Chicken face inflates and deflates when breathing

[picklestheduck]

Hey yall, my hens left side of her face inflates and deflates when she breathes. It's like in front of her eye and kind of below and to the side of her nostril area. I'll be honest, my coop isn’t the best, and I know it doesn't have as much ventilation as it probably needs, and it's sort of small for 19 birds. By all means, I would love some advice and suggestions, but please don't judge me and tell me I'm doing everything wrong. Please no hate. For the last year, our life has been turned upside down, and my family and I have all been running ragged for months. There is toxic mold in our house which is very unhealthy for us, our property is under water, and one thing after another is going wrong, to name a few. I also have extreme tendonitis in both of my arms right now, and cannot do anything other than self care. I am simply researching to see if my family can do anything else about it. They are all taking on a much heavier load though already, because I have not been able to work for months. We are already pushed to the limit, and are struggling as it is. We have been struggling with coop issues for a while, and I will admit we were not completely prepared for our chicks when my dad surprised us and bought them. This was before we figured out about the mold and everything else. I have already learned my lesson, so please don't go and hate on me for that. My dad also built the coop before we had really discussed what we needed. My dad does what he can, but he has 3 ruptured discs in his back, and cannot do a whole ton. My dad and I have disagreed on several things with the flock, but it's not like I can do anything because, one he owns them and pays for them, and two I can’t do anything on my own anyways. We also have not been able to clean the coop out as much because of everyone's schedules. The whole family (except for me right now) works at least 4 days a week and then does all the work on the farm. We also have horses, cats and dogs, so you can imagine the workload. They also have been stuck in their small run since the coyotes have been running around in broad daylight around here and the hawks are also bad. I'm sure that's not helping with anything, as the poop and old hay is piling up. My duck has also been struggling with bumblefoot which is not as bad as it was, but it's still hanging on, one of my hens is getting constantly beat on from the rest of the flock, my rooster has frostbite, and now the breathing issues. I’ve been hearing some wheezing or whistling too, but its hard to tell from who. I can try to get more info if you need me to. I'm pretty sure its from the coop. Do we need to do nasal flushes? Or start a different treatment? I know the most important thing is getting a clean ventilated coop. Money is super tight right now, and I'm not sure what we can pull off. I've been trying for months. We are all super stressed and pushed to the limit with everything. My heart is breaking to see them like this but there is like almost nothing I can do. I am going to try to have a conversation with my family later about this, but I'm not sure how well it will go. Thank you in advance.

We have since added a few inches of ventilation, on the top an all four sides and my dad drilled a line of probably 3/4 inch holes in the front. Its hard to add ventilation since we can cut holes in a lot of the spots we need to due to supports and stuff. The top of the coop lifts on hinges and props up, and I have mentioned permanently propping it up and adding wire, but he doesn't want to do that. We have put tarps on the side for wind block in the winter. And its all snowy and frozen now.

 

[azygous]

Winter can certainly be miserable, and this one has been especially so for many people. We're all stressed to the max. We can only do so much, so we just try to do what we can. We are often much harder on ourselves than strangers could ever be, so try to be kind to yourself. You know you care for your chickens, so you will keep on managing.

The condition you describe is a minor thing. I've noticed this in aging chickens from time to time, and I just keep an eye on it. As long as the chicken behaves normally and is eating and drinking and pooping and interested on socializing, you shouldn't give it too much worry.

If you have mold in your home, chances are mold spores are also invading the coop. The additional venting should be a help. But raking out damp, dirty bedding will be the biggest help as that is where chickens can come into direct contact with mold. Some molds will cause respiratory illness, some quite serious, and other molds will cause neurological injury. So as you are dealing with mold in your house, it also needs to be addressed in the coop.

Don't neglect to inspect your feed for mold. If things are miserably wet there, the dampness can affect the feed and mold spores being in the air will be quick to start colonizing it. Moldy feed smells horrible, so use your nose and if the feed smells bad, don't hesitate to dump it.

 

[azygous]

I forgot to mention that mold can also infect the crop and cause sour crop as the yeast colonizes it when chickens eat stuff contaminated with mold, even grit picked up from the damp bedding on the ground. So, periodically inspect crops and watch for any chickens behaving in a lethargic manner or regurgitating fluids if you happen to handle them. If that happens, be ready to treat the yeasty crops with miconazole vaginal yeast cream. Or if a lot of chickens pop up suddeny with yeasty crops, you can treat all the chickens at once with copper sulfate in the water or Medistatin (available online) in their food.

