Heavy breathing with mouth closed

[Brienna]

I have searched everywhere but haven't found any answers to this.. My 2.5 year old hen is breathing quite heavily, but with her mouth closed. When she is laying down, her whole body rocks when she breathes. I can really notice a sort of contraction in the throat area. She is acting fine otherwise, eating, drinking, pooping, laying...
I'm just worried as this is not normal breathing. I can barely notice the others breathing, so her heavy breathing is very obvious.
Please help!! what could this be??

 

[Brienna]

I just went back to check on her and one of her nostrils is bloody??? how can this happen? it's bloody and closed up with what looks like dried blood, I can't get it unclogged, her nostrils are so tiny! please help!!

 

[Eggcessive]

I'm sorry that you didn't get an answer earlier. Labored breathing can be a sign of a heart problem or a respiratory disease. She may have been pecked to cause the blood. ILT, a contagious respiratory virus, can cause bloody mucus from the beak and nostrils. There is usually a lot of blood, though, and may be slung about. Clean her nostril off with some hydrogen peroxide and QTips or cotton. It will dissolve it pretty quickly. A toothpick can be used if there is something caked in there.

 

[Brienna]

I'm sorry that you didn't get an answer earlier. Labored breathing can be a sign of a heart problem or a respiratory disease. She may have been pecked to cause the blood. ILT, a contagious respiratory virus, can cause bloody mucus from the beak and nostrils. There is usually a lot of blood, though, and may be slung about. Clean her nostril off with some hydrogen peroxide and QTips or cotton. It will dissolve it pretty quickly. A toothpick can be used if there is something caked in there.

Thank you so much for your reply. There was only a bit of blood and she hasn't bled again today. Her nostrils still seem a bit blocked but somewhat better than yesterday. She is still breathing strangely with her mouth closed, and it is more noticeable when she is laying down. Her behavior was quite normal today, she layed an egg, normal poops, and her crop was nice and full at bedtime. If it were ILT or a respiratory disease, would she be lethargic and not her usual self? Apart from the weird breathing and the blood from her nostril yesterday, she seems okay.
It's really her breathing that I find strange but it doesn't seem to really bother her. But I know that it is not normal compared to the others...strange. I will try to clean her nostrils with hydrogen peroxide tomorrow. Thank you for you advice!

 

[Eggcessive]

You're welcome. How does her lower belly look and feel? Is there any tightness in her belly that could be from fluid collecting inside (ascites?) Ascites could cause labored breathing. Fungal respiratory disease, such as aspergillosis can also cause gasping. ILT in chickens can be Googled for symptoms, but it caused very labored breathing, gasping with head upright, coughing, and the bloody mucus.