One of my favorite pullets has been sneezing chronically the past 4 days. It has been extremely dry for us this week, and farmers are working their fields / hay, so there's been a ton of dust. Like visible clouds wafting towards us on the breeze. It has affected me as well.
So, the first two days, I didn't take her sneezing seriously. Some other birds sneeze but it's infrequent. This little pullet is sneezing a dozen times per hour at least, and it sounds louder and stressed.
She is eating and drinking well, maybe drinking more than normal, and she's moderately active - getting up to scratch in the yard, but after a sneezing fit she lays around napping for a while, more than normal and more than her friends. They're 3 months old and I think she's fallen behind in weight this week.
So yesterday we had the idea to make her a little humidity tent with some plastic on a crate and a humidifier next to it. That helped her SO much, she was quiet for hours afterwards.
I put her back out with her friends, after hosing down every part of the property the hose would reach. Later, when they were going in to roost, my neighbor started mowing his lawn, and honestly it was like he was plowing through dust. It covered everything including my car in a layer. My sweet little pullet started sneezing so hard she couldn't stop while on the roost, so I grabbed her up and brought her in the house with her friend pullet. We set them up in the laundry with the humidifier going and they settled in for a quiet nights sleep.
What else can I do for her? Should I keep her in the house full time? Allergy medicine (benadryl / claritin)?
Is there any chance she may have another condition, such as some kind of respiratory infection that's being further irritated, or does it sound like only allergies alone?
I've only seen droplets from her nose after a prolonged sneezing fit. Sometimes she gasps on the intake but closes her beak to exhale.
I can't spot anything unusual when her beak is open except that her little tongue moves up and down with her breaths. Her breathing itself is quiet, not gurgly that I can tell. Her poop is totally normal looking.
Sorry this is so long! Thanks for reading!
So, the first two days, I didn't take her sneezing seriously. Some other birds sneeze but it's infrequent. This little pullet is sneezing a dozen times per hour at least, and it sounds louder and stressed.
She is eating and drinking well, maybe drinking more than normal, and she's moderately active - getting up to scratch in the yard, but after a sneezing fit she lays around napping for a while, more than normal and more than her friends. They're 3 months old and I think she's fallen behind in weight this week.
So yesterday we had the idea to make her a little humidity tent with some plastic on a crate and a humidifier next to it. That helped her SO much, she was quiet for hours afterwards.
I put her back out with her friends, after hosing down every part of the property the hose would reach. Later, when they were going in to roost, my neighbor started mowing his lawn, and honestly it was like he was plowing through dust. It covered everything including my car in a layer. My sweet little pullet started sneezing so hard she couldn't stop while on the roost, so I grabbed her up and brought her in the house with her friend pullet. We set them up in the laundry with the humidifier going and they settled in for a quiet nights sleep.
What else can I do for her? Should I keep her in the house full time? Allergy medicine (benadryl / claritin)?
Is there any chance she may have another condition, such as some kind of respiratory infection that's being further irritated, or does it sound like only allergies alone?
I've only seen droplets from her nose after a prolonged sneezing fit. Sometimes she gasps on the intake but closes her beak to exhale.
I can't spot anything unusual when her beak is open except that her little tongue moves up and down with her breaths. Her breathing itself is quiet, not gurgly that I can tell. Her poop is totally normal looking.
Sorry this is so long! Thanks for reading!
