[bob-the-chick]

I have a hen who's had a particularly (forgive me) snotty nose for about 10 days. We marked her up so we could keep an eye on her and it seems that she's not got any better.

Having done a bit of looking on the net, it seems that chucks are a bit susceptible to colds, but my concerns are that it is still going on and that it will affect the other hens. She's eating and drinking fine, albeit not as well as she would if she had a completely unblocked nose.

I've spoken with the vet who has said to monitor her, but has also said that she doesn't have any experience of Chickens. We also are rather concerned about how much it will cost (or should cost for that matter!) if we take her to the vet as we are not rolling in money be any means currently :-( At the end of the day, if it is 'just a cold' I suppose with us 'Humans' we just wait for them to clear up...

Hope you can help...

Thanks....!

PS - I didn't mention that she's also sneezing. ...

[Foxy]

Hi What sort of chooks do you have? How long have you had them for?
Chickens contrary to popular belief dont catch "colds"  however, they are prone to a number of respiratory diseases some of which can be vaccinated against. Treating early is the best bet as this ensures the chicken recovers properly. It sounds like your hen has an upper respiratory tract infection, maybe mycoplasma. All they need is a course of antibiotics from your vet there are two good ones Baytril and Tylan. It is likely you will need enough a/b to treat all your flock as infections are usually highly infectious. In the meantime popping some Apple Cider Vinegar (from feed stores an unrefined) will help a lot to help cut through the mucus and help keep the gut nice and healthy. A tonic like "Life guard" or "Poultry Spice" will help as well. Good luck and keep us posted!

[bob-the-chick]

Thank you very much.

We have Amber Stars. And have had them for about 3 months.

I shall get some from the vet then. Hopefully they will be able to diagnose - especially if I've helped her along with your input!

I shall get some Apple Cider Vinegar and Poultry spice also. Many, many thanks again!