Hen making a gurgling sound! happened over night! please help me!

[Soleil_A]

Hi guys. this morning i checked on my girls and when i picked one of my chickens up, bertha (RIW, around 9-12 months, laying eggs but stopped in the past 2 days (i think)) when i picked her up she was making a gurgling sound and started to ‘cough/sneeze’. yesterday she was fine? should i separate her? is it fatal? i don’t know what i would do if i were to loose her. i don’t have a vet around. bertha is blind in one eye due to a mystery disease, but hasn’t had any symptoms of any sickness until not. she started laying around a week or two ago. I just put in vetrx in her nose and mouth. Thank you.

 

[azygous]

Is there a "clicking" sound when she breathes? What is the color of her comb? Did it go from red to purple? Is there a discharge from her nares? Are her eyes runny and bubbly? Any swelling around her eyes?

Did you check her crop? Is it full and squishy first thing in the morning before she eats? Or is it hard and full even when she has had very little to eat?

I would separate her from the others and keep an eye on her for all these symptoms. Meanwhile, ask at your feed store or vet for some Tylan or terramycin. Those are both good antibiotics to treat respiratory symptoms. Give her boiled egg to eat if her appetite is poor.

If these symptoms are caused by a virus, be aware all your chickens have been exposed, and no, it does not necessarily mean they will all die.

 

[Soleil_A]

Is there a "clicking" sound when she breathes? What is the color of her comb? Did it go from red to purple? Is there a discharge from her nares? Are her eyes runny and bubbly? Any swelling around her eyes?

Did you check her crop? Is it full and squishy first thing in the morning before she eats? Or is it hard and full even when she has had very little to eat?

I would separate her from the others and keep an eye on her for all these symptoms. Meanwhile, ask at your feed store or vet for some Tylan or terramycin. Those are both good antibiotics to treat respiratory symptoms. Give her boiled egg to eat if her appetite is poor.

If these symptoms are caused by a virus, be aware all your chickens have been exposed, and no, it does not necessarily mean they will all die.

pretty much no for all of those questions.

 

[azygous]

Here's some more questions. How is she behaving? Normally? Or is she lethargic, standing with her tail held low and flat? Is she normally vocal but has she now gone very quiet? What do her poops look like? Different? How? Is she eating?

Examine her all over for wounds. Look for black scabs or red skin, swelling. Has she been outdoors roaming lately? What has she been eating? Look inside her throat for any foreign objects. Make sure something isn't wrapped around her tongue.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

when i picked her up she was making a gurgling sound and started to ‘cough/sneeze’....she started laying around a week or two ago.

Did she make the gurgling sound and started to cough/sneeze only after you picked her up?
How does her crop feel right now?

I agree with @azygous monitor her behavior. I'm wondering if possibly when she was picked up, the crop was pushed which caused her to aspirate a little.

It's not too unusual for new layers to stop laying for a few days, but I would keep a watch on her for any symptoms of lethargy, hunched up appearance or if she starts to cough/sneeze frequently.

Check her crop when she goes to bed, then very first thing in the morning before she has had anything to eat/drink. The crop should be full at night and empty/flat in the morning.

Keep us posted.

 

[Soleil_A]

Did she make the gurgling sound and started to cough/sneeze only after you picked her up?
How does her crop feel right now?

I agree with @azygous monitor her behavior. I'm wondering if possibly when she was picked up, the crop was pushed which caused her to aspirate a little.

It's not too unusual for new layers to stop laying for a few days, but I would keep a watch on her for any symptoms of lethargy, hunched up appearance or if she starts to cough/sneeze frequently.

Check her crop when she goes to bed, then very first thing in the morning before she has had anything to eat/drink. The crop should be full at night and empty/flat in the morning.

Keep us posted.

kinda new to the chicken thing, so what is the crop? and when i checked on her she was sneezing and then when i picked her up she sounded really snotty, anlost like she had mucus in her lungs

 

[lilmillefleur]

The crop is on the right side of the breast, feels like a big lump that holds food. A normal crop empties over night and fills when a chicken eats. In the morning it should be empty/not be felt, at night it should be full.

 

[Soleil_A]

i was just with my mom and she told me she has been out all day today and hasn’t heard much noise from her. She doesn’t seem gurgly anymore

 

[Wyorp Rock]

i was just with my mom and she told me she has been out all day today and hasn’t heard much noise from her. She doesn’t seem gurgly anymore

I'm glad she seemed to improve. How is she a day later?

 

[Soleil_A]

I'm glad she seemed to improve. How is she a day later?

she seems a lot better. she’s just sneezing a little.