hen gasping for air

[heritage honey farm]

My hen which is about 5-6 years old is gasping for air.
This has been going on for a few days and was bad
in the morning and cleared with warmer temperature, but
now is all day. It is around freezing temperature now.
She is not eating or drinking at all and has bad breath.
Her crop is empty.
I looked down her throat and put a q tip down with nothing there.
I have given her some syringes with water and vitamins.

 

[Kiki]

Welcome to BYC.
It sounds like she is very ill.

I am sorry.


Can you upload a video of how she is breathing to YouTube?

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Can you post a picture or two of her including the face when you get a chance? Is there any bubbles in an eye, sneeze or cough, or swelling of the eyelids? Have you seen any wet conditions or mold around your coop or bedding? Aspergillosis an fungal infection might be a possible problem. But there are other respiratory diseases as well with different symptoms.

 

[heritage honey farm]

Welcome to BYC. Can you post a picture or two of her including the face when you get a chance? Is there any bubbles in an eye, sneeze or cough, or swelling of the eyelids? Have you seen any wet conditions or mold around your coop or bedding? Aspergillosis an fungal infection might be a possible problem. But there are other respiratory diseases as well with different symptoms.

Welcome to BYC. Can you post a picture or two of her including the face when you get a chance? Is there any bubbles in an eye, sneeze or cough, or swelling of the eyelids? Have you seen any wet conditions or mold around your coop or bedding? Aspergillosis an fungal infection might be a possible problem. But there are other respiratory diseases as well with different symptoms.

 

[heritage honey farm]

She does not have bubbles around her eyes.
The coop has wood shavings and has not been thoroughly cleaned out in a couple of months. I clean the sleeping area 1-2 times per week.

 

[heritage honey farm]

The hen is worse today and I think she will die today.
We have had others die like this over the past couple of years. The avian inspector came out and did a necrospy on one bird and found nothing wrong other than she was dead. She inspected our coop and run area and was not finding anything wrong.
Any ideas?

 

[Henry&Friends]

The hen is worse today and I think she will die today.
We have had others die like this over the past couple of years. The avian inspector came out and did a necrospy on one bird and found nothing wrong other than she was dead. She inspected our coop and run area and was not finding anything wrong.
Any ideas?

The coop has wood shavings and has not been thoroughly cleaned out in a couple of months.

I would clean out the shavings as best as I could. When did the avian inspector come? Sorry about your hen I hope you figure this out

 

[heritage honey farm]

I would clean out the shavings as best as I could. When did the avian inspector come? Sorry about your hen I hope you figure this out

I would clean out the shavings as best as I could. When did the avian inspector come? Sorry about your hen I hope you figure this out

The avian inspector came a little over a year ago.

 

[Henry&Friends]

The avian inspector came a little over a year ago.

how is your hen doing right now?

 

[Eggcessive]

Are you outside the US? Can you look to see if she has an enlarged or tight swollen lower belly that might be a sign of ascites or watery belly? Sorry that she is worse. There are other things that may cause gasping than respiratory diseases. Some people do their own necropsies at home, to open the abdomen, take pictures of the abdominal organs, and post those her for ideas. Internal laying, salpingitis, and cancer are all very common in older hens. If there is tightness in the lower belly from ascites, it can be drained with a large 18 or 16 gauge needle to relieve pressure and ease breathing.