Chronic Coughing but Cheerful Chicken

[landgirl1775]

Hi all, need help with a mystery. I bought a hen at a swap 3 weeks ago who almost immediately started coughing. She is energetic, sassy, good size, smooth feathers, eats well. No gaping, gasping, swelling, liquid around eyes/nose, or other symptoms except 1 bloody poop once.

I had been giving her safeguard figuring it might be gapeworm; she stopped coughing after 4 days of this, but started coughing again 3 days later. I took her to the vet who found coccidiosis, no bacterial infection, but could not confirm gapeworm due to faulty float test. The vet also dismissed viral saying “that would’ve already happened if at all, and this looks like a secondary infection.”

The vet sent me home recommending to treat for coccidia, and to put her back on safeguard “in case that was helping before.” The vet thinks she might even have allergies!!

5 days into Corid and safeguard, she is still coughing, but still strutting, sassy and eating robustly. Any ideas?? Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post a video of her so we can hear her?

Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

What's her crop like - is it emptying overnight?

 

[landgirl1775]

Can you post a video of her so we can hear her?

Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

What's her crop like - is it emptying overnight?

Can you post a video of her so we can hear her?

Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

What's her crop like - is it emptying overnight?

Yes good idea! Her crop does seem to be emptying - it is not bulging. Vet said her trachea is inflamed; but I assume if there was a crop problem or obstruction she would’ve told me.

Here you go:

 

[Wyorp Rock]

It's a snick, does she mainly do that when eating/drinking?

Raise the feed and water off the ground, see if that helps. Look at her nostrils to make sure they are free of debris and not clogged up.

I would still examine her myself and not rely on someone else, look inside the beak for mucous, lesions or canker.

She looks pretty good to me, the snick is a bit of a concern for sure and bringing in new birds from places does have a risk of introducing disease to existing flocks, but some feel the risk is worth taking.