Acts like she has something stuck in throat

[debigag]

I have 2 pet hens who are not eating, are lethargic. One has pure liquid very foul smelling poo. The other one is holding her neck a bit odd and shaking it almost like she is trying to dislodge something. Every now and then she stretches her neck out and sort of gasps, though she seems to be breathing OK and she is not gurgling.I massaged her neck and crop (it is empty) I gave her some water with a syringe and she did swallow some. They are just sitting under the heat lamp, not wanting to move around and hunched somewhat. Both have ruffed feathers, no interest in food. I have some clindamycin here, could I try a bit of that in the event the event they have a bacterial gut issue?? They are separated fro the other 3. They'll be 5 years old in July and they stopped laying 2 years ago. They used to be free range until the Borough (who first said chickens were OK) changed their minds and said no birds, so they are hidden behind wooden fenced 16'x16' pen and they have an enclosed coop as well. There are 5 total hens, all same age. They eat a mix of whatever greens grow in their yard area as well as kitchen scraps and scratch, layer crumbles(had a 60 pound bag to finish before I got non-layer). I cook eggs, rice as well. They snack on sunflower, cat food (as occassional treat), mealworms(dried). They were wormed last summer but I don't know how well it worked. The tractor supply sales girl was kind of useless with helping me get the right product. Any ideas would be helpful.

Addendum: I checked them just a bit ago and the one with the smelly poo is doing much better. She is up and walking around and her tail is up, no ruffed feathers. She even ate a bit of scrambled egg I brought down and some greens....not much, but she showed interest and ate. There is poo around but small piles, still very liquid though a bit more white/gray and not the black nasty that was there this morning. The one with the neck is not ruffed but not interested in food, not walking around much. I got some Clindamycin in her (a very small amount) and I got some mineral oil in her in case maybe she has something lodged....perhaps that will help it slide through or out. I can't feel anything but who knows. She is still stretching out her neck now and then and opening her beak like she is taking a gasp......she does not seem to be in distress....mostly just lethargic.

 

[chicklover 1998]

I have 2 pet hens who are not eating, are lethargic. One has pure liquid very foul smelling poo. The other one is holding her neck a bit odd and shaking it almost like she is trying to dislodge something. Every now and then she stretches her neck out and sort of gasps, though she seems to be breathing OK and she is not gurgling.I massaged her neck and crop (it is empty) I gave her some water with a syringe and she did swallow some. They are just sitting under the heat lamp, not wanting to move around and hunched somewhat. Both have ruffed feathers, no interest in food. I have some clindamycin here, could I try a bit of that in the event the event they have a bacterial gut issue?? They are separated fro the other 3. They'll be 5 years old in July and they stopped laying 2 years ago. They used to be free range until the Borough (who first said chickens were OK) changed their minds and said no birds, so they are hidden behind wooden fenced 16'x16' pen and they have an enclosed coop as well. There are 5 total hens, all same age. They eat a mix of whatever greens grow in their yard area as well as kitchen scraps and scratch, layer crumbles(had a 60 pound bag to finish before I got non-layer). I cook eggs, rice as well. They snack on sunflower, cat food (as occassional treat), mealworms(dried). They were wormed last summer but I don't know how well it worked. The tractor supply sales girl was kind of useless with helping me get the right product. Any ideas would be helpful.

Addendum: I checked them just a bit ago and the one with the smelly poo is doing much better. She is up and walking around and her tail is up, no ruffed feathers. She even ate a bit of scrambled egg I brought down and some greens....not much, but she showed interest and ate. There is poo around but small piles, still very liquid though a bit more white/gray and not the black nasty that was there this morning. The one with the neck is not ruffed but not interested in food, not walking around much. I got some Clindamycin in her (a very small amount) and I got some mineral oil in her in case maybe she has something lodged....perhaps that will help it slide through or out. I can't feel anything but who knows. She is still stretching out her neck now and then and opening her beak like she is taking a gasp......she does not seem to be in distress....mostly just lethargic.

the shaking/gaping is common with gape worm.

 

[Eggcessive]

Gaping and gasping, and head shaking can be a sign of respiratory diseases such as aspergillosis from mold, viruses such as infectious laryngotacheitis (ILT,) and bacterial diseases such as MG and others. They also can have a large piece of food or foreign body stuck in the throat. Gapeworm is pretty rare, and chickens with it usually are struggling so hard to breathe that they cannot eat or drink. Gapeworm is treated with fenbendazole (SafeGuard, Panacur) 1/4 ml or cc orally for 5 days in a row, or with levamisole. A fecal float by your local vet done on several fresh droppings may check for parasites such as cocci or worms. Clindamycin can treat staph and strep bacteria, plus C.perfringens, which is a common cause of enteritis in chickens. It won't treat E.coli, however, which can be a problem in hens with internal laying or egg yolk peritonitis. That can be common in older hens who are not laying. Symptoms can vary, but some can develop breathing problems from fluid collecting in the abdomen. Here is a good link about common diseases:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[debigag]

Thanks for the info. She was not gasping for air nor was she having difficulty breathing. However, she passed away during the night. The other bird was still doing OK. Last night bird #2 was eating and was looking for more food and walking around without issues. This morning she was still doing well so I put her back with the others for now. However, my other girl is gone. Though as I look back I think she may have had a tumor of sorts. Late this past fall she seemed to struggle sometimes with moving her bowels. She would strain and sometimes even grunt. And though she was never a heavy feeder, she was way heavier than the other hens and even when she was so sick and not eating at all, she was really heavy. I mean twice the weight of my other hens. I think she had a big growth in her.

Well, I spent some extra time snuggling her last night before I headed upstairs for the night and I held her for a while and while I was holding her she closed her eyes and just laid in my arms like she used to do in her younger days. It was a very sweet moment that I am glad we had. I prayed that if she had to go that the Lord would take her without pain or suffering, and from what she looked like this morning it did not look like she was in distress when it came. Now she gets to free range again!
RIP my little Butter Bud.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sorry for your loss.