Hen gasping for air, no vet available

[Wyorp Rock]

We soon noticed that the rooster had a runny "nose". By the next day, half my flock was acting sickly as well (runny nose, wheezing, sneezing, not eating much, not very active). Most of them recovered in a couple of days, but I have one hen (Buff Orpington) that is really struggling. She has been gasping for air for the last 4 days, and I hate to see her struggling like that.

She is gasping. Standing or lying down, she stretches out her neck and opens her mouth wide to get a breath. Then does that again with every breath. I just ordered some Tiagard based on another thread

I’m so sorry to hear about your chicken. I do not have experience with respiratory issues, so I am going to tag some folks for help. @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @azygous

For now, I agree on the electrolytes and supportive care. Get her somewhere warm if you can, a crate inside maybe if it isn’t too stressful.

Sorry to hear she's not doing well.

Since the others have all recovered and doing fairly well now, I wonder if she may have something else going on in addition to respiratory infection.

What does her crop feel like, any lice or mites, when was her last egg, does she have any bloat or feeling of fluid in the abdomen below the vent between the legs?

Mycoplasma does come to mind, if that is what is affecting her, then the Tiagard (Tiamulin) should help with symptoms. Tiamulin is very bitter, so sweeten it with juice or Karo Syrup, follow the dosing on the bottle.
Tylosin is also commonly used to treat symptoms of MG, I've included a link below if you wish to get some of that.

https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder?_pos=1&_sid=a59697554&_ss=r

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

Despite claims from people trying to sell it, colloidal silver is not proven safe to be consumed or used externally. Colloidal silver is used in embalming dead bodies and has no other wide use. In fact, the silver in the blood stream often accumulates in the liver and skin particles, turning people literally blue. There are some who have died (cultists) from ingesting large amounts of colloidal silver.

Tractor Supply carries vet RX. You can administer it orally as well as on the comb and underneath the wings. It's like Vicks. I also I'm a big fan of colloidal silver. I administer that directly in the mouth several times a day if needed.

 

[casportpony]

Despite claims from people trying to sell it, colloidal silver is not proven safe to be consumed or used externally. Colloidal silver is used in embalming dead bodies and has no other wide use. In fact, the silver in the blood stream often accumulates in the liver and skin particles, turning people literally blue. There are some who have died (cultists) from ingesting large amounts of colloidal silver.

I won't use it either.

 

[CountryLife4Me]

Sorry to hear she's not doing well.

Since the others have all recovered and doing fairly well now, I wonder if she may have something else going on in addition to respiratory infection.

What does her crop feel like, any lice or mites, when was her last egg, does she have any bloat or feeling of fluid in the abdomen below the vent between the legs?

Mycoplasma does come to mind, if that is what is affecting her, then the Tiagard (Tiamulin) should help with symptoms. Tiamulin is very bitter, so sweeten it with juice or Karo Syrup, follow the dosing on the bottle.
Tylosin is also commonly used to treat symptoms of MG, I've included a link below if you wish to get some of that.

https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder?_pos=1&_sid=a59697554&_ss=r

Thank you so much! I ordered the Tylosin. I hadn't been able to find it without a prescription. Just hope it gets here in time.

All egg laying stopped as soon as the birds got sick. No one has laid an egg in a week. I don't see any signs of lice, mites or any other issues. And since several of the birds had the same symptoms as her, I'm assuming they all have the same respiratory issue that the rooster brought in. The other hens just bounced back better than the orpington. They are all still sluggish and wheezing a bit, but she has it much worse than the others. The others are still eating and drinking and scratching around a little. I think I need to treat them all with the Tylosin when it gets here. The orpington does seem to be gasping less aggressively after giving her the VetRx and sugar water last night. Hopefully it is helping her breath better until the Tylosin arrives.

 

[Strawberry74]

Thank you so much! I ordered the Tylosin. I hadn't been able to find it without a prescription. Just hope it gets here in time.

