Chicken breathing heavily, comb drooping, black gunk on beak

[Cackalackchicks]

I found her this morning just sitting still with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. The black gunk doesn't look like fowl pox, could be mud. It was in the teens here last night, very cold - could that be causing this? She's not coming over for food with the other girls, just sitting in once place. Thanks for your help!

 

[chickenychicken]

It sounds like a respatory infection since she is breathing heavily and has black stuff on her. Is it on her nostrils or lower on her beek? The cold can cause chns to act that way, if you can you should bring her inside and give her electolyte by mouth with a water dropper and give her wet chicken food. Have you checked out her crop?

 

[Cackalackchicks]

Thanks, that's what I was thinking although I wonder if it will stress her out more to be indoors. Her crop is a little droopy and it does look like the black stuff is by her nostrils, is that mucus? Should I do anything else to treat her? I have a respiratory tincture, I wonder if I could give that to her?

 

[chickenychicken]

Is she still okay? She may have been atacked from the looks of it. It looks like one of her eyes is swollen shut, was that so or was she just closing it?

I'm guessing that she's all healed up by now, sorry about not answering in a while.

 

[Cackalackchicks]

Thanks for following up! Unfortunately we had to put her down after about a week of her not eating or drinking, she just wasn't getting any better. We even took her to a vet but that wasn't very helpful... I think it was too late by that point. The vet couldn't really tell us what was wrong but did give us some antibiotics.

I'm glad she's not suffering anymore... we are down to only two hens now, so time for a new flock this spring!

 

[chickenychicken]

I'm sorry about your chicken. What breed was she?