Hen wheezing, gasping for air and sneezing/ coughing

[mbailey78]

My 8 year old EE hen, Tilly Ann- my favorite hen that jumps in my lap to cuddle, started sneezing/ coughing once in a while a couple of weeks ago. This past Thursday she started wheezing and gasping for air, along with sneezing/ coughing. No other birds have any symptoms. Checked her for gape worm but no signs and has been treated for worms. Her crop is emptying VERY slowly. Only pooping a small amount a few times a day. Not eating much except I can get her to eat her favorite treat of blueberries.
Separated her and started putting Tylan powder in her water on Friday. Then on Sunday I took her to my vets house and she gave her an injection of oxytetracycline and I followed it up today with the second dose. She listened to her chest with a stethoscope and said it sounded like she was having a tough time breathing out so she gave her a steroid shot. Haven’t seen any improvement. Maybe the second dose today will help.

Any suggestions for any other treatment? Thank you for reading my post.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My 8 year old EE hen, Tilly Ann- my favorite hen that jumps in my lap to cuddle, started sneezing/ coughing once in a while a couple of weeks ago. This past Thursday she started wheezing and gasping for air, along with sneezing/ coughing. No other birds have any symptoms. Checked her for gape worm but no signs and has been treated for worms. Her crop is emptying VERY slowly. Only pooping a small amount a few times a day.

Does she still lay eggs?

Any bloat, fluid or feeling of fluid in the abdomen?

Crop is very slow to empty. Address that symptom. Often there can be gurgling or respiratory distress when the crop is not emptying. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
Reproductive issues also are very common in older laying hens, when advanced, these conditions can also cause respiratory distress.

Tylan and Oxytretracyline both are good to use for respiratory infections in chickens.

Can your vet friend run a fecal float to rule out worms which may be contributing to her decline?

 

[mbailey78]

Does she still lay eggs?

Any bloat, fluid or feeling of fluid in the abdomen?

Crop is very slow to empty. Address that symptom. Often there can be gurgling or respiratory distress when the crop is not emptying. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
Reproductive issues also are very common in older laying hens, when advanced, these conditions can also cause respiratory distress.

Tylan and Oxytretracyline both are good to use for respiratory infections in chickens.

Can your vet friend run a fecal float to rule out worms which may be contributing to her decline?

Thank you for replying!
She was laying eggs (2-3 a week) up until the wheezing started last Thursday. Her abdomen feels normal, I have been checking that daily. Her crop also feels normal, it’s not sagging, bloated, or hard. I have been checking that every day too. I would treat the crop not emptying but not sure which course of action to take since no symptoms besides not emptying. I have one hen, that I got help with on here, at least a couple of years ago that wears a permanent crop bra because of sour crop. I could put a crop bra on her to try it out.
Tilly just also had a 5 day treatment of safe guard but I will check on the fecal float test. I started it on Thursday. I have been probably giving her too many meds at once but I was desperate to help her.
This course of treatment helped one of my rooster’s a couple of years ago with a respiratory infection (that happened at the beginning of the winter his first year). I was really hoping it would help my Tilly but I realize she is older so it could be tougher with other things going on too.
After reading a couple of other recent posts I will add info others asked:
My 12x14 ft coop has a poop deck under the roost with a linoleum floor. Only put some shavings down in the winter but have been removed for at least a month. It has good ventilation. Her diet is Naturewise layer pellets, black oil sunflower seeds in the evening, and is on grass everyday. I have given my flock a large fenced in area and pick up their poop everyday. They use to free range all day but a Bald Eagle attack changed that. They free range when I’m in the yard.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Her crop also feels normal, it’s not sagging, bloated, or hard. I have been checking that every day too. I would treat the crop not emptying but not sure which course of action to take since no symptoms besides not emptying.

