HELP - Weird Noise and not eating - WHAT'S WRONG

[Michael Apple]

A worm for me to look up, gongylonema ingluvicola can grow up to 2.2 inches. That's a long worm to infect the crop/esophagus. Take a look at the treatment:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gongylonema_ingluvicola

Albendazole

When we think of parasitic worms, we think of the most common ones here in the states like large rounds, cecals, and occasionally tapes. Capillary worms and those Gong worms are nasty little things. Nothing lower than a parasite. Wipe 'em out!

 

[EggresiveAli]

How is she?

 

[casportpony]

@fatcatx , Suggestion... get another chicken and check it's throat. That will give you an idea of what it should feel like.

-Kathy

 

[ZoeS95423]

Pretty scary that you all think this hen is trying to crow. This is a hen is respiratory distress, she is not trying to crow!

-Kathy

I misread the part that said 15 months. I had thought it was weeks.
I have never had a chicken do anything like this other than it was a young rooster trying to crow.

And I see it is not a rooster, as pointed out. So Sorry for the mistake.

 

[Eggcessive]

How would you tell ithe lump was in the trachea or the esophogus? We do not see anything looking down her throat (with light from above and side). The lump is just below the spot where her throat tissue narrows so it obstructs the view. We've tried massaging it but there is no change.


So the million dollar question is the lump in her esophogus and pushing on her trachea or the other way around?

Here is a good picture of a pea fowl's throat to give you an idea where the trachea is (the trachea is the large whole in front, and the esophagus is in back)

 

[fatcatx]

@fatcatx , Suggestion... get another chicken and check it's throat. That will give you an idea of what it should feel like.

-Kathy

We did the comparison which is how we discovered the lump. You can't see it but very noticeable when you feel her neck and compare it to her "sister" Lucy.

Here is a good picture of a pea fowl's throat to give you an idea where the trachea is (the trachea is the large whole in front, and the esophagus is in back.

Thanks for the pic! Very helpful. We will do another assessment and I will try and post pics when we get home from work.

 

[casportpony]

Here are some more pictures:







How To Crop Feed Your Bird Diagram





-Kathy

 

[fatcatx]

Here are some photos though I don't think they will be of much help. We could not get a good shot all the way down her throat but we looked down and we don't see anything obviously amiss. Tissue seems pink and healthy. I've circled below roughly where you can feel the swelling.

So my thoughts are either 1) the issue is just below where we can see down her throat or 2) it is in neither tube but a growth in her neck pressing on her esophogus and trachea.

 

[fatcatx]

Thank you for the crop-feeding pix. So far she is eating enough as long as we tear the food into small bits or cook it (like the oatmeal.) Hopefully it won't reach that point before we figure out the problem. What is the best product to syringe feed them?

 

[casportpony]

Thank you for the crop-feeding pix. So far she is eating enough as long as we tear the food into small bits or cook it (like the oatmeal.) Hopefully it won't reach that point before we figure out the problem. What is the best product to syringe feed them?

Pictures were just to help you understand what you're looking at, but I'm thinking maybe you don't need them, lol. However, if she were mine, I would be tube feeding her. Info on how to here:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/805728/go-team-tube-feeding

There is now way to safely syringe enough fluid to her (10% body weight per day), so tubing is what I would recommend if she isn't drinking or is losing weight.

-Kathy