Help! Chicken cant breathe

[rebrascora]

I'm wondering if she has a ruptured air sac. The suggestion of her crop feeling inflated with liquid and air indicates that as a possibility. Has she always had those feathers missing from her back? Just wondering if that would tie in with a predator attack which also punctured an air sac although I assume you would have made mention of it, if that was the case.

 

[ChickenMoM2619]

Okay! Thank you for the article, I will go through it now. Yesterday I did give her some oil and massaged her crop for a bit and she seemed to improve a bit afterwards. The contents did seems to become soft but still feels full due to liquid and air in there. Is that normal?

 

[ChickenMoM2619]

I'm wondering if she has a ruptured air sac. The suggestion of her crop feeling inflated with liquid and air indicates that as a possibility. Has she always had those feathers missing from her back? Just wondering if that would tie in with a predator attack which also punctured an air sac although I assume you would have made mention of it, if that was the case.

I actually just got her from work a few days ago, I work at a feed store and I brought home both black birds, one is fine with no issues and no feathers missing. The other (the one I made this article about) has always had her feathers missing (granted I've only had her for almost 3 days now) and as of yesterday she started gasping

 

[ChickenMoM2619]

I'm wondering if she has a ruptured air sac. The suggestion of her crop feeling inflated with liquid and air indicates that as a possibility. Has she always had those feathers missing from her back? Just wondering if that would tie in with a predator attack which also punctured an air sac although I assume you would have made mention of it, if that was the case.

What would I do/ how should I go about treating her if she has a ruptured air sac?

 

[BYCforlife]

What would I do/ how should I go about treating her if she has a ruptured air sac?

A ruptured air sac has to heal on its own, although if she is struggling to breathe you may have to deflate it with a syringe, but only if her breathing is cut off to the point of possible suffocation.

 

[ChickenMoM2619]

A ruptured air sac has to heal on its own, although if she is struggling to breathe you may have to deflate it with a syringe, but only if her breathing is cut off to the point of possible suffocation.

uhh.. okay you mean like stab her with a needle and help her breathe

 

[ChickenMoM2619]

A ruptured air sac has to heal on its own, although if she is struggling to breathe you may have to deflate it with a syringe, but only if her breathing is cut off to the point of possible suffocation.

So if that's the case. should I not massage her crop??

 

[BYCforlife]

uhh.. okay you mean like stab her with a needle and help her breathe

No, if the air sac is restricting her breathing, you poke the needle gently into the bubble and pull the air out. The air sac is not the same as the lungs.

 

[ChickenMoM2619]

No, if the air sac is restricting her breathing, you poke the needle gently into the bubble and pull the air out. The air sac is not the same as the lungs.

Oh! Okay phew! But I still feel uncomfortable trying to get to the air sac, I don't wanna hurt her and I'm still new to having chickens.. Is it possible to injure the crop to get the air out?

 

[casportpony]

Please do not poke anything! A hen that is gasping for air will also swallow air into her crop, so if the air is in the crop you do not want to poke that. If air is in the crop you should be able to massage it up and out.