12 wk old hen that is half the size and sounds different to the rest

[Chickadoo2000]

I have 8 chickens and all of the hens are roughly the same size, except for one.

This hen is half the size and sounds as if she's struggling to breath. I've checked her nostrils and inside her mouth and it's all clear and clean. When she makes noise (Which isn't often) she sounds rougher and more gruff than the other hens. Sometimes she sounds normal, but not very often.

I'll try to get images and a video of some kind of how she looks and sounds. But until then, any information would be rather helpful.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have 8 chickens and all of the hens are roughly the same size, except for one.

This hen is half the size and sounds as if she's struggling to breath. I've checked her nostrils and inside her mouth and it's all clear and clean. When she makes noise (Which isn't often) she sounds rougher and more gruff than the other hens. Sometimes she sounds normal, but not very often.

I'll try to get images and a video of some kind of how she looks and sounds. But until then, any information would be rather helpful.

I'm sorry to hear about your chicken. Welcome To BYC
Photos and video would be helpful. (upload video to youtube, then provide us a link).
Tell us more about your chicken - her age, how long you've had her, what her poop looks like, if she is laying eggs, what you feed, etc.

 

[chickens really]

Until its a year old it's considered a Pullet. Possibly a different breed? Respiratory issues?..

 

[Chickadoo2000]

I'm sorry to hear about your chicken. Welcome To BYC
Photos and video would be helpful. (upload video to youtube, then provide us a link).
Tell us more about your chicken - her age, how long you've had her, what her poop looks like, if she is laying eggs, what you feed, etc.

Like i said in the title, she is 12 wk old. we've had her since she was a chick. Her poo is normal, we have been keeping an eye on her and so far she's been fine.She isn't laying yet and we're feeding them growers feed.

I'll get the pictures and videos as soon as i can.

 

[PirateGirl]

I had one that developed a respiratory infection around that age. She quickly fell behind her flockmates in growth and was about half their size for ages. Once the bigger ones stopped growing, she eventually caught up, but is still on the small side for her breed. Without seeing/hearing your bird, it's hard to say for sure what her problem is, but I did want to chime in and say that illness at such a young age definitely can slow down their growth, but if treated and she recovers, she can go on to live a long and healthy life and will eventually reach mature size and lay some eggs for you!

 

[PirateGirl]

Does she ever sneeze? Does she wheeze? Does she sound like she is snoring? If she is tame enough, try holding her up to your ear so you can listen for any wheezing or rattling as she breathes.

 

[sumi]

How long has she been doing this? (Breathing issue)

 

[Eggcessive]

Some chickens may be hatched with poor immunity of common diseases. Any coccidiosis or respiratory disease can stunt growth, even affect laying for the rest of their lives. Also, we may have several of the same breed and one can be much smaller or weaker.

Aspergillosis, sometimes called brooder pneumonia since it is caused by mold, can be a chronic disease depositing fungal plaques in organs all over the body via the air sacs after mold spores are inhaled.

Occasionally, there have been BYCers who have had inly one chicken in the flock affected by this, and it turned up on a necropsy after death. Without PCR testing for mycoplasma or other respiratory diseases performed by a poultry or livestock lab, it is always a guess as to what is wrong.

Some basic things we can do are to get some fresh droppings checked for coccidiosis and worms, or to go ahead and treat for coccidiosis with a 5 day treatment of amprolium (Corid) in the water.

Provide good air circulation up high in coop from one end of coop to the other. Make sure she has a chance to eat her share of food and water without being pushed aside, and offer some cooked egg, tuna, or liver possibly while separated in her own pen if necessary.

You can become familiar with symptoms of the most common respiratory diseases—infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma gallisepticum, ILT, infectious coryza, and aspergillosis, in case you notice other symptoms such as gasping, rales (rattles,) wheezing, stridor, bubbles in eyes, nasal drainage, and cough or sneezing.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have 8 chickens and all of the hens are roughly the same size, except for one.

This hen is half the size and sounds as if she's struggling to breath. I've checked her nostrils and inside her mouth and it's all clear and clean. When she makes noise (Which isn't often) she sounds rougher and more gruff than the other hens. Sometimes she sounds normal, but not very often.

I'll try to get images and a video of some kind of how she looks and sounds. But until then, any information would be rather helpful.

Like i said in the title, she is 12 wk old. we've had her since she was a chick. Her poo is normal, we have been keeping an eye on her and so far she's been fine.She isn't laying yet and we're feeding them growers feed.

I'll get the pictures and videos as soon as i can.

Ahhh, yes. I do see her age in the title! Thanks for pointing that out

Hopefully you can get some pictures and video posted so we can help you figure out what is going on.
@Eggcessive posted and excellent response to your query, in case you missed it I'll link that for you https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-different-to-the-rest.1282417/#post-20698494

With chickens, it can be hard to diagnose what's wrong with them, so sometimes it's a process of elimination of symptoms and some reading/research. Here's some information on common chicken diseases http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC and sorry about your hen. I agree that a video would be very helpful. To post video, upload your video to Youtube or Vimeo then copy/paste the link here. If you think she might have a respiratory infection, you could try treating her with antibiotics. Let us know where you live too so we can suggest some antibiotics for you.