What to do if domestic chickens sneeze and cough

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At times, poultry keepers are faced with the fact that the chicken wheezes when breathing. In addition, sneezing, coughing, and other symptoms of poor health may appear. These phenomena are often a sign of a disease. Consider the reasons for its appearance and what therapeutic and preventive measures to take.

Chickens sneeze and wheeze

Why do chickens sneeze and wheeze

Wheezing, sneezing are atypical phenomena in the behavior of a bird. Sometimes breathing is accompanied by a whistling, gurgling, sound similar to human snoring. With a high degree of probability, this signalizes the presence of health problems, the development of any disease. It is very important to identify the cause of their occurrence as early as possible in order to avoid deterioration of the condition, decrease in egg production, infection of healthy livestock or even death of poultry.

One of the possible reasons for the appearance of these symptoms may be colds.

Most often they arise due to:

• drafts in the chicken coop;
• high air humidity;
• low temperatures;
• improper conditions for keeping layers;
• immunity weakened as a result of hypothermia.

A sick chicken begins to breathe heavily, moreover, does it with an open mouth, sneeze. This is due to the development of inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract, mucosal edema. The nose is clogged with snot, a cough appears. If treatment is not started on time, there is a risk of complications affecting the bronchi.

Tip: during treatment, isolate sick chickens from healthy birds by placing them in a separate aviary

Infectious bronchitis

Infectious bronchitis (infectious bronchitis, IBC) is a serious disease, similar in its initial symptoms to the common cold, to which are added loose green stools, conjunctivitis, nervousness, but entailing much more serious consequences:

• often it affects the kidneys, reducing the productivity of layers by up to 40%;
• when it enters the lungs of young animals, it leads to the fact that many chickens die;
• a recovered individual may never return to the previous level of egg production;
• broilers begin to lag significantly behind in weight compared to healthy livestock;
• the feed conversion rate is significantly reduced.

The causative agent of IBV is a coronavirus that can survive on eggs for up to 10 days, and on bird feathers for up to several weeks. Active within a radius of 1 km. Time of propagation - from 18 to 36 hours. Transmitted:

• by airborne droplets;
• through food and drink;
• from the litter;
• with clothing and tools of workers;
• with secretions of carriers of the disease.

The most susceptible to infection is chicks under 1 month of age.

The virus is not dangerous to humans.

Information: a successfully treated bird remains a carrier of the IBV virus for 100 days, spreading it with saliva, feces and mucous fluids.

Respiratory mycoplasmosis

Refers to the number of infectious diseases. First of all, the rooster becomes infected. He has symptoms of the disease earlier than others, so the bird owners try to examine him first and, in case of suspicion of infection, take tests for verification, and isolate the bird.

As with IBL, mycoplasmosis has several distribution paths:

• airborne;
• through water in bird drinkers;
• from hen to chickens.

The main symptoms are:

1. The specimen breathes with difficulty. At the same time, her beak is open. At this moment, a disorder of the respiratory system occurs.
2. Coughing begins, sneezing appears, frothy exudate from the nostrils. The outer shell of the eye becomes inflamed (conjunctivitis). In adult chickens, the reproductive system is upset - the number of laid eggs decreases, the embryos die.
3. Diarrhea appears. The immune defense of the body decreases, which leads to a sharp deterioration in the general condition, depletion of the body.

At the final stages, which are asymptomatic, the body begins to produce antibodies, the animal becomes a carrier of respiratory mycoplasmosis.

The virus is also dangerous for eggs, therefore, if they were carried by a sick chicken, they must be destroyed. Birds are capable of infecting each other, so a sick individual should be isolated from a healthy population as soon as possible. Turkeys, ducks and other animals are also carriers of the virus.

Laryngotracheitis

It is a viral respiratory disease, during which the trachea, conjunctiva, and nasal cavity become inflamed. The main indicator of the disease is that the chicken is bubbling in the throat. This is accompanied by a runny nose, conjunctivitis.

There are 2 forms of laryngotracheitis:

1. Acute form. The mortality rate of the diseased population reaches 15%. Chickens become lethargic, cough, sneeze often. The larynx swells, discharge appears, resembling cottage cheese in its consistency. The propagation time is up to 10 days.
2. Hyperacute. The mortality rate can be as high as 60%. In the first day alone, about 80% of chickens can become infected with laryngotracheitis. The main distinguishing feature of the hyperacute form of the disease: the diseased individual is very hard, with whistling and croaking sounds in the larynx, breathing. During coughing, bloody discharge, wheezing may appear, and as a result of laryngeal edema, asthma attacks may occur. The animal shakes its head, stretches its neck, the rooster loses its voice. The sick livestock loses its appetite, moves little, stops rushing.

If untreated, chickens begin to go blind.

