Hen breathing with her beak open and making squeaking noise when being held. Advice needed, please.

tarahharlin

Songster
9 Years
Dec 29, 2014
186
228
232
Salt Lake City, UT
My Coop
My Coop
I have a Buff Orpington that starts to breath with her beak open when sitting on my lap, laying down, pecking the ground, or when she's being held. She has done this occasionally on and off for quite a while now, but just recently it has gotten more frequent and now she makes a squeaking noise. Respiratory issues had crossed my mind, but it's not consistent and she only does it when she does these certain things. I felt her abdomen and it does feel bigger than normal, but I'm also having a hard time telling because she is so fluffy and her tummy has always felt a little larger than some of my other hens.

A little back history on her....She'll be 5 years old this spring and hasn't laid an egg for about a year now. Earlier this summer, I had taken her into the vet to have an xray done because she was acting off i had a gut feeling she had some sort of internal issue...cancer, tumors, repro issues, etc... My suspicions were confirmed and vet did see a tumor on the xray. However, once we got past this episode, she seemed to be doing pretty good. So, other than this, she seems to act pretty normal...eating, drinking, gets excited for treats, gives pecks to the others to remind them whose queen. I feel like when she does those activities there must be some pressure that's causing her to breath like that. I just don't want her to be in any pain, or discomfort, but at the same time, it doesn't seem like her time to go yet. Do you think taking her into the vet to see if there's any fluid that can be drained would be a good idea? I also understand that draining is a temporary fix. Are there any other options/treatments? Any advice would greatly be appreciated.
 
I would say that the tumor seen on xray or ascites is probably the reason for her labored breathing. If you going back to the vet, they could try removing some fluid if there is any. They might consider euthanizing her if they cannot help her. Could the mass seen on xray have been her gizzard? Oviduct and other cancers are common in hens. Honestly many of the various problems in chickens are not known until a necropsy is performed after death. You can do one yourself, and take pictures of the organs, or have your state vet do a thorough one with testing. Here is a YouTube video on draining a hen:
 
I think you are right that certain positions are putting pressure on her respiratory system. Do you have the X-rays from the previous veterinary visit that we could see, as that might help us figure out what is going on?
The fact that she hasn't laid an egg for almost a year is telling and suggests that there is a reproductive issue. If there was a tumour/cancer I would have expected her to succumb before now, so the mass the vet saw may well have been a build up of egg material due to internal laying or perhaps Salpingitis. The fact that she improved a bit after the vets visit also suggests that it may have been a reproductive issue because once ovulation stops the body is able to recover a little, so perhaps the stress of going to the vets knocked her "off lay". Unfortunately with these reproductive disorders, it catches up with them sooner or later. Some can go over a year whilst others go down hill after just a few weeks.
I think it may be worth trying to drain her if her belly between her legs feels full. If you cup your hand between her legs from behind whilst she is roosting and then check other birds either side for comparison, it should be fairly obvious. It will usually feel like a water balloon if it is ascites and it will also make the bird somewhat heavier than normal.... water is heavier than fat.... so you may notice that she has gained weight if she is often on your knee or you pick her up regularly.
 
I would say that the tumor seen on xray or ascites is probably the reason for her labored breathing. If you going back to the vet, they could try removing some fluid if there is any. They might consider euthanizing her if they cannot help her. Could the mass seen on xray have been her gizzard? Oviduct and other cancers are common in hens. Honestly many of the various problems in chickens are not known until a necropsy is performed after death. You can do one yourself, and take pictures of the organs, or have your state vet do a thorough one with testing. Here is a YouTube video on draining a hen:
If I remember correctly, I thought I remember him pointing out her gizzard on the X-ray, but I may be wrong too. The vet only did one X-ray because I couldn't afford a big vet bill for something that was more than likely not treatable, so he did his best to get one good image. From that one he said it looked like a tumor, which could be from cancer, mareks, avian leukosis, etc...
Other than when there's pressure on her, she runs around just fine and seems to be doing okay, which is the only reason why I'm considering seeing if there's anything that can be drained. Honestly, I'm sometimes surprised she's still here because it was last winter when I first noticed some bright green poop. My heart sank when I saw that because I know that's never a good sign and when I lost my RIR to repro issues, it all started with the green poop. Thanks for your reply and the video...I'm saving that one!
 
