closed nostrils on hen

[eleanor]

I have a hen who has been sneezing/coughing for a few weeks. I thought she had a bad upper respiratory infection and gave her an antibiotic but she continues to cough or sneeze--Not sure which. After examining her closely, it appears that her nostrils are completely closed, and she does rattle a little when she breathes. I have tried to clean her nostrils with warm water and a cotton swab but the covering looks impermeable. I put Vicks under her wings hoping that might help her. She is still eating and drinking, and I have separated her from the other hens and am keeping her in a warm place day and night. Any suggestions as to how to clean out her nasal passages would be greatly appreciated.

Eleanor

 

[CarriBrown]

The Vicks is good. You can also put a dab on top of her head. Hopefully someone else can help you out further. Do you still have her on the antibiotics? Keep her on them for now and keep her dry and warm.
If you're able to, get a bottle of VetRx, which is like Vicks. You can give her a few drops in her beak and it will help clear up some of that garbage.
As far as the gooky nose, I just keep at it until it cleans out. Just keep it clean as best you can with a Q-tip and warm water.

 

[CarriBrown]

PS. With the VetRx, you can also put some on her nose to help clear up her nostrils. Hopefully you have a feed store around that carries it.

 

[eleanor]

Thanks for the advice. I will try to find some VetRx tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

Eleanor

 

[CarriBrown]

Here is a picture so you know what you're looking for.

If it's not at the feedstore, you can find it at First State Vet Supply. I suggest keeping it on hand at all times since it works well with sneezes and sniffles.

 

[sammi]

what antibiotic did you use?
sounds like she could have a sinus infection, and/or respiratory illness.

 

[dlhunicorn]

The vetRX will not dissove any mass in her nostrils and some birds might have a reaction to the camphor in it if overused. (If you notice any neurological symptoms stop immediately)
You will need in some way to clear the sinuses of the crud that has accumulated in them... not all at once but as much as will come out when you gently try to tease out the material...I have seen on forums many describing that some soak a cotton tip swab (sometimes with half the cotton removed so as to get in the nostrils better) with a lowstrenghth (earwash) peroxide first and gently tease it out (make sure you do not unintentionally push the mass further IN) You can also use one of those rubber extraction bulb thingys they use to to suck out such from a babys nose once any hardened mass/plug has been removed.
Please look inside the beak for any placques as this could indicate vit A deficiency (often concurrent with respiratory illness) or yeast infection.
Here is one treatment for upper respiratory infection that is often advised:
http://www.afn.org/~poultry/newsletr/1996/psep96.pdf
Chicken Medications
by Dr. James Barton and Clarence Gillihan
(excerpt)
".....Bacterial Diseases:
Purchase a bottle of Tylan 50 and several 3cc
syringes with 25 to 30 gauge 1/2" needles. Give your hen 1 to 1 1/2 cc. of Tylan under the skin of the neck .........Continue daily injections for three days but not more than five. Withdrawal time is one month.
Tylan does not have much activity against coccidia, but it is very good against Mycoplasma bacteria which is responsible for some respiratory diseases.

To inject Tylan 50, pull the hens feathers back
to reveal the skin on base of the the neck on her back.
Lift the skin up and insert the needle gentlty but firmly into the skin just far enough to allow the Tylan to be injected. You will be able to feel it. Be careful that you do not inject yourself. Make certain that you do not push the needle through the skin and out again not injecting
at all...........................
Because Tylan is so powerful, it is recommended
that you purchase some Beneficial Bird Bacteria
and feed it to your chicken after she recovers.

Tylan wipes out all the benficial bacteria that is normally present in a chickens digestive system. Also, Tylan can kill skin cells near the site of the injection so you should not use anything stronger than Tylan 50 - a stronger variety, Tylan-200 is also available at your local feed store, but this will likely do more harm than good.

When purchasing syringes, get them from a
local drug store. The 'human' grade needles are a little sharper than the vetrinary grade. The cost is about the same and your hen will thank you...."

 

[eleanor]

Thanks for all replies. My vet gave me Bactryl which did not seem to reduce the coughing/sneezing. However, keeping her in a very warm place has seemed to reduce it. I will try a bulb syringe this afternoon and see if I can get any of the crud out.

She is otherwise in very good spirits.

Eleanor

 

[sammi]

after she is done with the Baytril..give her a probiotic, such as plain active culture yogurt, or a probiotic mix from a poultry supply, such as McMurrays Hatchery.
this will help restore the gut flora, and deter yeast infection.