Reference: Even if the birds can be cured of laryngotracheitis, they may have conjunctivitis and wheezing for a long time.

Colibacillosis

Colibacillosis is susceptible to young animals aged from 3 days to 2 weeks. There are 2 forms of the disease:

1. Acute form. There is a gradual increase in symptoms - an increase in body temperature by 1.5-2 ° C, strong thirst. The chicken stops eating, weakens, and sits ruffled. Due to the refusal of food, sick chickens lose weight, lose activity and, ultimately, sag from the intoxication of the body.
2. Chronic form. It develops from an acute form that has not been completely cured. It is accompanied by shortness of breath, asthma attacks, coughing. Chickens sneeze a lot, while breathing in the sternum, a bubbling, crunching is heard. Convulsions, paralysis may occur. The neck bends unnaturally. All this is often fatal.

If the chick nevertheless survives, it develops more slowly than its counterparts, lagging behind them in development.

Tracheitis

It is an inflammation of the tracheal mucosa. It is often a concomitant disease with inflammation of the upper respiratory tract of an allergic, infectious, toxic, mechanical nature.The trachea is located in close proximity to the larynx, so a disease of one organ often leads to inflammation of the other.

Symptoms include:

• swelling of the larynx, its redness, narrowing;
• overlay in the form of fibrin films;
• wheezing and whistling with rapid breathing.

With mechanical tracheitis, caused by the ingress of foreign objects, dust particles, pollution, birds sneeze both at the initial stage of the disease and throughout its entire length. To get rid of tracheitis, you must first treat the underlying cause of the disease.

Rhinotracheitis

It is a relatively young respiratory disease. The main symptom is swelling of the bird's head. At the same time, secondary signs of inflammation of the upper respiratory tract appear, affecting the eyes, nasal cavity, larynx, trachea. Eyes watery, discharge appears.

For information: it is possible to successfully treat chickens for rhinotracheitis. However, if young chickens become ill with it and then healed, their growth process will still be slowed down.

Bronchopneumonia

Inflammation of the lungs (also known as bronchopneumonia) is a serious illness in birds. Causes of occurrence:

• not completely cured cold, bronchitis;
• keeping chickens in unsuitable conditions: in drafts, in an unheated or unprotected place from snow, wind or rain;
• upper respiratory tract infections caused by pneumococcus, staphylococcus, gradually descending into the lower segments.

First of all, the bronchi are affected, then the disease passes to the lungs and pleural film.

In adult layers, bronchopneumonia practically does not occur, most of all young animals aged from 10 to 20 days get sick with it. It is possible to guess that the chickens got sick with bronchopneumonia by a number of symptoms:

• rapid breathing appears, accompanied by wet wheezing, while the beak is open;
• chicks sneeze a lot and often;
• the birds practically do not move;
• chickens do not peck food, do not drink.

On the second day from the onset of the disease, the weakest chicks die.

Tuberculosis

It is a fairly rare disease among chickens. An individual who is ill with it wheezes, coughs, diarrhea. Due to the long duration of the spread of the disease, these symptoms can appear for several months. The simplest and most effective method of protecting livestock from death due to tuberculosis is the destruction of sick birds, decontamination of the chicken coop premises.

Bird flu

One of the most dangerous diseases that chickens suffer from. It leads to the almost complete death of the chicken population, which has an extremely negative effect on productivity.

Most often, it affects the respiratory system and gastrointestinal tract.

Causes of occurrence:

• frequent movement of birds from one place to another;
• eating poor-quality feed, its shortage;
• a hen house in which too many chickens are closed in a small area.

The presence of birds in such conditions leads to the rapid transmission of the active virus from diseased chickens to healthy ones.

Avian influenza transmission methods:

• through common feeders, drinkers, other things that are in the hen house in the common use of healthy and sick chickens;
• through infected eggs, feathers;
• through the excreta that are secreted by those chickens that have just got sick, and those that have already undergone treatment for the disease;
• with the help of other animals - carriers of the disease: rats, mice.

The main symptoms are:

• poor egg production;
• complete refusal to eat;
• rapid weight loss;
• the bird has difficulty breathing, wheezing;
• an increase in body temperature up to 41-45 ° С;
• diarrhea, feces become brownish-greenish;
• lack of coordination: animals move badly, fall;
• the wings are down;
• the mucous membranes become inflamed, the nasal passage is clogged with mucus.

The final symptom that speaks of an impending death is: a strong feeling of thirst, pulmonary edema.

Aspergellosis

It is a disease caused by the Aspergillus fungus. Affects the respiratory system. Animals become infected through feed grains, in which the fungus multiplies in conditions of increased dampness.

The main symptoms are:

• increased sleepiness, fatigue;
• wheezing is heard when breathing is given to the bird with difficulty;
• the chicken suffers from shortness of breath.

