5 week old chicken making wheezing sound.

[Ackersonm]

Hi there! We got 3 chickens for the first time ever, so are definitely new to the chicken world. Our girls are now 5 weeks old, and we noticed about 1.5 days ago, that one of our chickens is making a wheezing type sound when she breaths. They have not yet been outside (we'll introduce that this week), we change their brooder each week, change their water twice a day, etc. No other symptoms...she's eating and drinking and seems fine but worried it might get worse, fast?

I have a video of her, but am not sure how to upload it.

Thank you,

Megan

 

[coach723]

If you can up load your video to another host, like youtube, and put the link here, it should show up.

 

[Ackersonm]

 

[coach723]

I would open the beak and see if you can see anything that may have gotten lodged in the throat. Look for any lesions or plaques inside the beak and throat. Have you seen any discharge from the beak, nares or eyes? A respiratory infection is possible, if you have a vet that can do a swab test, that would ID that, but I know many don't have access to a vet that will treat birds. I'm not the best at respiratory diseases, so hopefully some others will have suggestions for you.
@Wyorp Rock , @Eggcessive

 

[Ackersonm]

I'm having a hard time opening her beak...she's really fighting me. I can keep trying. However, since we last posted, we are noticing some sneezing and opening of her beak when she is breathing. She's also scratching at her one ear and causing her skin to go raw. I'm wondering if it is an infection? We're having a hard time tracking down antibiotics as no one seems to carry them.

Thank you for your quick reply!

 

[coach723]

Most antibiotics are not available over the counter, you have to get from a vet. There are some that are available on line as fish antibiotics and from pigeon suppliers for birds(they will be oral, not injectable). It does sound like probably a respiratory infection. Does the ear look swollen at all? You can try wrapping her in a towel with just her head sticking out, may make it easier to hold her to look in the mouth. Hard to recommend a medication without knowing exactly what you are dealing with. Doxycycline is common for respiratory infections, but I don't know if it's best for this. This discusses the various meds and what they are used for most commonly:
https://www.dvm360.com/view/avian-treatments-work-proceedings
Excerpt:
"Respiratory tract infections are one of the most common disease presentations involving avian/exotic species. The drugs of choice for respiratory infections are penicillins, cephalosporins, tetracyclines, trimethoprim-sulfa, chloramphenicol, fluoroquinolones, doxycycline, macrolides and for anaerobic infections clindamycin or metronidazole.1 Antibiotics can be administered through nebulization techniques and nasal flushes. "

It is a holiday, so there may be some that don't see this today, hopefully some others will chime in.
Fish antibiotics are available from many places on line, just do a search.
A pigeon supplier that I use is www.jedds.com

 

[Ackersonm]

Thank you so much for all your advice and quick responses! We will try wrapping her in a towel and look for where we might be able to track down some antibiotics!

 

[Eggcessive]

Common signs of respiratory diseases are head shaking, watery eyes, nasal drainage, sneezing, and gasping for air. More serious symptoms are bubbles or foam in eyes, swollen eyelids or face, pus from eyes, wheezing, and thick yellow nasal drainage. Chicks can get a respiratory disease from a carrier, such as a recovered or sick chicken, through hatching egg from parent stock, wild birds, and a disease carried in on shoes.

Is there any mold around your coop and brooder from water spills or drainage problems? Have you seen other birds sick in the past? Did you hatch her or get her from a breeder?

I would order some Tylosin from here:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/tylan-soluble-100-g/
Dosage is 1/4 tsp per quart or 1 tsp per gallon of water for 3-5 days. Only mix by adding water to the powder. Change water every 3 days.
That would treat for mycoplasma (MG.) MG may cause her to have bubbles in the corner of an eye, sneeze, and appear lethargic. She also might have a virus, such as infectious bronchitis, and that will last several weeks, mostly causing sneezing and watery eyes. It is important to keep her warm and make sure that she has good air ventilation in her brooder.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you are not seeing bubbles in her eyes, I would get her drinking and keep her warm. Most feed stores do not sell Tylsoin ((Tylan) anymore, so it would have to come from a vet or online. If she has a virus, it would not help, but it does help with MG.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I'm having a hard time opening her beak...she's really fighting me. I can keep trying. However, since we last posted, we are noticing some sneezing and opening of her beak when she is breathing. She's also scratching at her one ear and causing her skin to go raw. I'm wondering if it is an infection? We're having a hard time tracking down antibiotics as no one seems to carry them.

Thank you for your quick reply!

Poor thing!

I would definitely keep working at trying to look inside the beak.
The scratching of the ear - take a look inside the ear too for infection.

I agree, treating her for respiratory disease is a good idea if you see nothing else going on.

When you hold her - do you feel any swelling of the body - like air or a bubble under the skin?