difficulty eating-thick saliva and a barking sound

[april parsons]

Hello i am having difficulty with one of my Hens- 2 weeks ago i noticed she was un-well. posture was off and fluffed feathers. When i picked her up to examine her it was obvious her weight was down keel sharp. She had white patches in the back of her throat and thick saliva. I checked the rest of my hens and noticed small black spots on combs and wattles (minimal and they are acting well) so i thought perhaps foul pox. * i began crop feeding the ill hen and gave 3 days of Penicillin- So 2 weeks later she i stronger white patches gone. She is on day 2 of another round of Pen-G r/t wheezing but is strong enough now to resist her crop feeds (i am still feeding 2x a day). Now she attempts to eat her grain- in-fact has great interest in eating- but is having great difficulty it seems with swallowing-even scrambled eggs and meal worms! She still has thick mucous at times shaking her head to clear it. Seems mostly she just clacks her beak and when she is attempting to eat she will shake head and make a High pitched barking noise (like a little puppy). Please anyone - i am looking for ideas-solutions-thank you

 

[sylviethecochin]

@casportpony ? This sounds like your area.

 

[april parsons]

Hello i am having difficulty with one of my Hens- 2 weeks ago i noticed she was un-well. posture was off and fluffed feathers. When i picked her up to examine her it was obvious her weight was down keel sharp. She had white patches in the back of her throat and thick saliva. I checked the rest of my hens and noticed small black spots on combs and wattles (minimal and they are acting well) so i thought perhaps foul pox. * i began crop feeding the ill hen and gave 3 days of Penicillin- So 2 weeks later she i stronger white patches gone. She is on day 2 of another round of Pen-G r/t wheezing but is strong enough now to resist her crop feeds (i am still feeding 2x a day). Now she attempts to eat her grain- in-fact has great interest in eating- but is having great difficulty it seems with swallowing-even scrambled eggs and meal worms! She still has thick mucous at times shaking her head to clear it. Seems mostly she just clacks her beak and when she is attempting to eat she will shake head and make a High pitched barking noise (like a little puppy). Please anyone - i am looking for ideas-solutions-thank you

 

[april parsons]

anyone with any help?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Does this sound right:

Mycoplasma from https://www.darwinvets.com/poultry/common-chicken-problems-diseases
Mycoplasma gallisepticum is a common, highly infectious disease that causes severe breathing difficulties in chickens and can take weeks of antibiotics to resolve. Mycoplasma species are, however, notoriously difficult to completely eradicate and may recrudesce later in time. Classical signs of a chicken suffering from this malady include a clear discharge from the nose and eyes; sneezing may or may not accompany other signs. The eyes become very puffy, and the whole head may look swollen – this is because the sinuses are all full. If you have ever had sinusitis, you will understand just how unpleasant the sensation can be! Unfortunately, this sensation is magnified with Mycoplasma because all of the sinuses are usually involved. Affected chickens are therefore also very lethargic, often anorexic, and may seem mentally depressed. Frequently the comb might fall to one side, which is a result of dehydration, and may also become much paler than usual. Sadly, many cases are not picked up until the chicken exhibits all of the above signs, at which point the bird might be too weak to be able to respond to treatment, and euthanasia is advisable at this stage for welfare reasons. However, if caught early, this disease can be effectively treated with an appropriate antibiotic. This antibiotic will need to be provided for the whole flock because all of your birds will have been exposed to the pathogen, and will last for several weeks. However, individual medication is usually only necessary in the affected birds: the remainder of the flock can frequently have their water medicated instead. It is very important to finish the course of antibiotics even if your pets seem to have made a full recovery: Mycoplasma lives inside cells so can hide away very effectively, and unless the antibiotic course is finished, the infection can come back very quickly.

