Feathered snotty noses
Autumn time – cold time for chickens too
Just now, when the cold season starts again, it can also affect our feather friends – the common cold. Snuffles are annoying, irritating and disgusting. Especially with breeds that have a cheek or chin beard like the Faverolle, it doesn’t look nice when all the snot is literally hanging in the feathers. Something should be done about this.
How do I recognize dangerous colds in chickens?
A cold can also have many causes, but these do not always have to be a bad omen. The same rule applies here: if the animal looks healthy and lively, eats well and behaves as usual, it is usually nothing serious but a simple cold, which can also affect us humans without it immediately turning into a serious cold or flu-like infection. Yes, it is true that many more serious chicken diseases can cause a cold, but please don’t panic and take a closer look at the discharge. As long as the secretion is colorless and transparent, you can assume that it is not a serious infection. We humans are also familiar with the fact that our noses run in the cold season when we are out and about.
If the chicken has this runny nose for several days, you can first try home remedies instead of using chemicals. If the discharge is yellowish, yellow, greenish, green or brownish, brown, this is usually an infection. But look carefully, because it can also be dirt from digging that sticks to the chicken’s wet nostril. If it is not dirt, it is advisable to separate the animal and consult a vet, as it would infect the rest of the flock.
Home remedies for colds in chickens
The most logical thing to do first – blow your nose. If you are going to your friend’s house anyway, take a speed and catch the patient. Clean his nose and beak. Of course the animal won’t blow into the handkerchief. But it will be happy if you wipe away the dirt and snot stuck to its wet nose and it can snort better again.
You can also give them finely chopped onions. The essential oils make the snot more liquid and it can drain better. Mix them in somewhere, because very few eat onions on their own.
Ginger is also a good remedy. Finely chopped into the feed or as a powder if it is still fresh. Ginger powder is also great as a preventative, as it is very good for the respiratory tract. You can also simply add it to the dewormer to make it harder for the sniffles.
We cannot say whether chickens have allergic rhinitis (hay fever). On the other hand, there’s nothing that doesn’t exist on this planet.