Do chickens get colds? And what should we do if a chicken has a cold? She's sneezing, weak, and unsteady on her feet! Should we separate her from the others? Any help will do. The chickens are otherwise healthy and happy, free range during the day. Luxurious coup at night, very spoild chickens!
Help! Do chickens get colds?
Hi twang2000,
Yes, they most definitely do get colds. The best thing you can do is separate her, a dog crate will do just great, so that she can get some rest.
Also invest in some unfiltered apple cider vinegar and put it in her water -- and the others for a preventative measure (1Tbs to 1 gallon water). You may want to ease into it, since it'll taste different, but my girls didn't mind at all.
You can also give her some garlic either on her food or I found what worked best was in a treat that she'd gobble right up. This may effect the taste of her eggs, but if she's sick she's probably not laying much anyway.
Those the the herbal routes, but there are also vitamins you can put in their water, which I'm not as familiar with.
I hope that she gets better for you and the others don't get sick in turn. Hang in there!
I agree with LazyLady on trying the herbal route first but if she appears to become worse i would sudjest trying a antibiotic like terramycin.