Chicken breathing heavy?

[HappyClucker7]

Hello everyone,
I have a 4 year old rhode island red hen who has been acting a little off for probably about a week or two. When she is picked up, even just grabbed by her sides and lifted of the ground, she starts panting. When you set her back down, it takes about 20 seconds for her breathing to go back to normal. She also starts to breath a little heavier when she is eating. She also seems to have lost some of her usual excitement. Other than that, she is acting normally. She eats, drinks, poops, and she is almost constantly talking. I don't know when she last layed an egg, but as this has been going on for a while, I don't think she could be egg bound. The only cause I could think of, is it started around the time when I tried to hypnotize her (yes, I know, it was a dumb idea). I tried to turn her one her back, but she freacked out and ran away. She was breathing quite heavily after that, but I figured it was because of stress. Could I have hurt her? Or, could she have gotten something stuck in her throat?
She is quite small and fragile, so I don't doubt something like this could have happened to her.
Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

At her age she could be suffering from a reproductive disorder or ascites. Heart problems could also be possible. Can you feel of her crop in the right upper chest first thing in the morning before she eats, to see if it has emptied overnight, or if it feels full,,hard, doughy, or puffy. Then today, feel of her lower belly between her legs to tell if her belly feels enlarged, spongy, or tight. Is she at all overweight?

 

[HappyClucker7]

I felt her abdomen yesterday and it felt fine. I can feel it again though. I'll check her crop tomorrow morning. As for her weight, she is actually really thin. Even though she eats, she never gains any weight.

 

[Eggcessive]

Many times we don’t know what is wrong until a necropsy is done when they die. I lost a hen last month, and she was not overweight or full in appearance, but she has ascites (water belly,) which can cause labored breathing. Probiding good air circulation in their coop, and preventing dust, wet or mold, or ammonia odors is about all we can do for breathing. Some hens do get stressed more than others, but hopefully, she doesn’t have anything too serious. Reproductive issues and cancer are very common in hens unfortunately.

 

[HappyClucker7]

Thank you for your reply, and sorry for the late response. I felt her abdomen and it felt fine. Her crop was also empty in the morning. I cleaned out the coop and made sure there was no dust. Luckily, she seems to be doing better today. She was acting a lot more lively, and she wasn't breathing as heavy while she was eating. I haven't tried picking her up yet because I didn't want to make her worse again. Hopefully she will continue to improve and return to her usual self.

 

[Eggcessive]

I hope so as well. Thanks for the update.