Coughing chicken

[mrsc1951]

Help please. My 8 year old light Brahma is coughing. She had this issue several years ago but I can’t remember what I treated her for. None of the others had it then nor do they now so I’m relatively certain it’s not contagious. She eats, drinks and does all things she typically does including bullying the other girls but she has lost a little weight.

 

[azygous]

Have you checked her crop? A full crop, either from a yeast infection or clogged with an obstruction such as wads of vegetable cellulose, can cause abnormal breathing from the over-full or obstructed crop.

If the crop is larger than normal, soft and squishy, do not massage as it can cause the fluid to back up into the lungs. (And be very careful not to put pressure on the crop if you pick her up.) If the crop is over-full, lumpy, and hard, try a gentle massage of the lower third of the crop. If it doesn't break up, you may need to give her a teaspoon of oil.

Of course, you will need to verify a crop disorder by checking it in the morning before the hen eats or drinks. It should be perfectly empty by morning. If it's still full, you have a crop disorder to treat.

If you rule out a crop disorder, she could be coming down with a respiratory infection.

 

[Eggcessive]

They can get respiratory viruses and bacterial infections, or environmental causes, such as dust in feed or the coop, mold, cold air, or not enough air circulation. Some diseases to look for in this link below are infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma gallisepticum, coryza, and aspergillosis. If she has no other symptoms, nor is any other chicken getting sick, then it may be environmental.
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[dawg53]

It's possible something may have gone down the windpipe causing her to cough, a feed granule for example. Not much you can do about it.