HELP! Chicken making weird noise and stretching neck out!

[EricaCAL]

Hello all. One of my 6 chickens (small flock) is making a very strange noise and stretching her neck out. (VIDEO ATTACHED:

) She was absolutely fine first thing in the morning and now she keeps making this sort of howling noise. Her mouth is gaping open and she is distressed. I have isolated her and have given her the following:

1ml Nutri Drench (directly into throat)
0.025ml PoultryRx (direct into throat)
1tsp ACV into water

She is in my bathroom in the tub with a humidifier going to help her breathe better. I added the PoultryRx to the humidifier as per the instructions to help vaporize the medicine into her lungs as well. This seems like a respiratory thing, maybe a cold, but I am not sure.

Can anyone help? She is only 4 months old and we keep their coop pristine clean!!! I give them fresh water with electrolytes, probiotics and Apple Cider Vinegar in it EVERY DAY. I change their feed every day too.

Any ideas would be sooooo appreciated! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mary's Backyard Chickens]

Awwww.. She sounds so miserable! I have no idea though, sorry.

 

[EricaCAL]

Awwww.. She sounds so miserable! I have no idea though, sorry.

Thank you, Mary. Yes, I am very worried about her. I just got done sanitizing their coop with Seventh Generation wipes and antibacterial spray. Its so hard when a pet is sick!!!!!!

 

[Eggcessive]

She is having stridor--a high pitched sound made when something, such as mucus is in the airway. Sometimes it will clear when they cough. I would guess that she has a respiratory disease, such as infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (MG,) ILT, coryza, or something else. Does she have any watery or bubbly eyes, nasal drainage, swollen eyes or coughing/sneezing?

Would it be possible to take her to a vet? They have better antibiotics to treat bacterial or mycoplasma diseases. Viruses though have to run their course. She might chill a bit if she seems ill, so she might need some extra warmth. Try to keep her drinking fluids. The other birds are already exposed. Let us know if she is doing better tomorrow.

 

[Jack Czerwonka]

My chicken had mycoplasma and you should try to have more ventilation in the coop and run I hope she feels better.

 

[EricaCAL]

She is having stridor--a high pitched sound made when something, such as mucus is in the airway. Sometimes it will clear when they cough. I would guess that she has a respiratory disease, such as infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (MG,) ILT, coryza, or something else. Does she have any watery or bubbly eyes, nasal drainage, swollen eyes or coughing/sneezing?

Would it be possible to take her to a vet? They have better antibiotics to treat bacterial or mycoplasma diseases. Viruses though have to run their course. She might chill a bit if she seems ill, so she might need some extra warmth. Try to keep her drinking fluids. The other birds are already exposed. Let us know if she is doing better tomorrow.

Hi Eggcessive! Thank you for this. She has no other symptoms other than the wheezing sound shes making. Her eyes are clear, no nasal drainage, no sneezing, no coughing AT ALL. I am keeping her in the bathroom with her vaporizer and the heat lamp on. Its about 84 degrees in there. I also keep my roosting area warm with a heater and clean it every week. No other chickens have any symptoms at all either.

I am going to keep a close eye on her and if shes not showing improvement I will call my vet and see if I can get her an antibiotic. Can you suggest any other home remedies I can try tonight??

 

[EricaCAL]

My chicken had mycoplasma and you should try to have more ventilation in the coop and run I hope she feels better.

Hi there! So how did you treat your chicken for mycoplasma? Did you have the diagnosis confirmed by a vet or did you just know she had it? I am trying to figure out how to make her better before going to the vet and having them tell me to do exactly what I am doing now. I called a special "bird vet" and they said they charge for a visit was $150 and that did not include medicine, tests, etc. So its extremely expensive to do a vet run. I am hoping to be able to take her to my vet if shes not better tomorrow and they won't charge me an insane amount.

 

[micstrachan]

Great advice from @Eggcessive. Wondering if some other type of blockage is a possibility like she swallowed sonething and it got stuck? Isthis a realistic possibility?

 

[EricaCAL]

Great advice from @Eggcessive. Wondering if some other type of blockage is a possibility like she swallowed sonething and it got stuck? Isthis a realistic possibility?

Hi! Yes, that is possible and very realistic possiblity! I have been giving her water via a syringe and massaging her throat to see if that helps but she is still wheezing. I dont want to stress her too much by sticking my finger down her throat. Is there any other way to help clear a blockage? I am open to any suggestions!!! Thank you!

 

[Eggcessive]

You can take a flahlight and look into her throat for anything obvious. Where do you live, and is the climate cold? Chickens do not need warmth in their coops. Warm temps for healthy chickens can actually cause respiratory diseases by increasing the breathing rate due to being overheated. As winter temperatures get lower, a chicken kept in a heated coop will not be able to go outside and tolerate cold temperatures. Sorry if I have misunderstood you, but do not heat your coop if the other chickens are doing okay. They have down and feathers, and can tolerate temperatures around zero F in winter. High overhead air circulation can help to get rid of humidity that can cause frostbite and stuffy breathing.