Hen still wheezing - no help from previous post- should we cull?

[tsbonin]

Please help if you can. Have a older RIR hen who is wheezing loudly with every breath in and out. No runny eyes. Refuses food and water. Has a small bean bag feeling crop believed to be either acorns or crushed corn. No foul smell from breath or poop. Rubs beak back and forth on ground if we try to feed or water. Tried a tube insertion through mouth and filled with warm water to try and flush crop. Tiny amount of corn came out. (She started pooping on her own after this). Wheezing is still very loud, with head/neck extended up most of the time. No chicken vet locally. Don't believe able to cut her open to empty crop. Any other ideas? Should we just cull and put her out of her misery? She's not "weak" at this point but will be if something doesn't give soon. Also giving VetRx mixed with water on q-tip on roof of mouth plus rubbing head feathers down in hopes it will help this wheezing. No other birds are showing any of these symptoms. She is in isolation currently.

 

[casportpony]

If you're comfortable tubing her, keep doing that just to keep her hydrated and see if her crop clears on it's own. Then maybe add some baby bird food. This is what I use for tubing:

 

[cafarmgirl]

She may have caught some respiratory bug that then turned into pneumonia. She would need antibiotics to get her over it. Warmth and a humidifier may help with the wheezing. WIth those symptoms I would not attempt a crop surgery. Does the crop empty at all overnight? Agree with casportpony about keeping her hydrated and see how she does. If not by tubing then just use a small, needless syringe and give her a few cc's every couple hours.

 

[tsbonin]

Thank you CASPORTPONY and CAFARMGIRL ! I was worried sick no one would help on this. I have terrific tubing and syringe that is sterile for getting her hydrated. She has started to poop after she stopped doing so for two days. I hate to cull because she still seems so strong and plus it would break my heart. We don't have a vet that deals with chickens. Our vet did prescribe a cow wormer to help with chicken worms recently but he is not a chicken expert. Any ideas where we can find an antibiotic?

 

[casportpony]

Thank you CASPORTPONY and CAFARMGIRL ! I was worried sick no one would help on this. I have terrific tubing and syringe that is sterile for getting her hydrated. She has started to poop after she stopped doing so for two days. I hate to cull because she still seems so strong and plus it would break my heart. We don't have a vet that deals with chickens. Our vet did prescribe a cow wormer to help with chicken worms recently but he is not a chicken expert. Any ideas where we can find an antibiotic?

I'm no expert, but Baytril (enrofloxacin) is probably what I would try, but it is banned by the FDA for use in food animals. My vet made me promise never to eat the meat or eggs of anything that gave Baytril to. You should check out this site:
https://sites.google.com/a/poultrypedia.com/poultrypedia/medicine-chart/baytril-for-birds

I always give medicine by mouth, not in water, it's the only way to be 100% sure that they're getting the proper dose.

What wormer did your vet prescribe? Safeguard, Panacur or Ivermectin? I use Safeguard for Goats/Cattle at the rate of 50mg/kg ( .5cc/kg) by mouth and repeat in ten days.

 

[tsbonin]

My vet prescribed Fenbendazole. We are currently treating her with Tetroxy HCA-280. Our vet said Baytril wasn't approved for poultry and advised to try this. She still doesn't eat or drink on her own but she is pooping and seems very strong still. I am giving her a small amount of watered yogurt. I've tried oatmeal but she can't handle solids of any king. Her wheezing is a little better but she's still not close to being well. I did a preventative dosage of Tetroxy on the rest of the flock but to date none of the other chickens are showing any signs of illness. I'm at a total loss. If she was weak I would have her culled but she is so alert and active. Just not sure what to do other than what I am.

 

[casportpony]

My vet prescribed Fenbendazole. We are currently treating her with Tetroxy HCA-280. Our vet said Baytril wasn't approved for poultry and advised to try this. She still doesn't eat or drink on her own but she is pooping and seems very strong still. I am giving her a small amount of watered yogurt. I've tried oatmeal but she can't handle solids of any king. Her wheezing is a little better but she's still not close to being well. I did a preventative dosage of Tetroxy on the rest of the flock but to date none of the other chickens are showing any signs of illness. I'm at a total loss. If she was weak I would have her culled but she is so alert and active. Just not sure what to do other than what I am.

Baytril is banned for use in food animals, so if you gave her some, you should never eat her or her eggs. That said, Baytril is probably the best antibiotic that money can buy. If your vet won't sell you some, send me a PM and I'll tell you how to get it without a prescription.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

My vet always prescribes Baytril when i have a sick chicken or duck. Several months back i had a little Showgirl that was wheezing very badly. Brought her inside with a heat lamp and a humidifier nearby. i put the Vet RX in the reservoir where one usually puts Vick's. Next morning took her to the vet and he prescribed Baytril. It was for either a 10 or 14 day run. She was very bad for several days, then it turned around. She is perfectly fine now. If you can get Baytril, that is the best option.

 

[casportpony]

I always have plenty of Baytril and I use it on everything but the horses.