Hen Squeaking and Open Mouth Swallowing

[MgnRose]

Hi, everyone. I’m writing this message because I am a new chicken owner & am concerned about one of the members of my flock. I’ve searched the forums for advice, but no other post seems to fit with the issues I am having.

Blanche, one of my 7 month old Orps, has been making strange noises throughout the day. She’ll make a strange honk- squeak ever so often, but not frequently. This morning while drinking water, she opened her mouth really wide as if she was having problems swallowing. Other than the few occurrences of squeaking & the open mouth drinking, she’s her usual self- bossy about treats, bossy with the other girls (she’s the top golden girl), laying eggs at a normal frequency, clear poop, good feather condition, eating her usual piggy amount, and being active.

I’ve checked her crop, nothing impacted & no sour smells. I haven’t checked for gapeworm, as our bathroom is being remodeled & I can’t find where I put the q-tips
I’ll be heading to the store soon for more so I can eliminate gape. Her vent is clear and clean. She does have some small black spots on her comb, but these look more like pecking injuries than avian pox (they aren’t raised and heal quickly).

Any other ideas? Does she just have a “cold”? She’s a sweet fluffy rump & I want to do everything I can to ensure her good health and safety.

A little back information about my flock- we live in the Pacific Northwest and it has just begun to get cold for winter. The girls get to forage throughout the day & our yard is full of yummy worms, snails, & bugs. The ladies coop is not heated, but there is the proper amount of ventilation & it has stayed fairly warm. My girls get a fancy breakfast of fruits & vegetables, fermented grains, powdered turmeric, parsley, and a little chopped garlic in addition to their normal feed. I put probiotics in their water, and they get a few days of apple cider vinegar water (1 tablespoon per gallon) once a month.

Any ideas & suggestions are greatly appreciated

 

[Eggcessive]

She might be adjusting her crop occasionally which is normal, but if you want to download a video to YouTube, and post a link here, we can look at it to listen to the noise she is making. I would cut back on the extras, and let the chicken feed make up 90% of their diet. It is balanced and has everything they need. An occasional treat is okay.

 

[MgnRose]

Thank you for your reply- I’m a new chicken mom & have a ton to learn! I’ll see if I can get a video of her noises, they are infrequent & might be hard to catch. With your comment on crop adjusting, my husband might be right in thinking everything is fine.

As far as extras go, would a cup of goodies be too much for 5 hens? I like them to have antibiotic foods, but don’t want to over feed them. They eat about 3 cups of Scratch & Peck Layer feed, 2 cups fermented feed, & forage all day. Treats are dried mill worms which are given when I’m checking them for mites, their vents, etc.

 

[Sequel]

Hi! I am also in the PNW, in Puget Sound. My vet told me the chickens who eat slugs and snails are most likely to have the heavier worm loads. Snails especially. Mine had roundworms and cecal worms in the late summer. You might want to have their poo tested a couple times a year or whatever your vet might suggest if you’re fortunate enough to have one that sees chickens!
That isn’t to suggest that’s what is going on with your girl, Eggcessive is an educator here and her advice is solid! Good luck!