Chicken coughing

[Mistress-with-birbs]

Hey all. I have a hen that's not well. She is currently coughing and has a poopy butt. Even though she is still eating and out with the flock yet, she sounds sad when she talks to me and I see signs that she is weak.
Earlier this year she had a bout where she was unwell and was puking up water. I did all the research and it wasn't sour or impacted crop so I treated her for gape worm, as that was the only other thing that matched her symptoms. She got better after a week and I thought it was because of my treatment but then a few months later it happened again. None of the other birds have had any trouble during all of this. I then felt that it might be a chronic thing with her. I posted on here at the time and no one really knew what to do. Which I understand, there's so many things that can go wrong with a poor lady chicken
But now she's coughing and I'm at the point where idk what to do. I don't believe she's been laying since that first episode early this year. I'm not supposed to have "pets" as a farmer and I've already got my Rhode island Red that doesn't lay anymore because of some reproductive issues that I don't understand, and I can't bring myself to kill her because I love her so much.
This whole thing has me really depressed and idk what to do so I guess I'm just reaching out to you guys for advice or thoughts, as fellow chicken owners. I love my ladies so much, I hate having to kill them but I've had to at times because of illness that I can't solve...
I wish there was a chicken vet in my area.

 

[SmiYa0126]

Hello! I'm so sorry for your ladies, I too have one that doesn't lay, but we're buds, she's not going anywhere.

What are you feeding them? Are they in a run or free ranging? Can you post pics of her and her poo?

 

[Eggcessive]

How often does she cough? Does she cough more when she it eating? Can you feel of her crop and tell us if it is empty or full, hard or puffy? Does her crop empty overnight by the next morning? Is there good ventilation where she stays, and is there any mold or dust? Does she have any nasal drainage or bubbles/foam in either eye, or swelling of her eyelids? What treatment did you use for gapeworm?

 

[Mistress-with-birbs]

Hello! I'm so sorry for your ladies, I too have one that doesn't lay, but we're buds, she's not going anywhere.

What are you feeding them? Are they in a run or free ranging? Can you post pics of her and her poo?

I feed them layer crumble and some scratch grain. They are free range. I don't have a picture of her but I have a video I took of her coughing? I read somewhere on here that I'd have to upload it to YouTube to share it here?

 

[Eggcessive]

Videos do need to be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, or other source with a link posted here.

 

[Mistress-with-birbs]

Hello! I'm so sorry for your ladies, I too have one that doesn't lay, but we're buds, she's not going anywhere.

What are you feeding them? Are they in a run or free ranging? Can you post pics of her and her poo?

Here is a pic of her poopy butt and of her

 

[Mistress-with-birbs]

How often does she cough? Does she cough more when she it eating? Can you feel of her crop and tell us if it is empty or full, hard or puffy? Does her crop empty overnight by the next morning? Is there good ventilation where she stays, and is there any mold or dust? Does she have any nasal drainage or bubbles/foam in either eye, or swelling of her eyelids? What treatment did you use for gapeworm?

Her cough comes and goes. I first heard it at night when she was roosting. And then in the morning when I pick her up to check on her. I checked her crop the other morning and seemed empty and she coughed at me. This morning there still seemed to be some stuff in her crop but she didn't cough at all?? So confusing. Whatever was in her crop is moveable and not hard. There is good ventilation, she is outside, free range all day till bedtime and I clean their house every two weeks. She shows no other signs, her eyes, nostrils and beak are clear and clean.
When I did treat her for gapeworm last time this happened I used the fenbendazole horse paste dewormer and gave it to her directly, a pea sized amount in her mouth for four or five days I think. I still have the tube if anyone thinks I should try to treat her again.
I also posted pics in reply to another person's question

 

[Eggcessive]

Be sure to clean up her vent area. Fenbendazole dosage is not a pea sized amount, but it is 0.25 ml (1/4 ml) per pound of weight given for 5 days. There are some old threads that use the pea size amount. If she has something in her crop in early morning, you could try giving some chilled coconut oil 1tsp cut into small pieces to peck at. Then massage her crop several times a day. If she has a lot of liquid in her crop, massing, or accident squeezing the crop when picking her up, could force liquid into her throat and make her cough or gurgle.

 

[Mistress-with-birbs]

Be sure to clean up her vent area. Fenbendazole dosage is not a pea sized amount, but it is 0.25 ml (1/4 ml) per pound of weight given for 5 days. There are some old threads that use the pea size amount. If she has something in her crop in early morning, you could try giving some chilled coconut oil 1tsp cut into small pieces to peck at. Then massage her crop several times a day. If she has a lot of liquid in her crop, massing, or accident squeezing the crop when picking her up, could force liquid into her throat and make her cough or gurgle.

Thank you for this information. I'm not familiar with coconut oil. You say chilled, like frozen, so it's in pieces? Sorry like I said I'm unfamiliar

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes, just chill it for a few minutes in the freezer, where you can cut it into small pieces. Most chickens will peck it. A tsp twice a day is enough.