Chickens sneeze: what kind of disease, how and how to treat at home

If chickens sneeze, you must immediately take action. The appearance of this symptom indicates the development of dangerous viral or bacterial pathologies. Also, this violation often leads to a violation of the conditions for keeping birds. To avoid such problems, it is recommended to isolate the sick bird from the herd and find an effective treatment for it. Equally important is the correction of nutrition and changing the rules of care.

Why can chickens wheeze and sneeze

If the birds are sick, they will most likely start wheezing and sneezing. These symptoms may indicate the development of a cold or other bronchial lesions. It is strictly forbidden to ignore them, as there is a risk of losing the entire livestock.

Rhinotracheitis

This is a relatively new respiratory infection that causes swelling of the head and respiratory symptoms. At the same time, in chickens or adults, lesions of the larynx, nasal cavity, and trachea are observed.

The mucous membranes of the organ of vision also suffer. Often there is tearing from the eyes. As a rule, chickens get better, but subsequently lag significantly behind in development.

Laryngotracheitis

The key symptom of the disease is the appearance of a scream in the throat during coughing. This is a viral herpes infection, which is accompanied by rhinitis and conjunctivitis. The pathology often remains active for up to 2 years.

Laryngotracheitis is characterized by 2 main forms - acute and hyperacute. In the first case, there is a risk of mortality up to 15% of sick birds. Super-sharp leads to the death of 50-60% of birds. With this form of pathology, up to 80% of birds become infected on the first day.

The main symptom of the disease is very heavy breathing. Then comes the cough. It is accompanied by bloody or other discharge. Mucous membranes can be covered with curdled secretions, there are signs of suffocation, coughing.

Birds lose activity, their egg production decreases. He althy birds can wheeze for a long time and suffer from conjunctivitis. With the development of an acute form of pathology, the spread of infection is possible up to 10 days. The main symptoms are cough, general weakness, wheezing. Cheesy discharge, swelling of the larynx, scream in the throat are also possible.

Cold

This pathology is common in chickens. Birds, which are characterized by weakened immunity, are more susceptible to it. The main cause of problems is hypothermia. With an inflammatory lesion of the respiratory organs, swelling of the mucous membranes is observed.As a result, the birds begin to breathe heavily, wheezing and sneezing appear.

After a certain time, there is mucous discharge from the nose and coughing. It is recommended to remove a cold chicken from he althy birds and choose a treatment. An untreated cold provokes complications.

Infectious form of bronchitis

If treatment for a cold fails, infectious bronchitis may be suspected. Its symptoms are similar to colds. At the same time, the bird breathes through its mouth, it has wheezing, sneezing, and a strong cough. There is also a violation of egg production.

Infectious bronchitis can have different rates of spread. When the pathogen enters the lung tissue, it is almost impossible to avoid the death of chickens. The spread of the virus occurs through the air. It remains active within a radius of 1 kilometer. Transmission takes 18-36 hours.

It is impossible to cure infectious bronchitis in chickens, because sick birds are isolated and the premises are disinfected.

Colibacillosis

This pathology affects young animals aged 3-14 days. With the development of an acute form of the disease, the following manifestations occur:

temperature increase by 1.5-2 degrees;
intense thirst;
loss of appetite and mass;
general weakness;
diarrhea.

Death in an acute form of pathology occurs due to intoxication of the body. If you do not cure the pathology, it becomes chronic. In this case, the following symptoms occur:

expressed thirst;
loss of appetite and weight loss;
heavy breathing, shortness of breath, sneezing, wheezing, coughing.

At the same time, a scream and a crunch appear in the chest. The chronic form of pathology often leads to death.

Mycoplasmosis respiratory

This infectious disease affects all livestock. In this case, the pathology spreads in the following ways:

through water;
when sneezing and coughing;
from mother to chicks.

Viral infection can even infect eggs. Infection occurs very quickly. With any suspicion of pathology, it is recommended to isolate the sick bird. However, her eggs must be destroyed.

Special symptoms include the following:

heavy mouth breathing, wheezing and coughing, sneezing;
diarrhea;
feeling worse.

In advanced cases, the bird becomes a source of infection. In the herd, the rooster suffers first. Always, when suspicious symptoms appear, it is recommended to immediately take tests.

Broncho-pneumonia

This is one of the most common side effects of an untreated cold. Pathology is more affected by chickens aged 2-3 weeks. The risk of developing the disease increases with insufficient temperature in the house, exposure to drafts. Also, chickens can suffer in the absence of protection from precipitation and cold wind.

