Chicken Suddenly Wheezing, Gaping, Struggling to Breathe

[NikitaChakita]

Hey guys! We have an eight month old hen who we are very worried about. We hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary until she jumped into the front yard (which is out of character) and then made no effort to run away when we went to grab her. She was clearly struggling to breathe, which hadn't been the case about a half hour before. She has no other symptoms outside of the wheezing, neck extension and struggle with every inhale. We have her quarantined in the house with food and water. We syringed Safeguard into her beak last night in case of Gapeworm (our neighbors have turkeys and i have heard they can have a higher likelihood of carrying certain parasites) and have seen no improvement. If anyone has experienced something like this and has any advice we'd be so appreciative!

 

[nuthatched]

Any other symptoms? Diet? Crop feel?

 

[Eggcessive]

How is she breathing right now? Have you heard any stridor, a high pitched wheeze on breathing in and out? That sometimes can be just a small piece of feed that has gotten into the windpipe. It can clear up in a few hours. Have you looked into the beak and throat with a flashlight for anything stuck or any yellow or white material? Is there any bubbles or foam in either eye, sneezing, or swelling around an eyelid? Your general location can help us a lot.

 

[NikitaChakita]

she has no other symptoms outside of breathing and not really moving. Every breath she takes is about the same and is accompanied with her stretching up and the sound of wheezing. She laid an egg yesterday which we were surprised by based on her condition. she hasnt eaten and im not sure if shes even drank anything. after looking into things a little more im wondering if it could be an issue with her crop? it isnt large but still feels squishy and not fully empty even though she hasnt been eating. gave her a bit of olive oil and am massaging her. watching her struggle to breathe is awful

 

[Eggcessive]

I prefer to use chilled coconut oil cut into small pieces offered for them to peck (1-2tsp per day.) It is safer than giving oil into the beak in case they choke on it or aspirate. A puffy crop first thing in morning before they eat of drink does sound like a slow or sour crop. Is there a bad or sour odor from her beak when you press on the crop? How much SafeGuard are you giving? I would give 1.5 ml orally and repeat it for a total of 5 days.


Does she have any weight loss in her breast, or is her breast bone/keel more prominent? Does she have any enlargement of her lower belly under her vent that might be ascites fluid? What do her poops look like? Pictures are helpful.

 

[NikitaChakita]

 

[NikitaChakita]

I've been giving her less than 1ml of the Safeguard so I can definitely increase that and try to get her to take some coconut oil! Her poops are definitely runny. From what I can tell her belly doesnt feel enlarged. I dont think shes eating her regular pellets at all, not sure if i should try to get her to eat grapes and black fly larvae? She doesnt have a foul smell coming from her beak. I've actually never checked their crops prior to this whole ordeal so i'm not sure if the small amount that feels almost gravelly is normal, and it seems like in order for that to create a windpipe issue it would be larger? but I have no idea, obviously, this has been a huge learning experience so far. Really hoping upping the Safeguard helps! Thank you for taking the time we appreciate it so much! Attached a closer picture of what her poops are looking like today.

 

[Eggcessive]

If she is about 4 pounds the 1 ml dose is fine. The 1.5 ml would be for a 5-7 pound hen. She is definitely gasping a bit for air, not to severe, but not normal. Her swallowing of something in her throat may be a respiratory infection, but crop contents can come back up into the throat. Can you check the crop again first thing in the morning before she eats or drinks, to see if it has emptied?

 

[NikitaChakita]

If she is about 4 pounds the 1 ml dose is fine. The 1.5 ml would be for a 5-7 pound hen. She is definitely gasping a bit for air, not to severe, but not normal. Her swallowing of something in her throat may be a respiratory infection, but crop contents can come back up into the throat. Can you check the crop again first thing in the morning before she eats or drinks, to see if it has emptied?

Yes I can definitely do that. I held her for awhile this morning around 530am and was massaging her crop and i believe it had felt about the same as yesterday, except yesterday it felt a little more squishy and today feels a little more textured if that makes sense. I'll keep checking on her with fingers crossed!

 

[NikitaChakita]

Little update... dont want to speak to soon but we are seeing some improvement. She is moving around a lot more and will try to evade me somewhat when im in there whereas before she barely acknowledged me when i'd come to pick her up. She's also drinking water now and will sometimes take a couple of breaths without gaping. So heres to hoping we're trending in the right direction!