I am new to chickens, we have 4 and one has started sneezing and rubbing her beak on the grass. I don't see any discharge and she is eating fine. A little slower than normal.
What might be wrong and what can I do for her.
Thanks for your help
How often is she sneezing? Lots of sneezing isn't a great sign. Here is a post on BYC that may have some useful info for you. I don't have personal experience with a chicken with cold symptoms, maybe someone else on here does? http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=261130
You could make a post on backyardchickens with more specific symptoms (there's about 10 things they like you to give info about) maybe someone there could be more helpful.
At least it is not Avian flu, this is the information about it;
Avian influenza(aka bird flu, avian flu) is caused by a type of influenza virus that is hosted by birds, but may infect several species of mammals. It was first identified in Italy in the early 1900s and is now known to exist worldwide. A strain of the H5N1-type of avian influenza virus that emerged in 1997 has been identified as the most likely source of a future influenza pandemic.
Strains of avian influenza virus may infect various types of animals, including birds, pigs, horses, seals, whales and humans. However, wild fowl act as natural asymptomatic carriers, spreading it to more susceptible domestic stocks. Avian influenza virus spreads in the air and in manure and there is no evidence that the virus can survive in well cooked meat.
Diagnosis How to Recognise Avian Influenza
What to look for
Ruffled feathers
Soft-shelled eggs
Depression and droopiness
Sudden drop in egg production
Loss of appetite
Cyanosis (purplish-blue coloring) of wattles and comb
Edema and swelling of head, eyelids, comb, wattles, and hocks
Green diarrhoea
Blood-tinged discharge from nostrils
Incoordination, including loss of ability to walk and stand
Pin-point hemorrhages (most easily seen on the feet and shanks)
Respiratory distress
Increased death losses in a flock
Sudden death
Nasal discharges
The following is a list of three diseases with sneezing as a symptom, the only one that sounds like it may match from the limited information you posted is the last one of the list.
It could be she is experiencing an allergy also, I certainly hope so.
The site, http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/ is one of the best to get information about diseases and several other chicken related issues. Good luck on this.
Calling All Community Builders!! City planners, gardeners, parents, chefs, food banks, hospitals, students and teachers (all levels pre-school through post - grad), mayors, sustainable business leaders, youth group leaders, YOU!
Please join the Pho…
Thanks to Myron for giving me a heads-up on this. Forwarding his message:
Tonight, the CBS Evening News is broadcasting the first in a two-part series on the
use of antibiotics in livestock (some background here).
Katie Couric previewed the report t…
Building a Biodynamic Compost Heap with Maya Dailey
HANDS-ON, Limit 15 people
Suggested donation $20
Come down to the Farm at South Mountain and assist Maya in building a biodynamic compost heap. Biodynamics seeks to capture the "life force" in pla…
Do you want to garden but not sure about digging up your yard? Or do not have a yard? Then come and learn how to have all the tomatoes you want in two square feet of space! You will learn the finer points of how to select a tomato to raise in a pot…
Joan Baron is a local artists that works with mosaics, ceramics and earth plasters. She has created an oasis in her yard that includes an herb spiral, rammed earth walls, a cistern, permeable driveway, and basic water harvesting techniques. Joan's y…
Rachel will show you how easy it is to keep chickens in your backyard.
Chickens in Phoenix? You bet! Chickens make great pets, efficient bug and weed eaters and excellent soil tillers, not to mention that they provide us with wonderful fresh eggs!…