Common symptoms of bronchopneumonia are moist rales and rapid breathing. At the same time, the birds constantly sneeze and lose activity. They sit a lot, do not move, do not eat or drink. After 2 days, the weakest and youngest individuals die.

Tuberculosis

Sometimes sneezing is associated with the development of tuberculosis. When this pathology occurs, cough and diarrhea occur. Tuberculosis is not characterized by rapid development. Therefore, it is enough to simply get rid of infected birds and disinfect the house.

How to find out the reason?

To understand why a bird is sneezing and breathing heavily, it is worth analyzing the symptoms. It is the clinical picture that will help to make an accurate diagnosis.

The most harmless disease that causes chickens to cough and wheeze when breathing is considered a cold. It develops due to hypothermia or drafts in the room.

Chickens die of a cold if they are very weak or too old. Also, the development of complications becomes the cause of negative consequences. In other situations, a cold is easily treated and does not cause negative consequences. If the chicken opens its beak when it breathes, or bubbling in its throat, it is worth analyzing additional symptoms. With lung pathologies, there is a risk of bird death within 1-2 days.

Danger signs include the following:

heavy breathing;
strong wheezing;
open mouth;
swelling of mucous membranes;
mucous discharge from the nose;
cough;
whistle when breathing;
decrease or complete cessation of egg laying.

When such signs are identified, it is recommended to take immediate action. A sick chicken should be isolated immediately to stop the spread of infection. It is especially important to protect young or old birds, as they are at risk for developing bronchial and lung pathologies.

Basic treatment rules

To avoid the mass death of laying hens, it is recommended to make an accurate diagnosis in a timely manner and choose an adequate treatment. With the development of a cold, treat broilers and other chickens with the following methods:

Insulate chicken coops, protect the room from drafts and dampness. Temperature readings should not be less than +15 degrees.
Young growth is recommended to be fed with nettle decoction. You can also do inhalations with essential oils.
When detecting infectious bronchitis, it is recommended to use disinfectants. These include Lugol's solution, aluminum iodide.
When detecting bronchopneumonia, it is worth checking the conditions for keeping birds. Most often, the problem is associated with hypothermia of birds. In this case, it will not be possible to do without antibiotics. The most commonly prescribed are Spiramycin, Streptomycin, Erythromycin. Young animals are recommended to give Tiamulin.
To restore egg production, it is recommended to use Tipozin. It is administered by injection. For 1 kilogram of body weight, it is recommended to use 3-5 milligrams of the product.
With the development of colibacillosis, it is recommended to use antibiotics.In this case, it is worth using Biomycin, Terramycin, Synthomycin. The duration of therapy is 5 days. If necessary, it is permissible to apply the funds again. It should be borne in mind that when using antibacterial drugs, meat and eggs of chickens are forbidden to be consumed within 2 weeks.

Precautions

Precautions are recommended to prevent infection in poultry. First of all, a sick bird should be isolated.

To avoid total infection of the herd, it is recommended to follow these recommendations:

instead of water, give the birds nettle decoction;
use vitamins and minerals;
grind a streptocide tablet and use the resulting powder to dust the beaks.

Humidity and temperature parameters in the chicken coop are of no small importance. It is also recommended to avoid drafts.

Consequences

With timely detection, adequate care and effective treatment of diseases of the lungs and bronchi, they have a favorable prognosis. After 4-7 days, the bird can be completely cured. However, chickens may take longer to heal.

If the birds are not provided with adequate conditions, there is a risk of their death. The probability of death increases in conditions of high humidity, cold, draft. Also, problems are possible with an unbalanced diet and lack of adequate treatment.

Preventive measures

Frequent pathologies negatively affect the quality characteristics of eggs and meat. If the house is treated adequately, these problems can be avoided.

Containment conditions

To avoid disease, it is important to provide chickens with adequate housing conditions. It is recommended to follow these rules:

keep birds in a properly built house;
give quality and he althy food to chickens;
clean the chicken coop in time;
add vitamins to food regularly.

Periodically, birds should be examined for the presence of ulcerative defects and bald spots. It is also worth paying attention to the discharge from the beak. In addition, a change in feces becomes a sign of disease.

Medication prevention

To avoid problems, it is worth giving vitamin products to chickens. They help to strengthen the immune system of birds. Medications can only be prescribed by a veterinarian.

People's prevention

As additional preventive measures, you should do the following:

ventilate the chicken coop;
add calcium to food;
insulate housing;
wet clean.

Chicken sneezing can be due to various factors. To cope with this problem, it is worth making the correct diagnosis. In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the clinical picture of the pathology.