All egg laying stopped as soon as the birds got sick. No one has laid an egg in a week. I don't see any signs of lice, mites or any other issues. And since several of the birds had the same symptoms as her, I'm assuming they all have the same respiratory issue that the rooster brought in. The other hens just bounced back better than the orpington. They are all still sluggish and wheezing a bit, but she has it much worse than the others. The others are still eating and drinking and scratching around a little. I think I need to treat them all with the Tylosin when it gets here. The orpington does seem to be gasping less aggressively after giving her the VetRx and sugar water last night. Hopefully it is helping her breath better until the Tylosin arrives.

I am glad to hear her breathing has improved a bit! Keep us all posted!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you so much! I ordered the Tylosin. I hadn't been able to find it without a prescription. Just hope it gets here in time.

All egg laying stopped as soon as the birds got sick. No one has laid an egg in a week. I don't see any signs of lice, mites or any other issues. And since several of the birds had the same symptoms as her, I'm assuming they all have the same respiratory issue that the rooster brought in. The other hens just bounced back better than the orpington. They are all still sluggish and wheezing a bit, but she has it much worse than the others. The others are still eating and drinking and scratching around a little. I think I need to treat them all with the Tylosin when it gets here. The orpington does seem to be gasping less aggressively after giving her the VetRx and sugar water last night. Hopefully it is helping her breath better until the Tylosin arrives.

I agree, I'd treat them all if they are still showing symptoms.

 

[Strawberry74]

@CountryLife4Me How is your girl? Are the rest still doing well?

 

[GreatGrandPa]

Hello. I'm hoping someone can help me. I recently added a rooster to my flock of 17 hens. They are about 7 months old and were in perfect health. I did not realize that you should quarantine new birds, and I added the rooster right into my flock. We soon noticed that the rooster had a runny "nose". By the next day, half my flock was acting sickly as well (runny nose, wheezing, sneezing, not eating much, not very active). Most of them recovered in a couple of days, but I have one hen (Buff Orpington) that is really struggling. She has been gasping for air for the last 4 days, and I hate to see her struggling like that. I've called all the vets in my area and none of them see chickens. I've googled every home remedy possible and tried adding herbs to their food and electrolytes, probiotics and AC vinegar in their water. Does anyone know of anything else I can do? Any medication available without a prescription? TIA!

Well, some are going to frown on this, but, find some low dose 81mg Bayer aspirin, give direct down the beak. Add 1 to the water, ground up. If you’re using bedding that creates a lot of dust STOP! Also, Apple Cider vinegar with the mother into the water helps tremendously. I lost a hen to this, had wrens, other small wild birds getting through the wire. Purchased online some garden netting with 1/2 holes, over the existing wire, stopped that. Now, my hens are healthy again, bright red combs and waddles. Also, using a recipe that includes pellets, vegetables, and spices. They love it! They run to the run pen when they see me with it. Good luck, Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[CountryLife4Me]

@CountryLife4Me How is your girl? Are the rest still doing well?

The Tiagard arrived last night, and I was able to get a dose in her before bed. I really thought she would not make it through the night. She just seemed exhausted. I feel SO bad for her. If the meds hadn't come in yesterday, I probably would've put her down, but I wanted to see if they would work. This morning, she was still hanging on. She's definitely still very sick, but she ate a little bit of scratch that I put out and has been preening herself some today. Two behaviors I haven't seen in a week. So even though she's suffering, I feel like I should give it some more time. I'm really hoping the second dose of meds tonight will help her turn the corner. I know one thing, she is one tough girl! The others are improving every day! Thank you for asking!

 

[CountryLife4Me]

Well, some are going to frown on this, but, find some low dose 81mg Bayer aspirin, give direct down the beak. Add 1 to the water, ground up. If you’re using bedding that creates a lot of dust STOP! Also, Apple Cider vinegar with the mother into the water helps tremendously. I lost a hen to this, had wrens, other small wild birds getting through the wire. Purchased online some garden netting with 1/2 holes, over the existing wire, stopped that. Now, my hens are healthy again, bright red combs and waddles. Also, using a recipe that includes pellets, vegetables, and spices. They love it! They run to the run pen when they see me with it. Good luck, Happy Thanksgiving.

Thanks for the info. I'm willing to try anything at this point.