Help! Lethargic hen gasping!

[Fowlty Towers]

Oh, dear! I've been reading some of the other posts and now I'm worried my baby has a respiratory illness. She's a red comet about 1.5 months old and usually very lively. This morning she was acting a bit weird--standing up and closing her eyes. She's lethargic and sat on my lap for a long time a few minutes ago, closing her eyes, there's clear liquid out of her nostrils (like water) and she looks like she's gulping for air (raising her neck and opening her beak). I've separated her from our other 3 hens (which aren't displaying any of the same symptoms). Oh, and my husband cleaned out the shavings in the coop today and noticed a few stools that looked like they had some blood on them...don't know which girl that's from. I have some tetracycline...should I give her some? Please help!!

In the meantime, I will go check for gape worms by use of a q-tip (saw on another post).

 

[Fowlty Towers]

No gape worms and crop seems to be okay. Her nostrils are dry now (could it have been the wind?) and she's not gasping nearly as much. Would love some advice as to what you think it might be and how I should treat it...thanks!!

 

[Miss Lydia]

heres the poop chart, see if hubby can tell which one most resembles what he saw http://www.chat.allotment org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0That way you'll know if the poop was normal or if it could be cocci. Then post back. also another link to read about oxine is www.shagbarkbantams.com/oxine.htm

 

[Fowlty Towers]

Thanks, Ms. Lydia! Actually, she started doing much better yesterday and I did look at the poop chart...who knew pictures of poop could be so helpful!?!

It was in the normal range - yeah!! Her nostrils dried out (I really think it was the wind--like it does to us humans sometimes), and after I swapped her throat with the q-tip she ate, drank and stopped gasping. So, I'm thinking she must have had something stuck in there and I might have pushed it down when I checked for the gape worms.

Thank goodness!

I have a stupid question... If a chicken gets a respiratory infection, and by what I'm reading on these forums they care carriers does it transfer to their eggs? In other words, can we get sick by eating their eggs?

 

[Miss Lydia]

I don't think we can catch any thing but avian flu from our birds and it's not in our country, the only time you wouldn't want to eat their eggs is when your using an antibiotic or worming them unless you use epernix as a wormer then theres no egg withdrawl... Releived to here she is doing well. Your eggs are safe.

 

[Fowlty Towers]

Thanks for your help!

Now I'll have to locate some oxine to keep the girls safe.

 

[Miss Lydia]

If you Google oxine you'll be able to find it just don't get the activator, when using it for your birds...I won't be without it again...

 

[Rivers]

a young hen of mine, died yesterday shortly after I saw this exact same gasping behaviour. I popped out for a couple of hours and she had died when I was back, I was extremely surprised as she had been eating plenty of food. I wonder if I couldve helped mine if I had been around.

 

[Fowlty Towers]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss...

 

[Miss Lydia]

I am sorry for your loss,