HELP - Sudden Onset of Strident Wheeze

[SpicyNiblet]

5 month old hen fine this morning, eating and drinking fine, gave an egg this morning.

Now she's making this horrible noise, see video.

Doesn't seem to be distressed, still eating and drinking. Just this awful sound.

Is there anything we can do to help her, and does anyone know what might have happened?

 

[Stravager]

Have you checked inside her beak for any blockages? Shined a light in her nostrils? If you open her beak and smell, is there any odor?

 

[SpicyNiblet]

Yes, we've done all these things. Definitely not impacted or sour crop.

 

[Stravager]

...My first worst case scenario is either a chest infection or gapeworm, but gapeworm is pretty rare from what I understand. I'm going to tag @Eggcessive on this one for their expertise. Keep monitoring her for the meantime and see if she improves at all. If it was a piece of stuck food or something she inhaled it could clear up on its own.

 

[SpicyNiblet]

Thank you for the help. We do appreciate it

 

[SpicyNiblet]

Should also say she has been separated from the other chickids. She is able to eat, drink, poop (regular and cecal). We have since stopped the food though. We just wanted to see if she could eat.

We also gave two eyedroppers of melted coconut oil, spaced approximately 30 minutes apart.

She is acting completely normal.

 

[Eggcessive]

I would place her back with the flock. Continue to observe her, but stridor is a sound that can occur when they have inhaled a small piece of feed. It also may occur with mucus or swollen airway from a respiratory infection, but most times it is from inhaling feed. It hopefully will clear up in a few hours or overnight. Let us know how she is doing in the morning.

 

[SamLockwood]

It sounds like stridor. I had a hen this spring that sounded worse than that (she was groaning like a damned soul). I isolated her overnight and she was fine by the morning. Apparently they can get feed or other small objects lodged in the airway and it makes that sound. Eventually they usually cough it up on their own.