Chicken that shakes her head and keeps swallowing.

[Turkey1031]

My brahma chicken has been showing signs she may be sick. I checked her crop yesterday. Seemed fine. Had some grit in it but not hard. She seems like she eats and drinks. I checked her throat and didnt see anything. Initially i saw some of her food pellets but they were gone when i sat with her to get a better look. Any ideas? Its been a couple of days. She's one of the more chill girls so i didnt notice any difference in her demeanor.

 

[AidKD]

Poor girl! Is she still drinking? Check her crop again in the morning. Check her throat for gapeworm. Has she had any exposure to moldy food or anything toxic? Can you hear anything in her lungs? Try giving her a little bit of oil. If there is in fact anything stuck in her throat you just can't see, the oil will help it slide down.

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks like she might have something caught in her throat or crop. Do you see anything in her throat now, such as mucus, food, or any yellow material? Check her crop first thing in the morning, to see if it is empty which would be normal. If it is not empty, but full, firm, doughy, or puffy, then she may have a crop disorder. Make sure that she is drinking plenty of water. Do you have granite poultry grit available for your chickens? What are you feeding them?

 

[Turkey1031]

Poor girl! Is she still drinking? Check her crop again in the morning. Check her throat for gapeworm. Has she had any exposure to moldy food or anything toxic? Can you hear anything in her lungs? Try giving her a little bit of oil. If there is in fact anything stuck in her throat you just can't see, the oil will help it slide down.

We gave her some bread last night with olive oil. I was hoping that would be the trick. She's in the pen all day so I can't think of anything she might have ate that she shouldn't have. I dont hear any wheezing coming from her and there's no eye or nasal discharge. She's drinking from the water bowl as I type this.

 

[AidKD]

We gave her some bread last night with olive oil. I was hoping that would be the trick. She's in the pen all day so I can't think of anything she might have ate that she shouldn't have. I dont hear any wheezing coming from her and there's no eye or nasal discharge. She's drinking from the water bowl as I type this.

I would check her for gapeworm. Not sure what else could be wrong unless she has something stuck further down in her throat.

 

[Eggcessive]

Bread is too doughy for chickens, and it can bind up in the crop. If more oil is needed. Put it in a small amount of scrambled egg, or chill some coconut oil for a few minutes and cut it into small pieces that she can peck. Does her crop feel firm, doughy, or puffy soft?

 

[Turkey1031]

Bread is too doughy for chickens, and it can bind up in the crop. If more oil is needed. Put it in a small amount of scrambled egg, or chill some coconut oil for a few minutes and cut it into small pieces that she can peck. Does her crop feel firm, doughy, or puffy soft?

Poor girl! Is she still drinking? Check her crop again in the morning. Check her throat for gapeworm. Has she had any exposure to moldy food or anything toxic? Can you hear anything in her lungs? Try giving her a little bit of oil. If there is in fact anything stuck in her throat you just can't see, the oil will help it slide down.

She drinks and she's eating food but not a lot. I dont normally watch their food intake though so she might be eating normally. Crop was fine yeaterday. Today it seemed smaller unless i just couldnt find it for some reason. We just checked her throat again and didn't see any worms. Gave her a dose of fenbendazole to deform her just in case. Not sure if thats the best deworm meds but it was what was available at tractor supply. She does seem much more sleepy today unfortunately.

 

[Turkey1031]

We just found a clump of stuff in one of her ears. Her ear fluff was hiding it. I do hope the its just an ear infection onstead of gapeworm or something worse now.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have any pictures? Is the ear swollen? .

 

[AidKD]

We just found a clump of stuff in one of her ears. Her ear fluff was hiding it. I do hope the its just an ear infection onstead of gapeworm or something worse now.

Geez! Hope you can get it sorted out! Feel free to ask any questions about things you're unsure of!