Chicken can't seem to breath out of her nostrils?

openchicken

In the Brooder
Aug 9, 2020
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So, I have a 4 month old hen, breed unknown. She seems to have a breathing problem. where she will open her mouth with what seems like every inhale? I can't tell... She's also got an interesting chirp that sounds like a bird sneezing. She's already skittish and doesn't like to be held, but now she's slow to move and doesn't squirm any more when I hold her.
 
It sounds like she may have block nostrils or have signs of a respiratory disease. Can you look inside of her beak for any yellow gunk or blockages? Pictures of her face and beak would help. Do you see bubbles in her eyes? Have you added any new birds to your flock recently? If her nostrils are blocked and crusty, you can apply a drop or two of saline or hydrogen peroxide to the nostril, letting it soften for a few minutes, and then try to remove any plug seen.
 
Here’s a photo of the chicken in question. I need to get a close up when I get home.
 

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It sounds like she may have block nostrils or have signs of a respiratory disease. Can you look inside of her beak for any yellow gunk or blockages? Pictures of her face and beak would help. Do you see bubbles in her eyes? Have you added any new birds to your flock recently? If her nostrils are blocked and crusty, you can apply a drop or two of saline or hydrogen peroxide to the nostril, letting it soften for a few minutes, and then try to remove any plug seen.
No new birds to the flock. These were all chicks together.
 
It sounds like she may have block nostrils or have signs of a respiratory disease. Can you look inside of her beak for any yellow gunk or blockages? Pictures of her face and beak would help. Do you see bubbles in her eyes? Have you added any new birds to your flock recently? If her nostrils are blocked and crusty, you can apply a drop or two of saline or hydrogen peroxide to the nostril, letting it soften for a few minutes, and then try to remove any plug seen.
It’s been a couple of days. I can’t see anything in her nostril. I have been putting drops of hydrogen peroxide in her nostril to try and break anything up in there... she’s just getting weaker. Is it worth a trip to the vet?
 

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It’s been a couple of days. I can’t see anything in her nostril. I have been putting drops of hydrogen peroxide in her nostril to try and break anything up in there... she’s just getting weaker. Is it worth a trip to the vet?

That comb is very very very dark. Coupled with the breathing problem I would check her for signs of ascities (waterbelly) at the lowest part of the abdomen. It could be she's in some variety of organ failure and the fluid from those tissues is leaking into her abdomen, making breathing harder.

If you have access to a trusted chicken vet and the finances to afford it, by all means.

I would check for ascities - compare how she feels to how one of her sisters fells. If things are tight at the lowest point of the abdomen, draining her with a 14 or 16 gauge needle ONE INCH LONG can draw off the extra fluid from the failing organs and make it much easier for her to breath and expand her air sacs. These needles can be found in the cow section of your local farm supply store- a bag of four will cost around 3-5 bucks depending on where you live. They can be ordered online too but not in time to help the hen.

Here's a video that will walk you through doing a method that requires only a single poke into the abdomen. I personally did away with the syringe as I'm on my own most of the time when I find the hen in distress late into the night. The video has you use a 14 or 16 guage needle, 1" long inserted into the RIGHT side lowest point of her abdomen.

Careful how you hold this bird- if you're holding her from underneath, you may be exacerbating her problem by further constricting her air sacs- the upward pressure on the abdomen forces the fluid up and you may cause more distress.

Video:

 
To me this looks like some respiratory problem and I would try the vet for testing (swabs) and antibiotic.
This hen is only 4 months old, so still not laying eggs I suppose and no need for any invasive measures like drawing fluids of water belly or else.

Hope she gets better soon.
 

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