Help sick chicken

[Beakadoodle]

I went to let my girls out this morning and I thought I heard something off. Like someone sounded hoarse. I watched them all intently and noticed my barred rock was sounding off. I picked her up and listened to her chest and there was absolutely wheezy kind of sound.

I'm in complete panic mode as I don't know what to do. Should I isolate her from the others?

We have a flock of 8. She is one of the older 3. She is about 18 months and the other 5 are just over 4 months old.

We have not had any respiratory issues before.

On a side note: the only oddity with this chicken is that she always has a "messy butt" so I thought possibly worms, but I was also told that doesn't always mean they have worms.

I really needing some suggestions.

 

[am7039]

I went to let my girls out this morning and I thought I heard something off. Like someone sounded hoarse. I watched them all intently and noticed my barred rock was sounding off. I picked her up and listened to her chest and there was absolutely wheezy kind of sound.

I'm in complete panic mode as I don't know what to do. Should I isolate her from the others?

We have a flock of 8. She is one of the older 3. She is about 18 months and the other 5 are just over 4 months old.

We have not had any respiratory issues before.

On a side note: the only oddity with this chicken is that she always has a "messy butt" so I thought possibly worms, but I was also told that doesn't always mean they have worms.

I really needing some suggestions.

I would definitely seperate her to avoid spreading to the rest of the flock. I encourage putting electrolytes in her water. I do not have much experience with any antibiotics to give other than the breeder I have purchased chicks from was a strong believer in Fish Aid. Which is an amoxicillin you can put right in her water. Hopefully others can give you some more advice on what may be causing her messy butt.

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes chickens can make a sound called stridor when they either get a piece of feed in the airway, or have mucus or swollen bronchial tissue from a respiratory infection. If it is a piece of feed, it usually goes away within a few hours. Do you see any head shaking to clear mucus, or any sneezing, or bubbles in the eyes? Here is a video in post one of a silkie with stridor to see if that is what you are hearing:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkie-w-possible-stridor.1218528/

If that is not what you are hearing, then I would check for other symptoms, and see if your chicken has an enlarged lower belly between the legs, which would be a sign of water belly.

 

[Beakadoodle]

Sometimes chickens can make a sound called stridor when they either get a piece of feed in the airway, or have mucus or swollen bronchial tissue from a respiratory infection. If it is a piece of feed, it usually goes away within a few hours. Do you see any head shaking to clear mucus, or any sneezing, or bubbles in the eyes? Here is a video in post one of a silkie with stridor to see if that is what you are hearing:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkie-w-possible-stridor.1218528/

If that is not what you are hearing, then I would check for other symptoms, and see if your chicken has an enlarged lower belly between the legs, which would be a sign of water belly.

She does not sound like that. It's not as loud. When she was making her noises this morning it sounded hoarse. It's hard to describe.

 

[Beakadoodle]

I went to let my girls out this morning and I thought I heard something off. Like someone sounded hoarse. I watched them all intently and noticed my barred rock was sounding off. I picked her up and listened to her chest and there was absolutely wheezy kind of sound.

I'm in complete panic mode as I don't know what to do. Should I isolate her from the others?

We have a flock of 8. She is one of the older 3. She is about 18 months and the other 5 are just over 4 months old.

We have not had any respiratory issues before.

On a side note: the only oddity with this chicken is that she always has a "messy butt" so I thought possibly worms, but I was also told that doesn't always mean they have worms.

I really needing some suggestions.

I have a friend who raises chickens and she suggested I deworming my flock. My only hesitation is deworming them if they don't need it. I don't want to shove a bunch of antibiotics in them if it's not needed.

 

[Eggcessive]

Wormers are not antibiotics. Chickens do get worms from the soil. People who live in warmer tropical environments usually need to worm their chickens often. One of the safest wormers and is also used in humans is albendazole, or Valbazen which is available online and in some feed stores. Dosage is 1/2 tsp of Valbazen given orally and repeated in 10 days will treat most chicken worms.

Also make sure there is no mold in your coop from water spills, and provide having the best possible ventilation. Environmental reasons can also cause hoarseness. If you see any bubbles in eyes, sneezing, or nasal drainage, then it might be a respiratory infection. Here is one place to buy Valbazen:
https://www.jefferspet.com/products...MIkvLOmrS98wIVaQiICR23aw7JEAAYAyAAEgITxvD_BwE

 

[Beakadoodle]

Wormers are not antibiotics. Chickens do get worms from the soil. People who live in warmer tropical environments usually need to worm their chickens often. One of the safest wormers and is also used in humans is albendazole, or Valbazen which is available online and in some feed stores. Dosage is 1/2 tsp of Valbazen given orally and repeated in 10 days will treat most chicken worms.

Also make sure there is no mold in your coop from water spills, and provide having the best possible ventilation. Environmental reasons can also cause hoarseness. If you see any bubbles in eyes, sneezing, or nasal drainage, then it might be a respiratory infection. Here is one place to buy Valbazen:
https://www.jefferspet.com/products...MIkvLOmrS98wIVaQiICR23aw7JEAAYAyAAEgITxvD_BwE

We live in Michigan, so not tropical. Is there a way to tell if they have worms? And is this something I should be doing periodically each year?

 

[Eggcessive]

Some regular vets will let you bring in some fresh droppings in a ziploc bag to run a fecal float, just as you do with dogs. It may be timed when bringing in a pet for a checkup or shots, since many vets refuse to do them if they don’t see a chicken. There are mail in worm kits available on Amazon, but I have never used them or know how accurate they are. Usually, it is just better to go ahead and worm them. Once a year or two a year in colder climates is average. You may never see worms in poop, but the vet can see the eggs under a microscope. You can also teach yourself how to do fecal floats at home with a microscope, which some chicken owners do themselves. There are probably some threads here on that.

 

[Beakadoodle]

Some regular vets will let you bring in some fresh droppings in a ziploc bag to run a fecal float, just as you do with dogs. It may be timed when bringing in a pet for a checkup or shots, since many vets refuse to do them if they don’t see a chicken. There are mail in worm kits available on Amazon, but I have never used them or know how accurate they are. Usually, it is just better to go ahead and worm them. Once a year or two a year in colder climates is average. You may never see worms in poop, but the vet can see the eggs under a microscope. You can also teach yourself how to do fecal floats at home with a microscope, which some chicken owners do themselves. There are probably some threads here on that.

Thank you for the information.

 

[Eggcessive]

You’re welcome.