What could be wrong with this hen, after opossum attack?

[BarnyardChaos]

I have another thread telling about an opossum attack this evening in my coop, and some minor injuries to my RIR rooster Roofuss. When I went back out to the coop to treat his wounds, I found this hen with trouble (?) breathing - it sounds like a squeaky toy caught in her throat. I'm not sure what's going on! Was she injured? Is it something else?

I actually heard her earlier this afternoon when I collected eggs and tossed their first treat of homegrown mealworms to them. Her squeaks sounded out of the ordinary, but she appeared to be doing fine, just making weird noises. It's possible the opossum was already in the run or coop causing trouble, and she was panicked or already injured.

Then I found the opossum inside the coop after dark. Took care of that, treated my injured rooster, and now this??? She was squeaking on her roost next to her buddies, not badly, but noticeable. When I picked her up, she panicked and it was MUCH louder. The video is brief because I didn't want to stress her any longer. She calmed down and resumed slight squeaking after I put her back on the roost.

Any ideas?
Gosh, I hope I don't find her dead in the morning.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Update: She is FINE this morning! She spent the night in the coop with her flock. Thank you everyone for the suggestions, support and information.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Update: She is FINE this morning! She spent the night in the coop with her flock. Thank you everyone for the suggestions, support and information.

Glad to hear she's o.k.!

 

[LhickenChicken]

My goodness, I've never encountered that sort of thing, she sounds like she is having a LOT of trouble breathing. Is something stuck in her throat? (no, don't answer that.) I'm sorry, I don't know what to do!

 

[CloneFly]

I have another thread telling about an opossum attack this evening in my coop, and some minor injuries to my RIR rooster Roofus. When I went back out to the coop to treat his wounds, I found this hen with trouble (?) breathing - it sounds like a squeaky toy caught in her throat. I'm not sure what's going on! Was she injured? Is it something else?

I actually heard her earlier this afternoon when I collected eggs and tossed their first treat of homegrown mealworms to them. Her squeaks sounded out of the ordinary, but she appeared to be doing fine, just making weird noises. It's possible the opossum was already in the run or coop causing trouble, and she was panicked or already injured.

Then I found the opossum inside the coop after dark. Took care of that, treated my injured rooster, and now this??? She was squeaking on her roost next to her buddies, not badly, but noticeable. When I picked her up, she panicked and it was MUCH louder. The video is brief because I didn't want to stress her any longer. She calmed down and resumed slight squeaking after I put her back on the roost.

Any ideas?
Gosh, I hope I don't find her dead in the morning.

From the looks of it, she may be in a state of shock. Has she eaten? Kept hydrated? I would bring her in somewhere warm and monitor her overnight if possible. If there's no visible injuries, some sugar water may also help her

 

[BarnyardChaos]

From the looks of it, she may be in a state of shock. Has she eaten? Kept hydrated? I would bring her in somewhere warm and monitor her overnight if possible. If there's no visible injuries, some sugar water may also help her

I can bring her in. I have a nice comfy tote in the basement with a heat lamp, if needed. It will be about 23-deg-F overnight with snow flurries. I also have a heat lamp in the coop for when temps dip below 17 or so, but it's off for now. She is on the top roost, in the prime position, snuggled between her friend and a wall.

 

[CloneFly]

I can bring her in. I have a nice comfy tote in the basement with a heat lamp, if needed. It will be about 23-deg-F overnight with snow flurries. I also have a heat lamp in the coop for when temps dip below 17 or so, but it's off for now. She is on the top roost, in the prime position, snuggled between her friend and a wall.

I would bring her in just to be safe. It never hurts to just monitor

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

I know it's a really terrible sound but I think she'll be fine. It's the sound of an obstructed airway. I have a hen that makes that noise when she gets something stuck in her throat. I thought she was dying the first time I heard it. Next day she was totally fine. Hopefully your girl just got something down the wrong pipe during all the excitement. I'd let her roost with her pals where she is most relaxed. Even if there is really something wrong with her throat there won't be anything you can do to help.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Sounds like Stridor where a bit of food, mucous or debris gets stuck in the airway.
Usually this resolves on its own over the course of a day, hopefully she will be better after a few hours.

 

[BarnyardChaos]

I just checked her again, still gasping, wheezing, squeaking, I can't think of how to describe it. Both inhaling and exhaling.
I checked her inside her beak and could see the back of her throat - nothing. I felt her neck from jaw to crop, normal. Crop is about half full. (None of the chickens ate much before bed - the opossum was there.)
No drainage from her nostrils, no bubbles, eyes are clear.
Her vent looks normal, moist and pinkish. Her abdomen felt soft and pliable.
I felt no injuries to her anywhere else.
Comb and wattles are medium pink, though chalky and dry looking.
She is about two years old.

I gave her two drops of warm VetRX in her beak, and rubbed some on her comb and wattles, a few drops on her head and rubbed that in. Couldn't think of anything else to do. I put her back on the roost.

@azygous @Wyorp Rock @casportpony - Any ideas, please?