 

[sylviethecochin]

This one sounds less likely, but might be relevevant

If you have been getting soft-shelled eggs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_infectious_bronchitis

 

[april parsons]

Does this sound right:

Mycoplasma from https://www.darwinvets.com/poultry/common-chicken-problems-diseases
Mycoplasma gallisepticum is a common, highly infectious disease that causes severe breathing difficulties in chickens and can take weeks of antibiotics to resolve. Mycoplasma species are, however, notoriously difficult to completely eradicate and may recrudesce later in time. Classical signs of a chicken suffering from this malady include a clear discharge from the nose and eyes; sneezing may or may not accompany other signs. The eyes become very puffy, and the whole head may look swollen – this is because the sinuses are all full. If you have ever had sinusitis, you will understand just how unpleasant the sensation can be! Unfortunately, this sensation is magnified with Mycoplasma because all of the sinuses are usually involved. Affected chickens are therefore also very lethargic, often anorexic, and may seem mentally depressed. Frequently the comb might fall to one side, which is a result of dehydration, and may also become much paler than usual. Sadly, many cases are not picked up until the chicken exhibits all of the above signs, at which point the bird might be too weak to be able to respond to treatment, and euthanasia is advisable at this stage for welfare reasons. However, if caught early, this disease can be effectively treated with an appropriate antibiotic. This antibiotic will need to be provided for the whole flock because all of your birds will have been exposed to the pathogen, and will last for several weeks. However, individual medication is usually only necessary in the affected birds: the remainder of the flock can frequently have their water medicated instead. It is very important to finish the course of antibiotics even if your pets seem to have made a full recovery: Mycoplasma lives inside cells so can hide away very effectively, and unless the antibiotic course is finished, the infection can come back very quickly.

 

[april parsons]

i will certainly look further into the Mycoplasma however she does not have any swelling in the eyes or head and only a clear thicker saliva when attempting to eat. I did notice this evening when giving her crop feed however that her tongue appears quit thick to the point of looking a bit short. I did not notice this before but i am sure it has been present and just missed by me. This was her 3rd day of Penicillin IM. the other birds are all acting well though one of my Golden Laced hens feels light. She is more active whether it is the supportive feeds or time or antibiotics likely a combo of all 3. I am just perplexed at the swollen tongue-trouble swallowing and high pitched bark... welcoming all or any ideas
Thank you

 

[april parsons]

This one sounds less likely, but might be relevevant

If you have been getting soft-shelled eggs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_infectious_bronchitis

no soft eggs
i am certain she isn't laying and none of the other hens have given soft eggs however i occasionally am getting small bumps on eggs but not often. I assume it is just a normal deviation since they are far and few in-between.

 

[april parsons]

This one sounds less likely, but might be relevevant

If you have been getting soft-shelled eggs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian_infectious_bronchitis

Does this sound right:

Mycoplasma from https://www.darwinvets.com/poultry/common-chicken-problems-diseases
Mycoplasma gallisepticum is a common, highly infectious disease that causes severe breathing difficulties in chickens and can take weeks of antibiotics to resolve. Mycoplasma species are, however, notoriously difficult to completely eradicate and may recrudesce later in time. Classical signs of a chicken suffering from this malady include a clear discharge from the nose and eyes; sneezing may or may not accompany other signs. The eyes become very puffy, and the whole head may look swollen – this is because the sinuses are all full. If you have ever had sinusitis, you will understand just how unpleasant the sensation can be! Unfortunately, this sensation is magnified with Mycoplasma because all of the sinuses are usually involved. Affected chickens are therefore also very lethargic, often anorexic, and may seem mentally depressed. Frequently the comb might fall to one side, which is a result of dehydration, and may also become much paler than usual. Sadly, many cases are not picked up until the chicken exhibits all of the above signs, at which point the bird might be too weak to be able to respond to treatment, and euthanasia is advisable at this stage for welfare reasons. However, if caught early, this disease can be effectively treated with an appropriate antibiotic. This antibiotic will need to be provided for the whole flock because all of your birds will have been exposed to the pathogen, and will last for several weeks. However, individual medication is usually only necessary in the affected birds: the remainder of the flock can frequently have their water medicated instead. It is very important to finish the course of antibiotics even if your pets seem to have made a full recovery: Mycoplasma lives inside cells so can hide away very effectively, and unless the antibiotic course is finished, the infection can come back very quickly.