I think you are right that certain positions are putting pressure on her respiratory system. Do you have the X-rays from the previous veterinary visit that we could see, as that might help us figure out what is going on?
The fact that she hasn't laid an egg for almost a year is telling and suggests that there is a reproductive issue. If there was a tumour/cancer I would have expected her to succumb before now, so the mass the vet saw may well have been a build up of egg material due to internal laying or perhaps Salpingitis. The fact that she improved a bit after the vets visit also suggests that it may have been a reproductive issue because once ovulation stops the body is able to recover a little, so perhaps the stress of going to the vets knocked her "off lay". Unfortunately with these reproductive disorders, it catches up with them sooner or later. Some can go over a year whilst others go down hill after just a few weeks.
I think it may be worth trying to drain her if her belly between her legs feels full. If you cup your hand between her legs from behind whilst she is roosting and then check other birds either side for comparison, it should be fairly obvious. It will usually feel like a water balloon if it is ascites and it will also make the bird somewhat heavier than normal.... water is heavier than fat.... so you may notice that she has gained weight if she is often on your knee or you pick her up regularly.
I don't have the xray, but I could contact them to see if I could get a copy. Yeah, summer 2017 was the last time she laid an egg and she just never started back up after her molt. When I had taken her to the vet this summer, her crop was also not emptying completely. The vet recommended psyllium husk powder, so that did end up helping and and eventually she was acting her old self again. It breaks my heart all the reproductive issues they can suffer. I lost my RIR a few years ago to that and with hers, it all went down within a few months time.
I'll feel her tummy again and compare it to the others and go from there. Thanks so much for your help!
 
Crop problems are common as a result of reproductive disorders. The lower gut gets pinched by the build up of egg material in the oviduct or abdominal cavity and slows the passage of waste which then backs up the whole system. If she had a tumour I would expect her to have some dramatic muscle wastage which you would notice in her breast muscle and her keel bone would be becoming prominent after this length of time. It sounds like your vet is reasonably knowledgeable about poultry though since he mentioned Marek's and LL but a single shadow could just as easily be an impacted oviduct due to salpingitis. Once that happens any more eggs yolks that are produced cannot get past the blockage in the oviduct and so, drop into the abdominal cavity. They can float around in there for months without becoming infected and apart from the bird becoming a bit bloated which is often not apparent with all those feathers and perhaps starting to walk with a wider legged stance as their legs get pushed apart by the build up, they function relatively normally. Annual moult halts ovulation and the bird's condition will sometimes improve. The thing to watch for is her comb turning plump and bright red, which indicates her ovaries are starting to produce yolks again and the situation will start to get worse again. If a bird has a nice bright red fleshy comb in the spring and summer but you are not seeing eggs from her, there is usually an issue like this going on.
 
Is there any treatment for an impacted oviduct? As far as fluid buildup, is that something that can ever go away on it's own, or does it stay there and build until it's drained?
Her keel bone does feel quite prominent and she doesn't seem to have the muscle like the other girls though she hasn't had significant weight loss. Since she stopped laying, her comb is pale and tiny.
 
I did check her tummy again this morning and compared it with the other girls...it does feel quite a bit bigger. I got her a vet appt for this afternoon, so we’ll see if they can drain anything.
 
Is there any treatment for an impacted oviduct? As far as fluid buildup, is that something that can ever go away on it's own, or does it stay there and build until it's drained?
Her keel bone does feel quite prominent and she doesn't seem to have the muscle like the other girls though she hasn't had significant weight loss. Since she stopped laying, her comb is pale and tiny.
Surgery is a possibility for an impacted oviduct but seriously expensive and also very risky so I would not advise it. Hormonal implants can be used which prevent ovulation and therefore stop a condition like that getting any worse but will not cure it. They have to be replaced every 3-6 months by a vet and cost between $100-£150 a shot incl vet fees I believe, but if her comb has not been plump and red during the spring and summer then she may indeed have a slow growing tumour or perhaps ovarian cysts which are preventing her being well enough to ovulate or have damaged her ovary and it can no longer produce follicles.
I would be interested to see a copy of the x ray if you are able to obtain it and would appreciate it if you can update this thread with the result of your veterinary visit. Obviously we can't see or feel your girl so we can only speculate what may be going on inside her but it is helpful if people post follow up reports so that we can try to learn from them.
Good luck at the vet's. I hope they are able to draw some fluid off and make her a little more comfortable. :fl
 

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