 

[picklestheduck]

Thank you. She will be a year old in April. I use an ammonia neutralizer too. Yes we are super careful with our feed. We had a run in with moldy and maggot filled feed when we bought from a bulk feed guy, but we noticed it right away and now we stick with getting ours from Tractor Supply and haven't had an issue.

 

[samanthaoverton]

I'm really sorry about all you have going on. You wouldn't happen to have a lose tarp hanging around ..you could zip tie it to the fencing right outside the coop so they're out of the rain when outside. It would give the area time to dry. Dampness can be evil. A lot of chickens stay outside even if there's rain. They could be outside and dry. Dollar general sells real cheap ones..about 5 bucks. At least in my area.

 

[picklestheduck]

Thank you. Its wet from snow, ice melting, and them dumping water a lot too.

 

[Jeanw]

 

[SapphireHill]

I pray it isn’t but can the vet test for the avian flu that’s been fast spreading across the US? It should be free. If not check with your vet, county’s disease center or university extension ag program.

Hope they pull through

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/02/avian-flu-scan-feb-28-2022

 

[picklestheduck]

Thank you! She is doing better!

 

[Anime2lover]

Hey yall, my hens left side of her face inflates and deflates when she breathes. It's like in front of her eye and kind of below and to the side of her nostril area. I'll be honest, my coop isn’t the best, and I know it doesn't have as much ventilation as it probably needs, and it's sort of small for 19 birds. By all means, I would love some advice and suggestions, but please don't judge me and tell me I'm doing everything wrong. Please no hate. For the last year, our life has been turned upside down, and my family and I have all been running ragged for months. There is toxic mold in our house which is very unhealthy for us, our property is under water, and one thing after another is going wrong, to name a few. I also have extreme tendonitis in both of my arms right now, and cannot do anything other than self care. I am simply researching to see if my family can do anything else about it. They are all taking on a much heavier load though already, because I have not been able to work for months. We are already pushed to the limit, and are struggling as it is. We have been struggling with coop issues for a while, and I will admit we were not completely prepared for our chicks when my dad surprised us and bought them. This was before we figured out about the mold and everything else. I have already learned my lesson, so please don't go and hate on me for that. My dad also built the coop before we had really discussed what we needed. My dad does what he can, but he has 3 ruptured discs in his back, and cannot do a whole ton. My dad and I have disagreed on several things with the flock, but it's not like I can do anything because, one he owns them and pays for them, and two I can’t do anything on my own anyways. We also have not been able to clean the coop out as much because of everyone's schedules. The whole family (except for me right now) works at least 4 days a week and then does all the work on the farm. We also have horses, cats and dogs, so you can imagine the workload. They also have been stuck in their small run since the coyotes have been running around in broad daylight around here and the hawks are also bad. I'm sure that's not helping with anything, as the poop and old hay is piling up. My duck has also been struggling with bumblefoot which is not as bad as it was, but it's still hanging on, one of my hens is getting constantly beat on from the rest of the flock, my rooster has frostbite, and now the breathing issues. I’ve been hearing some wheezing or whistling too, but its hard to tell from who. I can try to get more info if you need me to. I'm pretty sure its from the coop. Do we need to do nasal flushes? Or start a different treatment? I know the most important thing is getting a clean ventilated coop. Money is super tight right now, and I'm not sure what we can pull off. I've been trying for months. We are all super stressed and pushed to the limit with everything. My heart is breaking to see them like this but there is like almost nothing I can do. I am going to try to have a conversation with my family later about this, but I'm not sure how well it will go. Thank you in advance.View attachment 2991990
We have since added a few inches of ventilation, on the top an all four sides and my dad drilled a line of probably 3/4 inch holes in the front. Its hard to add ventilation since we can cut holes in a lot of the spots we need to due to supports and stuff. The top of the coop lifts on hinges and props up, and I have mentioned permanently propping it up and adding wire, but he doesn't want to do that. We have put tarps on the side for wind block in the winter. And its all snowy and frozen now.
View attachment 2992005

The winter has been hard here to. We were hit hard with avian influenza. For your hens breathing issues, if you have metrazole, they can take that. Could also look into natural antibiotics. I also find that vetrx helps quite a lot with congestion in birds, dogs, even people. For birds, you can put it on their beak and in their water.