Hen breathing problems! Please help ASAP! Video in description

[shetan83]

She looks like she is doing much much better today! Every once and a while she'll gape again, but it seems like for the most part she is back to breathing fairly normally. She's still a little open-mouthed when she breathes, but definitely seems much improved from yesterday. She flaps her wings and shakes her feathers, and in general seems pretty alert.

Question: how should we feed and water her? We haven't fed her any solids, but we're worried that she hasn't been drinking so we've sort of been force feeding her a water solution. We've been making sure she takes in water mixed with electrolytes, sugar, and salt. We're worried that she might be getting liquid into her lungs though. What's the appropriate way to make sure she gets food and water into her?

 

[Eggcessive]

I would put some water in some chicken feed and offer it to her. If she is breathing better, she should be able to drink on her own. Scrambled egg is good to tempt chickens to eat. Crop feeding is possible if you need to go that route. Here is a link for it: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

 

[shetan83]

An update:
She is doing much better and seems pretty much back to normal. She has been eating on her own. She doesn't seem to have her full appetite back, but still, she's eating on her own!

A big thank you to everyone who helped us through this process. =)

 

[Eggcessive]

Good to hear that she is better. So are you pretty convinced that it was gapeworm or possibly a respiratory disease? What was the brand name of the worm medication?

 

[shetan83]

Still not sure what it was. Could have been respiratory, could have been worms, could have been that little peanut-sized nodule that my mom massaged.

The worm eliminator seems a generic. All it says on the bottle is worm eliminator #1 with a picture of a chicken on it. There were 30 capsules, purple pills with powder in them.