In this episode of Purely Vetted, Nikki Husted of @purelychickens joins Dr. Blayne Mozisek to tackle one of the most common and confusing topics in backyard chicken keeping: respiratory disease. If your chickens are sneezing, showing bubbly eyes, drainage, gasping, or heavy breathing, this episode breaks down when to wait and see and when to take action. Dr. Blayne walks through how a chicken’s air sacs and fixed lungs work, why labored breathing can point to heat panting, water belly, a reproductive issue, or true respiratory infection, and how iodine in water can support mucus clearance while helping sanitize drinking water. They also cover the most common respiratory diseases, including infectious bronchitis, Mycoplasma, ILT, and Coryza, along with biosecurity basics and how PCR testing through The Poultry Doc’s Iowa State diagnostic lab partnership can finally get you answers.

The episode also discusses gapeworm, the tracheal worm that causes gasping and head shaking and is frequently mistaken for respiratory disease. You will learn why fecal flotation often misses it and what to look for instead. Additional topics include coop ventilation and ammonia management, bedding choices, vaccine options for pox, MG, ILT, IB, and Newcastle, HPAI warning signs, and responsible antibiotic use including egg withdrawal times.

00:00:00 Welcome and exciting news about The Poultry Doc

00:02:35 Biosecurity starts at the coop door

00:05:45 The big chicken respiratory diseases

00:10:50 Testing sick chickens and Iowa State PCR

00:12:07 Chicken sneezing: when to wait and when to worry

00:15:12 How chicken lungs and air sacs work 00:18:28 Heavy breathing, water belly, and other look-alikes

00:22:54 Treatment, iodine water, and better coop air

00:31:08 Vaccines for respiratory disease and pox

00:36:30 Avian Influenza

00:39:50 Gapeworm: gasping, diagnosis, and treatment

00:43:05 Antibiotics, egg withdrawal times, and final tips