6yo hen breathes heavy when walking, wheezes while still.

[Mamas7Chickens]

Hi, I have a 6 yo Speckled Sussex that around the end of February had labored breathing and was not getting up on the roost, so I brought her inside. Prior to that was a period of cold weather and while we were out of town overnight she suffered some frost bite on her comb and feet. She was inside for about 5 days where I treated the frostbite, gave her VetRx and Nutri Drench. She seemed to be much better, so I turned her back out in the coop. Then last week she was falling over while trying to eat, had labored breathing again and was shaking her head. She has been in my house since and on antibiotics for 4 days. She eats, drinks, "talks" and has the desire to be her usual active chicken self. Her poop looks fairly normal, with some occassional runniness possibly due to antibiotics? She doesn't seem to shake her head as much now, but is still wheezing while at rest and her mouth is open panting/gasping as soon as she starts walking around.
Any thoughts, information would be so appreciated!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

Does she still lay eggs?

I would check to make sure her crop is emptying overnight.
Feel her abdomen below the vent between her legs for any bloat of fluid.
She may be having some reproductive difficulties when fluid is accumulating and making it hard for her to breath.

 

[Mamas7Chickens]

Welcome To BYC

Does she still lay eggs?

I would check to make sure her crop is emptying overnight.
Feel her abdomen below the vent between her legs for any bloat of fluid.
She may be having some reproductive difficulties when fluid is accumulating and making it hard for her to breath.

Hi. Thank you!
Her crop seems fine. She doesn't lay anymore that we know of, but her skin is a little red below her vent and does appear to be a little swollen.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi. Thank you!
Her crop seems fine. She doesn't lay anymore that we know of, but her skin is a little red below her vent and does appear to be a little swollen.

She may have a little fluid. Some drain the fluid, but unless the bird is in a lot of distress, it would be worth seeking out less invasive supportive care measure.
I have yet to try Aloe Detox with my hens, but I hear some positive results, at least for a period of time. Whatever is causing the swelling, fluid and symptoms still exists. Treatment efforts can be focused on supportive care to offer comfort and address symptoms. Supportive care can included deworming (a fecal float will tell you if this is needed), see that the crop empties (sometimes a crop will slow down when there's inflammation in the body), keep on top of external parasites (lice/mites), keeping the hen hydrated and eating. Treatment sometimes also includes draining and antibiotics.

In the post linked below, Coach723 discusses Aloe Detox and how she administers it. If you search her past posts you should be able to find more discussions about it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...rolapsed-vent-need-help.1351009/post-22269256