Chicken breathing very heavily

[RaintheRooster]

My hen is breathing very heavily and making weird sounds. I'm not sure why, I think ske might have something stuck in her throat. I separated her from other hens. She was not making such odd noises yesterday. We want to feed her some medicine, is she able to have a tiny portion of human medicine?

 

[RaintheRooster]

I just checked on her 15 minutes after feeding her and she's better, not making as alarming sounds, but she's still doing it a little

 

[RaintheRooster]

Bumping... It's her third day like this.

She is preening herself. The back feathers are covered in poop and while preening herself she is getting it on her beak, how do I stop this behavior and is this the cause?

 

[RaintheRooster]

Update: My friend thinks she has worms. Any cures for this?

 

[BigECarter]

I suggest giving her a bath to clean off the poop. Kathy at Chicken Chick (www.the-chicken-chick.com) has an article on how to do that (under Chicken Resources Directory), and so does Terry at www.hencam.com (maybe in the FAQ).

I think the poop is a symptom, not the cause. How are her eyes? Runny nose? Solid poops? (Doesn't sound like it.) Is she eating/full crop? Any of her flock mates showing symptoms? Is she free range, where she could have eaten something she shouldn't have? Do you have a vet who could take an xray?

Hopefully with more info, someone can help. I haven't had chickens long enough to be an expert, except with Marek's disease. :/

E

 

[BigECarter]

Search the forum for worming. Lots of info on BYC. You should also check for lice/mites.

 

[RaintheRooster]

Her poop is normal on the ground, she might have sat in it or something. She was separated from the coop into a separate cage. She doesn't have any sticky eyes or nose or anything, the only problem is her breathing. I would really really prefer not to go to the vet because my friend had a hen who had a wound and it cost her $500, even there is a waiting fee... I searched up worms and she has no symptoms of worms. Should I give her antibiotics or something? I also give her yougurt. She eats normally, but I'm not sure about drinking. She is penned up. And another thing about the worms, it is the middle of winter so there are no bugs or stuff around. She could just have a cold, but I am worried. Are there any supplements or antibiotics I should give her in the meantime?

 

[RaintheRooster]

I am going to clean her, your article was very helpful, @BigECarter. Thanks. I'm not able to clean her now but I want to see how much she loves the hair dryer lol

 

[RaintheRooster]

I brought her outside for a while and let her scratch around and she temporarily stopped breathing heavily. She also stopped at the end of the day. I. Going to leve her in the cage until she doesn't breathe oddly for a whole day

 

[pwand]

Treat for worms even if you can not see them with Safeguard. Search here for dosage. Treat for mites and lice.