Help... My hen is having trouble breathing

[oONewChickOo]

So I'm new to BYC and chickens I'm general. But my hen is having difficulty breathing. I've read several different threads but none seem to fit her symptoms. Her eyes and nose are clear and as far as I can tell she's eating and drinking as usual. Her only problem is that with every breath she cranes her neck and opens her mouth. She also isn't laying eggs. I have been using vetRx but it doesn't seem to be helping. I would rather not use antibiotics. My mom was also wondering if it would be okay to eat her if we did end up slaughtering her

Btw she just recently got over scaly leg mites.

 

[oONewChickOo]

Oh and I checked what I think is her crop (and all my other chickens as well) and hers didn't feel any different

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. I would check her crop to see if it is emptying by morning, and not impacted or sour. Another possibility could be aspergillosis, a fungal infection from mold spores in the coop or surrounding area. Damp areas or rainy weather can help to cause this. I would also look inside her throat with a flashlight while someone holds her to see if there could be anything blocking her airway. Here are a couple of links to read about crop problems and respiratory diseases such as aspergillosis:
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/04/answers-from-chicken-vet-on-impacted.html
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[oONewChickOo]

Thanks. I'll check tomorrow morning. It has been really damp here. I'm hoping it will go away soon if I continue treating it with VetRx. Is there any other treatment I should know about.

 

[drumstick diva]

You may want to check out information on Gapeworm. Have you posted in the "emergencies, diseases, injuries, cures, " thread?

 

[oONewChickOo]

Thanks for the suggestion @drumstick diva I will try posting in the emergency thread.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

So sorry about your bird!

 

[Wyandottes7]

Welcome to BYC!

We're glad to have you.

I'm sorry to hear about your bird!

 

[TwoCrows]

Hello there and welcome to BYC!

Do you hear any clicking in her breathing or over her back where the neck meets the back? If you do, she may have a heart condition. I recently lost a hen with this exact condition. Nothing else was wrong with her but she was breathing like a race horse and her valves were clicking.

Along with what Eggcessive has suggested, gape worms can also cause gasping. You did say she had leg scale mites and many times a bird with external mites has internal bugs as well. So you might get her wormed as soon as possible. Some Safeguard Liquid Goat wormer or Valbazen will take care of all worms. See this article for dosages....https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/internal-parasites-parasitic-worms-in-chickens

I hope you can get this figured out soon.

 

[BantamLover21]

Glad you joined us!


I'm sorry about your sick hen.