?

[HayleyB]

Gawd I hope not, or my lot will have lost their voices and think their ribs are broken by this time tomorrow

[rana]

Have you not heard of Bird Flu ????????????????

[vicky]

Respiratory infections are pretty common, last spring one of my ex batts was so bad I took her to a vet who gave her an antibiotic injection which sorted it, also added antibiotics ('Baytril') to the water for a week. There's also 'other things' sneezing could be - ie mycoplasma or even bird flu - but probably it's just a cold! You could try adding poultry spice/apple cider vinegar etc to the food/water as a boost, or giving warm mash on cold mornings!

[frias]

Have you not heard of Bird Flu ????????????????

With bird flu wouldn't there be a runny nose and the chicken looking ill? I've never heard one of mine sneeze or rasp yet but I did read that sneezing is common if the bedding has lots of dust in, and dust extracted is recommended. Heck I'm no expert only go by what the experts write on advice websites.

[RichmondHens]

Yes chickens can catch colds; changes in weather conditions can influence this. If you're not sure what it is, it's always best to isolate the bird to prevent spread to the others. Isolate in small coop within sight and sound of others but not too close. Birds get stressed on their own and this in itself can cause problems and complicate illness/recovery. If it recovers in a few days then you can return to the main flock. If not, seek veterinary advice.

[lynda66]

mine have sneezed since they were born, even when they were in the house, i figured it was just normal?? as is the snoring

i use dust exracted bedding

[sootysue]

Thanks for the advice, I have been and bought some poultry spice and this seems to help, but I think that as lynda 66 says some chickens just sneeze. All three girls are doing just fine, I think the rasp was her practising a new noise cos it seems to have turned into a loud pcawwww! to get my attention.
Like all new things knowledge comes with experience and I'm sure I will be posting plenty more daft questions in the future so watch this space.

[Eyren]

As a general piece of chicken healthcare, I would get hold of some Citricidal (grapefruit seed extract - good for colds and sniffles, and can be used by people too!) and a tub of AviPro - a multivitamin and probiotic powder that's gives your poorly animals' immune system (cats and dogs as well as chickens) a boost.

[pipscariad]

I go with Eyren on this one - when I got my girls one of them developed a 'sniffle' and sneezed quite a bit,so I put Citricidal in their water, and it cleared it up really quickly. It was recommended on the Omlet site.

Just a warning though that yes, it does work in humans, but boy, the description of bitter doesn't do it justice - good stuff though. Oh, I also use it to clean the hen house, as it is a natural antiseptic.

[CountryFayre]

Herban is a very goos tonic for synus type ailments in birds - not bad for you when you are adding it to their water either!! It is not the cheapest on the market but is very effective.

[MaureenHall]

Like all new things knowledge comes with experience and I'm sure I will be posting plenty more daft questions in the future so watch this space.

No question is a daft question Sootysue. All questions and answers help us all and quite often (as you've seen on the posts) lead to interesting discussions - quite often nothing to do with the original question

[Snadger]

I am at present draft proofing my new chook house as I have been told chooks don't like drafts!