Help! What's wrong with her?

[dawg53]

Look for mold inside the coop, in corners particularly. What do you use for bedding?
Also look for mold inside feed sacks. If you see clumps in the feed, no matter what the size, it means that it was wet and then dried out. If that's the case return the feed where you bought it and get a refund or exchange it for another sack of feed.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Look for mold inside the coop, in corners particularly. What do you use for bedding?
Also look for mold inside feed sacks. If you see clumps in the feed, no matter what the size, it means that it was wet and then dried out. If that's the case return the feed where you bought it and get a refund or exchange it for another sack of feed.

Oh gosh. Their food did have some clumps in it. I got it from our local feed store. It was a discount bag that had been opened by presumably mice. He just gave it to me because he couldn't sell it. And ok, i will inspect their coop. Even if i dont see anything, is there a way i can disinfectant it? Or ill even move it to a fresh spot as well. Surely my husband can tackle it with the tractor. Oh, and i use haybfor bedding, but recently added pine shavings.

 

[dawg53]

There might be mold spores in the feed that you cant see. I'd dispose of it if I were you since it was given to you for free.
Now I'm wondering if mold spores have somehow affected the hens air sacs or lungs causing the gaping and breathing issues you're seeing. I'm not sure.

It's easy to disinfect the inside of a coop. Put bleachwater in a sprayer and spray the inside of the coop, that simple. It'll also kill poultry external parasites and other bugs if they are present.
Be sure to first to remove all bedding including from nest boxes and dispose of it far from the coop/pen or incinerate it.
Pine shavings: I used to use it as bedding but some of my birds started eating and swallowing them. I got rid of it and switched to sand years ago and havnt looked back since.
Is it possible your hens ate pine shaving and might be lodged in the esophagus or crop?

Just for your information regarding gapeworms. Birds shake their heads and sometimes scratch their necks (besides neck stretching & gaping) to try to loosen the worms. Of course it doesnt work.

Since it's been wet and muddy soil etc where you live...I'd be more concerned about roundworms. I live near the swamp and deal with the heat and humidity most of the year. I worm my birds monthly.
I just wanted to point this out and not get too far off subject.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

There might be mold spores in the feed that you cant see. I'd dispose of it if I were you since it was given to you for free.
Now I'm wondering if mold spores have somehow affected the hens air sacs or lungs causing the gaping and breathing issues you're seeing. I'm not sure.

It's easy to disinfect the inside of a coop. Put bleachwater in a sprayer and spray the inside of the coop, that simple. It'll also kill poultry external parasites and other bugs if they are present.
Be sure to first to remove all bedding including from nest boxes and dispose of it far from the coop/pen or incinerate it.
Pine shavings: I used to use it as bedding but some of my birds started eating and swallowing them. I got rid of it and switched to sand years ago and havnt looked back since.
Is it possible your hens ate pine shaving and might be lodged in the esophagus or crop?

Just for your information regarding gapeworms. Birds shake their heads and sometimes scratch their necks (besides neck stretching & gaping) to try to loosen the worms. Of course it doesnt work.

Since it's been wet and muddy soil etc where you live...I'd be more concerned about roundworms. I live near the swamp and deal with the heat and humidity most of the year. I worm my birds monthly.
I just wanted to point this out and not get too far off subject.

The mold and fungi would make more sense to me with the timelines or weather and feed. The feed has been gone for days. Ill get their coop cleaned and disinfected asap though. I havnt noticed them pecking at the pine shavings. They were very skeptical to even walk on it for the first couple days. What dewormer would you recommend? Im not familiar with off lable ones. Also, is there anything herbal/medicinal i can maybe add to their water or something that might help with their respiratory system or even general immune system for a boost. Or specifically to treat symptoms of bacterial or fungal infections? Id like to treat for everything that could be on the checklist, just incase. Its also their first spring as mature layers, so theyre still kinda new to the elements and such.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

We took a road trip about an hour and a half to 2 hours away. They have a rural king and much more selections of farm supply stores. We were limited to 1 small tractor supply and a dollar general back home, lol. Any recommendations? Goat wormer? Horse stuff? Cow stuff? What do i need to get?

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Ok i kinda just grabbed some things. The VetRx was in the pultry stuff, so i thought it could benefit. I read about the Ivermectin but idk if this is anything remotely close to what i can use??? Lol

 

[Peas4Ducks]

The University is 3 and a half hours away. I'm not sure if i could find the time to take her up there. I have 4 kids, my husband works night, its softball season so were slammed with practices and crap every weekend. Id definitely want to know what we're dealing with though. I wander if theres a way i can ship to them? Prolly not huh..

You can ship—here’s the site. Again, fingers crossed it doesn’t come to that!

 

[CoopsNPoops]

You can ship—here’s the site. Again, fingers crossed it doesn’t come to that!

Yea. I went through the universities site. The department of agriculture will also ship samples to test. Their fecal float is $15. They do all testing, but alot will have to be shipped overnight on ice. Id prolly get more clear cut answers with them rather than my small local vet clinics.

 

[Peas4Ducks]

Yea. I went through the universities site. The department of agriculture will also ship samples to test. Their fecal float is $15. They do all testing, but alot will have to be shipped overnight on ice. Id prolly get more clear cut answers with them rather than my small local vet clinics.

I think you would. And maybe you could call the Avian Pathology department to see if they could recommend a treatment plan? That’s probably not the kind of thing they do but potentially worth a try.

 

[CoopsNPoops]

Ok. A little update. When i got home, i gave her liquid safeguard, the flock fixer water, a few drops of the VetRx orally, and rubbed some on her head and around her nostrils too. Her crop was empty again, so i figured id try to see if she would eat something. She nibbled a little on the hardboiled egg yolk, but i offered her a raw egg yold and she went to town! She probably ate a whole raw egg, plus another raw egg yolk. She did choke and cough when she took to big of bites, otherwise she had to take breaks to gasp. I took some videos. She seemed to feel a bit better and start preening herself for the first time in 2 days. The "gasping" actually seems like an exhale rather than an ingale gasp for breath, if im not mistaken. I listened close and im pretty sure i can hear her inhaling through her nose and the exhale is when she so called gasps. Anyways, she is resting in my bathroom again tonight. Tomorrow is a big day treating the rest of the flock as well as cleaning, disinfecting, and moving the coop to a fresh area. Will update again.

https://youtube.com/shorts/rOlakSHULOY?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/hqtJGHOTpx4?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/dyNP__Gsy88?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/wSPV5d1nUxE?feature=share