The acute form of the disease is characterized by a high mortality rate: up to 80% of the livestock die. To avoid this, it is necessary to conduct a constant revision of the state of the grain, more often to clean and change the bedding in the chicken coop, to use antifungal agents when processing the granary.

Other diseases

There are other diseases of chickens, accompanied by wheezing, sneezing. They can be both dangerous to humans and harmless.

Pasteurellosis

There are several forms of the disease:

1. Hyperacute. A perfectly healthy-looking individual suddenly dies.
2. Sharp. The chicken's comb and earrings turn blue. You may notice that the hen has become lethargic, lowers its wings, drinks a lot. Wheezing appears in the larynx, foam is released from the nasal cavity. The pectoral muscles atrophy. Death occurs after 3 days.
3. Subacute. Abscesses appear on inflamed earrings, the animal is emaciated, and the joints are affected by arthritis. Death occurs in 7 days or earlier.
4. Chronic. Symptoms include rhinitis, nasal and conjunctival discharge, and inflammation of the intermaxillary space.

Refers to infectious diseases of chickens that can harm human health.

Newcastle disease

It is a viral disease. A feature of this virus is its ability to penetrate the chicken egg and safely remain in the egg during the entire incubation period. Juveniles can be born already with a disease.

With a hyperacute form, in the process of which the nervous system is affected, one can hear the individual wheeze, it has difficulty breathing, increased excitability. Further:

• paralysis of the limbs occurs;
• coordination of movements is impaired;
• the neck is twisted.

All livestock can be infected within 2 - 3 days.

A distinctive symptom of an acute typical form is the process of suffocation in 70% of birds, diarrhea - in 88%. All this is accompanied by a decrease in appetite, conjunctivitis, high fever. The animal can lie with its beak on the floor.

The atypical form affects, in the bulk, chickens. It is asymptomatic due to the use of antibiotics.

The treatment of the disease has not yet been developed. About 90% of the livestock perishes from it.

Treatment

There are several ways to treat chicken diseases:

• using antibiotics;
• using home (folk) remedies.

Each of them has its own characteristics.

With antibiotics

In the absence of positive dynamics in the fight against the disease with anti-inflammatory and antifungal agents, antibiotics are prescribed with the simultaneous introduction of vitamins A, E into the diet of birds:

1. Put 1 capsule of doxycycline in the mouth of the chicken overnight. Give plenty of water. The duration of treatment is 1 week.
2. For 3 days, put ½ tablet of tetracycline for adult chickens in the morning, ¼ for juveniles.
3. Colibacillosis can be treated with biomitscin, terramycin, adding funds to the feed at the rate of 100 mg of the drug per 1 kg of feed.
4. You can try to get rid of mycoplasmosis with the help of oxytetracycline or chlortetracycline, at the rate of 0.4 g per 1 kg of feed. Duration of admission - 1 week, 3 days off, 1 week.
5. Thromexin, previously dissolved in water, will help to alleviate the condition with laryngotracheitis: for 1 day - 2 g of medicine per 1 liter of water, on the 2nd and subsequent days - 1 g per 1 liter of water. The course of admission is at least 5 days.

Important! During the treatment period and within 14 days after the chickens have taken antibiotics, you cannot eat the eggs of diseased individuals, their meat.

Traditional methods

Many people also use folk remedies for coughs, wheezing and sneezing of chickens.As a rule, such methods are available and very effective.

The first way

• Take unsalted lard.
• Cut it into small nail-sized pieces.
• Twice a day, give it to young animals 2 to 4 weeks of age, gently pushing it into the beak.

Duration of admission is from 3 to 5 days.

Second way

• Take dried herb coltsfoot.
• Set it on fire in a suitable container.
• Let the chickens breathe in the smoke for 1 hour.

For greater effect, make sure that the room is closed.

Third way

The following recipe is also suitable:

• take in equal parts plantain leaves and coltsfoot;
• chop the plants finely;
• pour boiling water in such an amount that it covers the mixture;
• close the lid tightly;
• leave to infuse for 1 hour.

The resulting infusion is given to chickens to drink

Prevention and precautions

As a preventive measure aimed at preventing the morbidity of the livestock, it is necessary to follow a number of recommendations:

• instead of water, pour nettle broth into the chicken drinkers;
• introduce fortified and mineral supplements into the feed;
• crush a streptocide tablet and dust the beaks with the resulting powder.

Keep an eye on air humidity, temperature and draft in the room where birds live.

Diseases of chickens can be a serious problem for their owners. To prevent chickens from dying and losing their productivity, it is necessary to follow all the rules for breeding and keeping birds. Sometimes it is better not to risk self-medication, but to seek help from an experienced veterinarian.