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

[tarahharlin]

She died yesterday. I had her in a basket with towels on the car ride to the vet, so she would be able to freely stand and not have to lay down and have the pressure cause her labored breathing. On the way there, she kept laying down and her breathing was labored. I tried to get to the vet as fast as i could, but when I got there and got her out of the car to try and get her to stand up, she just fell over. The vet put her on oxygen and she died shortly after. The vet said she did have a lot of fluid built up that was probably a result from the mass/cancer inside her and that she more than likely would've passed within the next few days. I'm still in complete shock and just heartbroken. I did not expect any of that to happen and I feel guilty for even taking her in and I feel guilty that I couldn't tell earlier that her tummy was filling with that much fluid. The hard part is, when she was standing and walking around, she seemed okay. She ran up to me when I got home yesterday and was pecking the snow before going to the vet. I guess it just goes to show how truly well they can hide their illness. She was part of of my first flock, she was the flock leader and she was my lap chicken. She was loved and will definitely be missed.

 

[azygous]

Please, please try not to feel guilty. I'm guessing from the sound of her symptoms and death that she had lymphotic leucosis. I have this virus in my flock, and it's killed my chickens from time to time. A couple of times, death occurred as I was handling the chicken when I heard the type of breathing sounds you describe. The death is coincidental, caused by the tumors, not from being handled. Sometimes a chicken with these tumors is just hanging on by a thread and handling somehow pushes them that last little distance.

I would have asked the vet to either perform a necropsy or send the hen's body to a lab to confirm the disease that caused the death. Your flock has been exposed to whatever killed this hen and you should have this information to manage their health and well being.

 

[Eggcessive]

I am so sorry that you lost her, but she is not in pain or suffering anymore. Unfortunately so many of my older hens die of one of the various reproductive disorders. Most have not cure. Oviduct cancer is one of the most common cancers. I try to make them as comfortable as possible when nothing can be done. You were fortunate to have vet care. When I lose a hen, I do my own necropsies to look for clues as to what disease they may have. Here are some articles about reproductive disorders, such as salpingitis, egg yolk peritonitis, and internal laying:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/egg-peritonitis

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/oviduct-impaction

https://wagwalking.com/bird/condition/impacted-oviduct

https://www.merckvetmanual.com/poul...oplasia-of-the-reproductive-system-in-poultry

https://watermark.silverchair.com/p...zHN7gDfwQkD3SREQUMOh4g57RG3okb8V0ijD3NRmqkWVQ

 

[Wyorp Rock]

So sorry.
What a sweet photo.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

It would be nice for you to know what afflicted her.
Here is your lab contact info.
Utah Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory
Utah State University
950 E. 1400 North
Logan, Utah 84341-2877
Phone: 435-797-1895

 

[rebrascora]

I'm so very sorry you lost her. At least she had been able to remain part of the flock almost right to the end and you should not in any way feel guilty. You were on your way to the vets to get her medical assistance, which is beyond what many of us would consider doing for a chicken. She had an incurable disease of some kind, I think we can all agree on that, so she was going to die sooner or later.
Knowing what it was that caused it would have been helpful going forward, especially as many chicken cancers are virus related. Having that info and being able to research, enables you to manage your remaining flock in a way that minimises the risks to them. You could possibly even consider it a positive (even if it is a virus) to come out of a sad loss. Knowledge is power in these situations. I know you are probably too heart broken to take all this in at the moment, but it is worth considering getting a necropsy by your state lab who have the knowledge and testing facilities and many are subsidised because chickens are considered part of the food chain, so it can be relatively inexpensive or even free in some states. Worth a phone call to enquire in my opinion.

 

[tarahharlin]

Thank you all so much for the kind words and again, thanks for all the wonderful advice and information you provided me. It really is truly appreciated! When this all happened, I was so caught off guard and in shock and everything felt so chaotic, that I didn't even think straight to ask if the vet could perform a necropsy, or at least send her off for me, so she was buried at home. I am really regretting that decision as it would've been good information to have and know. Say it were a virus, how would you handle your flock differently? Would you choose not to add new chicks?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Day old chicks aren't likely to have a communicable disease. Older birds should be assumed to have something that would require quarantine. (as long as possible, as far from your birds as possible)
About all you can do with a virus is supportive care. Keep warm, hydrated and well fed. Ventilation is of primary importance. My birds have huge ventilation in all buildings and I've never experienced a respiratory illness.
Sending the bird directly to the state lab is much cheaper and faster than going through a vet.
You can prophylactically call them and see if they will send you a FedEx label for shipping and how they want it packaged. Always refrigerate (not freeze) the carcass. I usually keep a small Styrofoam lined box on hand and a freezer pack ready to go. This time of year it isn't as critical to keep the carcass cool.

 

[tarahharlin]

Day old chicks aren't likely to have a communicable disease. Older birds should be assumed to have something that would require quarantine. (as long as possible, as far from your birds as possible)
About all you can do with a virus is supportive care. Keep warm, hydrated and well fed. Ventilation is of primary importance. My birds have huge ventilation in all buildings and I've never experienced a respiratory illness.
Sending the bird directly to the state lab is much cheaper and faster than going through a vet.
You can prophylactically call them and see if they will send you a FedEx label for shipping and how they want it packaged. Always refrigerate (not freeze) the carcass. I usually keep a small Styrofoam lined box on hand and a freezer pack ready to go. This time of year it isn't as critical to keep the carcass cool.

I only add new birds as little chicks and have never added any older birds, so that won't be an issue. I didn't have have any of those items on hand, or ready, since I was so not expecting this to happen just yet, so she was buried. I suppose at this point it's too late? That is a great idea to have those items on hand and i should probably do the same. I was researching the info on their website regarding shipping, packaging, etc...

 

[Wyorp Rock]

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.

I am really regretting that decision as it would've been good information to have and know. Say it were a virus, how would you handle your flock differently? Would you choose not to add new chicks

Again, I'm sorry for your loss
Getting information about what the tumor/mass that was seen on the xray is always a good idea.

I didn't add much to your thread since you were already getting good suggestions/input.
At almost 5yrs of age and the description in the thread, I would agree that likely she was suffering from reproductive problems. Which one, we could only guess, a look see in the abdomen may help clear up some questions.

Is there a reason why you would think this is a virus?
Personally, yes, I would add chicks to the flock. Either hatch my own or source them from a hatchery.

While some reproductive problems like Salpingitis can be a result of diseases like Mycoplasma (bacterial) or Infectious Bronchitis (virus), there are other bacterial infections that can cause the same thing - basically bacteria (E. Coli?) is introduced into the oviduct. Not uncommon when you think about how a vent on a chicken works.
You don't know the cause of what was seen on the xray to begin with, unless you get specifics, e.i. a report from the vet/state lab, it's all speculation at best.

Just my 2¢