Coop Fire and flock is making wheezing/gurgling sounds.

[BYC910]

Sorry to hear about your fire . Maybe Vicks on the peak . What we're worried about is their ability to process oxygen . You might consider a small oxygen tent . One or two birds at a time .

 

[micstrachan]

This sounds like a pretty dire situation, and I’m so sorry. I have to agree you may end up just taking a wait and see approach. I think ventilation is critical. Are there windows in the garage? Wyorp Rock and Eggcessive have already commented, but I’ll call in a couple more who may have experience or knowledge with this. @azygous @casportpony @rebrascora

 

[Latestarter]

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with a couple of things here. #1 you do NOT want to make it warmer. Warmer air is able to hold more moisture, more humidity, and as their lungs are compromised, that's the LAST thing you want at this point. Their airways are already producing liquids in response to the burns, hence the gurgling and rasping coupled with sneezing.

Secondly, you do NOT want to add additional humidity with a humidifier. I know that you're thinking the vicks (menthol) in the air will help them but in fact it may make things worse (it opens pores - hence more liquid, hence easier to drown). Think menthol cigarettes... the menthol opens the lungs allowing more carcinogens/smoke to be absorbed/incorporated into lung tissues. not good.

The best thing for them is cool, dry air... think a nice refreshing breath of air after being in a smoke filled room. If you can do an oxygen tent for them, that would be best, but I think that's pretty cost prohibitive for most BYC owners... Just make sure they are well ventilated with fresh air and hope for the best. The fact that they are still with you after 36 hours is a big deal. Couple more days will tell the tale.

 

[azygous]

This is very tragic. These poor chickens are now fighting for their lives.

Assume that secondary infections are now occurring from the particles absorbed from the smoke. Treat as you would treat a respiratory infection - with antibiotics.

Also assume these chickens are also suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. This is where oxygen in the blood is replaced by the monoxide, further starving their bodies of oxygen.

Sadly, as has already been mentioned, the single best treatment, supplementary oxygen, isn't practical in the treatment of chickens. You can only try to set things up to get the very best ventilation with clean, dry air (no Vicks) to maximize the oxygen in the air they are breathing.

So, treatment would be good ventilation with dry air so water doesn't crowd out the oxygen, and antibiotics to treat bacteria that is colonizing the mucous-filled airways.

 

[Altfrizzle]

Oh, hi neighbor, I'm so sorry to hear about this! I don't have any advice but had to respond when I saw that you're from the Ridge!

 

[azygous]

I was just remembering when my youngest child, a ten-month old, was in the hospital with pneumonia (1964). It's impossible to keep a toddler confined in an oxygen tent, so they had the O2 going full blast over his crib, and the gas passed over ice cubes to cool it. I recall it vividly because the little twerp insisted on playing with the ice cubes in the deep container at the head of the bed.

So the coolest air possible will deliver the most oxygen to your sick chickens. Ditch the heaters.

 

[XanderWiFi]

I have taken Advanced Burn Life Support and Medical Management of Chemical and Biological Casualties through the military. I will apply those principles the best I can given the limited knowledge of the situation.

1. You're chickens are suffering smoke inhalation injuries. They are not suffering infection currently, but are suffering from inflammatory responses in relation to the damaged tissues. The result is the same as the body fighting infection though-fluid pulled into the area by bodily mediators.

2. They will be working to cough up/sneeze out and expel the damaged tissue. If I read correctly we are 3 days out now? Fortunately, human burn/severe inhalant injuries are immediately intubated for fear of loss of airway related to item one-inflammatory response, swelling, closing. Not saying they are completely out of the woods, but if it is 3 days now, then inflammatory response hopefully will not be any worse than it is currently meaning their airways remain intact. Also, being three days out means any carbon monoxide will have been processed out at this point (after a day that would cease to be a concern).

3. Supportive care. It is all you can do at this point. We can't throw these guys in a little ICU like we can people. However, in terms of air management you want to provide cool air mist humidifiers. Cool to sooth, moist to keep airways from becoming more irritated. Also, dry airways cannot mobilize the damaged tissue to cough out and expel. Ever wake up on an extremely dry and cold morning and have cement boogers in your nose? It is the same concept. Mustard/chlorine gas inhalant injuries can really only be treated with albuterol to open the airways and increased oxygenation-open the opens to get the crap out and deliver as much oxygen as possible. If you have an oxygen tent, go for it, they may learn they feel slightly better with increased oxygen and dwell their.

4. If they make it 1-2 weeks begin monitoring for upper and lower respiratory infections at that time. Rounds of antibiotics may be called for.

5. Knowing when to quit: if complete malaise takes over and they cannot get up any longer or just lie their panting in some strange posture, it will probably be best to end suffering at that time.

Best of luck with everything and good job getting them all together and tended to. The eating and drinking is always a good sign.

 

[Joycejaffee]

UPDATE: 5 days in. Two hens-one a family favorite -have died. Both spent 24 hours gasping for air and nothing we could do made any difference while two other hens stopped gasping and now seem fine. I have two large hens now doing the same-stretch of the neck-mouth open wide grabbing at the air-non stop for the past 36 hours. I have the humidifier with Vet RX blowing past them in a 55 degree garage. They are putting all of their energy into breathing. The rest of the flock (35 hens and roosters-mostly bantams) are all back in the barn but all are congested with gurgling in their chests. The question now is-are we dealing with secondary pneumonia at this point? If they are still dealing with just edema from the smoke inhalation, when, or how will we know if we do need to treat for pneumonia? Any other ideas to dry up all that fluid they all seem to have? Thank you all for hanging in there with us and for all the great answers thoughtful advice.

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry you lost the two. It's tough... I really can't help beyond this point... I suppose you could do antibiotics but I have no idea what/how much/how often as I don't know what the issue is for sure. Throwing antibiotics at something unknown is part of what has caused many antibiotics to no longer work. The "bugs" have adjusted to them making them useless. I hope most of the birds left survive but you may still lose a few more from complications.

In addition, all of them may/will have compromised breathing for a while or life so little things could cause them issues going forward. You may want to consider starting replacement over time for them. Hope you'll update as you go through this. It will be instructive for the next folks who have to deal with this.

 

[XanderWiFi]

At 5 days post event you are still dealing with pulmonary edema-considering most pathogens take at least 1-2 weeks to embed, replicate and overtake a host. I am sorry to say this, but you may want to consider euthanizing the two that are stretching and gulping. I am not there, I cannot see, but what you describe sounds like respiratory distress. The end result is they eventually exhaust those breathing muscles and simply die. It reminds of what is called the "sniffing position" in children with respiratory distress. My guess is that you will eventually see them simply "stop" and die. It is terrible to have to euthanize, but if you think about it, their lungs are so full of fluid or damaged that no matter how much air they pull in there simply is not the tissue to absorb it. It sounds like a really sad situation.