If her crop is not emptying overnight, then I'd start treating her like it's Sour Crop.
The article linked is very good, so worth the read plus the comment section as well.
I'd give her 1tsp coconut oil 2 times a day and an anti-fungal 2 times a day for 7 days.
As for the anti-fungal you can use Miconazole or Clotrimazole otc creams or you can order Nystatin, that's up to you. I've used both Miconazole and Clotrimazole for my hens.



https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[mbailey78]

If her crop is not emptying overnight, then I'd start treating her like it's Sour Crop.
The article linked is very good, so worth the read plus the comment section as well.
I'd give her 1tsp coconut oil 2 times a day and an anti-fungal 2 times a day for 7 days.
As for the anti-fungal you can use Miconazole or Clotrimazole otc creams or you can order Nystatin, that's up to you. I've used both Miconazole and Clotrimazole for my hens.



https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Great, thanks for the guidance! I have used that article to treat a couple of my birdies. It is a good one! I actually have some Nystatin left from the rooster (he ended up with Thrush) and some Clotrimazole pills left from the hen with sour crop. I can start her on one and then ask my vet for a refill. Will also give her the coconut oil.

 

[mbailey78]

Great, thanks for the guidance! I have used that article to treat a couple of my birdies. It is a good one! I actually have some Nystatin left from the rooster (he ended up with Thrush) and some Clotrimazole pills left from the hen with sour crop. I can start her on one and then ask my vet for a refill. Will also give her the coconut oil.

I’ve never done this before so hopefully it works but here are some videos of Tilly’s issue:

The video of her behind chicken wire shows her sneezing/ coughing or whatever it is that she’s doing.

She isn’t getting any better with all the treatments. I have been treating her for sour crop but her crop is still not emptying out. And there have been a couple cooler days and nights that she has had an easier time breathing but still struggles with it. I got a second round of antibiotics to give to her. The first one of the second round was on Sunday and the second injection will be today. Also gave her a steroid injection again on Sunday (both from the vet). I have treated her for gape worm/ worms and that didn’t help. I gave her safeguard for 5 days in a row and then on the 10th day. She stopped eating her favorite treats of blueberries and sunflower seeds. I am getting her to eat scrambled eggs a bit along with cucumber and watermelon.
A few nights ago I started putting drops of Vetrx near her on the roost.
I don’t know what else to try for her and feel like I’m going to have to put her down soon. It seems like a respiratory issue should be treatable . Any suggestions would really be appreciated.

 

[mbailey78]

If her crop is not emptying overnight, then I'd start treating her like it's Sour Crop.
The article linked is very good, so worth the read plus the comment section as well.
I'd give her 1tsp coconut oil 2 times a day and an anti-fungal 2 times a day for 7 days.
As for the anti-fungal you can use Miconazole or Clotrimazole otc creams or you can order Nystatin, that's up to you. I've used both Miconazole and Clotrimazole for my hens.



https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Oops I posted to one of my replies that I meant to go to you. Please see videos and post above. Thank you!

 

[mbailey78]

Oops I posted to one of my replies that I meant to go to you. Please see videos and post above. Thank you!

Never mind, she died today. I did a quick necropsy and her crop was slightly sour smelling but nothing compared to my other chicken who had sour crop. Her abdomen looked normal from what I can see. I gave her watermelon in the evening yesterday and was surprised to see the seeds in her gizzard. Thanks again for your suggestions.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Never mind, she died today. I did a quick necropsy and her crop was slightly sour smelling but nothing compared to my other chicken who had sour crop. Her abdomen looked normal from what I can see. I gave her watermelon in the evening yesterday and was surprised to see the seeds in her gizzard. Thanks again for your suggestions.

I'm sorry for your loss.

When you looked in the abdomen, did you happen to look at her liver and heart too?

 

[mbailey78]

I'm sorry for your loss.

When you looked in the abdomen, did you happen to look at her liver and heart too?

Thank you! I did. Both looked normal to me but to be honest I don’t know if I would know what abnormal would look like. Didn’t look enlarged. She is actually still in the freezer. Need to dig a hole to bury her. It’s very rocky on my property, need to get the backhoe on the tractor. So I still can look at something if it would help figure out what happened to her.