Hen breathing heavy while sleeping

[Chickadeedeedeedee]

We have a small flock of 4. They all appear healthy by day, but one of the girls seems to breath heavily while asleep. I took a video from tonight (https://drive.google.com/file/d/17N3egWCgq-hVGVr0p2evtIkC-PiPsLLW/view?usp=drivesdk) with her head tucked but still heavily breathing, but other nights she has her head up and sometimes her beak slightly open. Otherwise she is acting very normal (except she keeps eating her own eggs!). It's not hot here and she does it even in a freshly cleaned coop. Should I be worried? Note: she's rather large and I've cut back on treats. Originally I thought it had to do with her size...

 

[TesoroSena]

We have a small flock of 4. They all appear healthy by day, but one of the girls seems to breath heavily while asleep. I took a video from tonight (I wasn't able to post it) with her head tucked but still heavily breathing, but other nights she has her head up and sometimes her beak slightly open. Otherwise she is acting very normal (except she keeps eating her own eggs!). It's not hot here and she does it even in a freshly cleaned coop. Should I be worried? Note: she's rather large and I've cut back on treats. Originally I thought it had to do with her size...

Hopefully she is just hot. Otherwise she may have gotten water up her nose. Listen closely when you can, and while she is breathing, can you hear a light, click as she breathes? How does her crop feel? Is it overly hard? Is there anything that may be stressing her out currently?

 

[Chickadeedeedeedee]

Hopefully she is just hot. Otherwise she may have gotten water up her nose. Listen closely when you can, and while she is breathing, can you hear a light, click as she breathes? How does her crop feel? Is it overly hard? Is there anything that may be stressing her out currently?

Thanks. She's definitely not hot. And I just noticed one other hen is sometimes breathing with her mouth open and these are our 2 big hens. Here's a link to the one breathing heavy. She's second from the left.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17N3egWCgq-hVGVr0p2evtIkC-PiPsLLW/view?usp=drivesdk

 

[TesoroSena]

She may actually be a little chilly, but the way she’s flicking her head a little bit I think she’s a little stressed about something, but I don’t think it’s a serious heelth problem. Were any new hens added recently? Or any hens token away? Were they moved or anything like that?

 

[TesoroSena]

She may actually be a little chilly, but the way she’s flicking her head a little bit I think she’s a little stressed about something, but I don’t think it’s a serious heelth problem. Were any new hens added recently? Or any hens token away? Were they moved or anything like that?

She’s also rocking a bit maybe it’s the perch?

 

[Chickadeedeedeedee]

She’s also rocking a bit maybe it’s the perch?

All great points to consider, thanks! Nothing has changed...no hens added or taken away and nobody has been moved. They have always happily roosted on a 2x4 with the 4" side up. Last check for lice or mites was good, but I'll check again. We've had so much rain recently it's been hard to get out there And get a good look at everything. I'm glad it doesn't SEEM like anything serious.

 

[TesoroSena]

All great points to consider, thanks! Nothing has changed...no hens added or taken away and nobody has been moved. They have always happily roosted on a 2x4 with the 4" side up. Last check for lice or mites was good, but I'll check again. We've had so much rain recently it's been hard to get out there And get a good look at everything. I'm glad it doesn't SEEM like anything serious.

Ohhh if she’s a bit on the older side she may be having respiratory issues with the damp season, but it should eventually go away… just keep tabs on her to make sure!

 

[aldarita]

I have an easter egger hen that does exactly what your hen does at night. I worried about her breathing when I noticed it. She does it every night and has been doing it for a long time. She's 7 years old, not laying anymore. During the day she is totally normal, eats well, roams around the yard with the others, dust bathes, etc. I would not be concerned, however try to listen when she breaths in case there is a respiratory issue and keep an eye on her behavior.

 

[Brenda Holdway]

Thanks. She's definitely not hot. And I just noticed one other hen is sometimes breathing with her mouth open and these are our 2 big hens. Here's a link to the one breathing heavy. She's second from the left.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17N3egWCgq-hVGVr0p2evtIkC-PiPsLLW/view?usp=drivesdk

My hens always do that when they are on the nest and sometimes when roosting. I have never had a problem with any of them breathing like that. If you watch the other hens they probably do it to.....

 

[StinkyAcres]

Did you ever figure out what was wrong? I have a hen, a large Brahma, who makes noise when she breathes and mouth breathes when I lift her up. It sounds like her nose is congested a bit. I don't know if this is the cause but I found she (and all my other chickens) had mites and I'm treating her for them. I'd check for mites again. They aren't as easy to find as I thought.