Hen breathing hard and lethargic

[KrystalRose]

I have a hen who is breathing hard and it sounds like she has crap in her lungs, like she accidently inhaled water or something, she is lethargic also. I have had a couple problems with Cocci before so I immediately treated with corid because it wont hurt if that's not the problem and if that is the problem the sooner the treatment the better. She doesn't have worms or mites or lice, she is on organic feed with choice grit and oyster shell, and probiotics/vitamins for layer hens if their water. They are in an enclosed coop and run with plenty of space and I clean out the coop every 2-3 weeks. I any ideas of what it could be or am I on track with the corid treatment? Also she has a soft squishy crop, but not sure if that's because she didn't eat much this afternoon from not feeling good? Or could this be a crop problem? if so how are those treated?

I don't know what the deal is, I have had to treat my flock with corid several times the past few months, I don't know if the ground they are on is totally contaminated and they need to build up a super strong immune system or what?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Coccidiosis is from a protozoa that resides in the intestinal tract. It can't affect respiration in any way. By the time the birds mature, they're immune and shouldn't need treatment again. The only sign of coccidia is in the feces.
As a thiamine inhibitor, it can be a problem to over treat with Corid.
So what was the symptom that caused you to have to treat with Corid several times in the past few months?

Chickens have very small respiratory systems so any time there is a respiratory problem, the first thing I suspect is poor ventilation. You said they were in an enclosed coop. How enclosed? How many birds in the coop and how big are the openings?

 

[KrystalRose]

Well the other times I treated with corid, it didn't seem to be respiratory. It was more severe lethargy and that was it, I think the type of cocci in my soil is maybe not the kind that causes bloody poo. I understand that overmedicating is bad but I also have lost birds very quickly from cocci and not treating the minute I saw lethargy. I guess I figure they are like us, once they are compromised from something they are more susceptible to other things as well, so I like to nip it in the butt and eliminate the possibility. They have a well ventilated coop, they also have an outside run, both the coop and run are designed to fit about 2-3 times more chickens than I currently have. I did clean their coop on sunday but I made sure to leave the big door open while they investigated the new bedding for extra ventilation while they kicked up dust.

On a side note, by this morning, she was looking at me pecking at the door to the isolation area. As spry and energetic as ever wanting to get back to the nesting boxes to lay an egg for the day! So I don't know? Maybe she just inhaled something weird or water or something and it cleared up overnight. But now I have a different chicken doing the exact same thing, so now she is in isolation. We will see if she clears up as well.