Hen humming on breath in and breath out

There are two little openings in a chicken's throat, one for air and one for food. Since the oil soaked bread didn't do anything, she may have an obstruction just in front of her larynx.

You will need a helper to hold the hen while you pry open her beak wide. Once it's open, your helper can easily hold it open while you look in with a bright light. Have tweezers handy in case you see anything. Look for a thin hair, human or horse or dog, perhaps wrapped around the tongue. Also check for thick mucous or plaque coating the throat and tongue or any lesions.

Another cause could be a full crop that is not emptying. Check in the morning to be sure this isn't the problem. The crop should be empty and flat against her chest.

We had a similar thread just a few weeks ago. The hen was whistling with each breath. Sometime during the night, the obstruction cleared on its own. Perhaps by morning when you check her crop, she will have cleared up her airway on her own.

 

Try to take a couple of photos with good lighting. We'll be waiting to see and hear what you find.

 

Listen to this video starting at 50 seconds, and listen for a high pitched wheezy sound which is called stridor. It is accompanied by a frequent sneeze as well. If your chicken is having stridor, that sound can be made when they have something in their airway, such as mucus, a piece of food, or swelling. Most cases of stridor clear after a couple of hours with a good cough, but sometimes they can be a sign of a respiratory infection, especially if you hear sneezing as well. Some antibiotics can be obtained online for respiratory infections. Tylan 50 injectable is usually available in cattle medicine sections of feed stores.

 

Nine times out of ten, in threads posted here, people report that it stops within hours or overnight. I have seen a particular hen of mine who seemed to wolf her food, and has done it as well. If it persists, or she gets more symptoms, such as bubbles in an eye, gasping, or nasal drainage, then we can discuss antibiotics.