Chicken lost voice?

[Brigwy]

I noticed yesterday that one of my hens, who is normally the talker of the flock, seemed to be talking with a hoarse voice. She was acting just as active as ever, eating, drinking, no discharge from eyes, and no other noticeable symptoms. I tried checking her throat, but couldn't do it by myself. This morning, it seemed to maybe be a little bit better. I've heard sometimes chickens can lose their voice for a few days. I held her up to a microphone. Does this seem like anything and what should I do?

https://clyp.it/5fisqxsz#

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of her?

It's hard to tell if she is congested or not.

Look inside her beak for any obstructions/lesions/canker, feel the crop in the morning to make sure it's empty and watch for any other symptoms - coughing, wheezing, runny nose, water eyes, facial swelling, etc. Also see that there is not any mold/mildew in the housing, bedding or feed and that there is plenty of ventilation.

Some hens are a little more "whiny" than others, but you know her best, so if her voice is off, all you can do is monitor her.

 

[micstrachan]

Interesting you post this, as this has gone through a few of my flock members over the past several months. Nobody acts sick... they just get whispery for a couple days, plus I've seen some wrinkled eggs and some sneezing without discharge. My Bridgey sounded EXACTLY like your audio. I assumed in my flock it was Infectious Bronchitis running its course, but will never know for sure.

My thought is that if there are no other symptoms and they recover on their own, don't worry about it. Just be aware they may be carriers of a respiratory illness and could infect other birds. For me, since my birds are strictly pets, I have no intentions of closing my flock at this time (meaning, not getting any new chicks until this whole batch is gone), but it's something to think about if you show/breed/sell birds or sell their eggs as a means of income.