New chickens with watery nostrils

[radiocontrolled]

Hi everyone thank you letting me join your forum I'm just hopefully looking for a bit of advice. I currently have a mixed flock consisting of mostly rescues and a couple of other breeds. A few days ago I bought four new young pullets from a farmer. When I got them home I noticed one was sneezing and the other three had dirt gathered round their nostrils. I have since cleaned their beaks and I've noticed they still have a thin clear watery discharge.

Otherwise they are very healthy and happily hoping about, I've had two eggs so far which were perfect. Their combs are full and bright red and their faces and head are not swollen. Their eyes are also nice and bright. I noticed a couple of them are occasionally 'gaping' where they open their mouth and stretch their necks out. What could be wrong with them? I contacted the seller and he suggested it was stress from transportation. I thought it could be something like MG but there's no foam round their eyes. They were very dirty when I collected them, which makes me think it might be from dust where they were being kept? I want to make sure they are ok before I add them to my flock. The seller did offer me the oppourtunity to return them but I'm worried he'll just cull them.

 

[chrismahon]

They are probably carrying 'immunisation viruses' which are weak live viruses from several infectious (and fatal) virus groups administered in stages to infect the birds and give them resistance to the serious variants. Can't remember all of them but Infectious Bronchitis is one. These mild viruses flare up when the chicken's immune system is depressed by the stress of their move, hence the runny discharge from the beaks. The only danger is if your other chickens haven't had these viruses and catch them all at the same time, as happened to us (£200 vet bill). They will be very ill as a result.

Could be dust, but that would clear up in about a week after a lot of sneezing. We bought some Orpingtons in that state which must have been kept in truly awful conditions.

You could ask the farmer what viruses they have been given. If he doesn't know it's probably because he's bought them to sell on, so he didn't breed them. It will be too late to return them as the damage, if any, will have been done.