Gasping for breath?

[SilkieLady608]

My year old RIR has suddenly started to gasp for air. I picked her up and sat with her in front of the fan and she calmed down some. I live in the south so the heat index has been over 100 degrees ever day. Could she just have gotten over heated? I read to stick a qtip down her throat to check for gape worms and I did and it came out clean. I just want to make sure I’m doing all I can. They have several fans, their whole coop is covered with tin/ shade cloth, they have misters, and they get ice in their water, they literally have everything but A/C(haven’t talked my husband into that yet). But I know it is still hottttttt. Any input would help. Thanks

 

[Eggcessive]

Is she heavy or overweight? Some breeds have a harder time with hot weather. Is there plenty of shade where she spends most of her time? Are you letting them out to free range or is she staying mostly in the covered coop and run? It can help to place flat pig pans of shaded water half full for them to cool off their legs. I try to replace water a couple of times a day to keep it cool to drink. My girls tend to spend the hot days under low bushes during the middle of the day. I have a fan that blows out one window pulling cool air through the coop. Even with that, some days can be unbearable.

 

[SilkieLady608]

She is still heavy breathing and keeps extending her neck out. so I felt all along her trachea and I thought I felt something maybe a sunflower seed but nothing came up. I think it might be inflamed, I felt her sisters and it feels not so prominent. I wouldn't say I think it's a tumor because it just suddenly happened in a split-second yesterday. I believe I'm going to have to take her to the vet because I'm not going to let her suffer while I try to figure out what's wrong.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you look into her throat and inside her beak for any mucus or white/yellowish gunk? Your vet can find gapeworm eggs in her droppings, so if you go in take some droppings in a plastic bag. Gapeworms are located in the trachea, and you really cannot see them by using a Qtip into the throat. But there could be gapes in the tracheal airway or something else, such as a foreign body or canker in there. Let us know what you find out at the vets if you go.

 

[SilkieLady608]

We have her at the vet right now

 

[DaisyG2317]

How is your hen?

 

[SilkieLady608]

Just got done at vets she said that she had a compressed air sac in her throat trachea but she also had a very large egg that needed to be laid and that possibly could be the reason are she could have viral infection or bacterial but as we were leaving the vet she laid the egg and she seems to be breathing a lot better they give me antibiotics so I think I will still give them to her just in case she has something else going on thank you for all your advice

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

I hope she gets better now.