Hen Sneezing & Wheezing - Sick?

Joined
Oct 24, 2023
Messages
582
Reaction score
996
Points
206
Location
Post Falls ID
This morning I went out to water my chickens, and I noticed my Easter Egger hen was sneezing and breathing loudly, like wheezing. She is acting otherwise perfectly fine - eating, drinking, laid an egg yesterday. I don't think she was doing it yesterday, and no one else in the flock seems to have whatever she's got. What could it be? How should I treat it? She looks physically the same as usual, but if a photo would help, it's down below.

She's makes little squeaky sneezes every so often and breaths as if she has something in her lungs or throat.
IMG_3458.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Look for any mucus from her nostrils or beak, making her swallow often, any bubbles or foam in either eye, or gasping. Those all can be signs of a respiratory infection. She also could just have strider, a sound they can make when they inhale a small piece of feed. That can clear after a few hours or overnight if they cough it up. Here is a video with sound of a chicken with stridor from getting a piece of food stuck in the airway:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkie-w-possible-stridor.1218528/
 
If she does have a cold, getting her to drink colloidal silver should help. You can either tip it straight into her beak (slowly so you don't choke her) or put it in her water. The silver molecules kill viruses/bacteria/funguses without harming the chicken and there's no egg withdrawal required. Oregano is good for a chicken's immune system, too.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom