Hen struggling to breathe.

[Chickenmomsage]

Helen came to us last August when my mother in law found her in her inlaws yard. She was clearly injured and struggling to walk. We never found her owners and no one claimed her after a couple month of searching. She healed from whatever injures she sustained but continued to have trouble walking. Perching and climbing ramps was out of the question so her coop and food and such are all on the ground. I have no clue how old she is or what how she lived before us. I know she's a black copper Maran and an excellent egg layer. Never skips a day. She's seemed perfectly fine until yesterday evening when my husband found her standing in the middle of her pen, struggling to breathe. This was about 6 or 7 in the evening. The day leading up to this, we had a rooster getting in their pen. They're terrified of him. I fixed that issue. Then night before last we had to go in and get them because a Skunk had broke in and was eating eggs. That's that only things that happened inviromental wise. There are no vets within a hundred miles of us that treat chickens. I hunted last year when another of our girls became egg bound. What can I do to help her? I hate seeing her suffer.

 

[azygous]

Please describe what she's doing and the sounds involved to lead you to believe she's having trouble breaking. A photo or video would be helpful. What you may determine is a breathing issue could be a crop issue or late stage infection.

A photo of her poop would also be helpful.

For starters, give her some warm sugar water to drink and put some Poultry Nutri-drench in it if you have some. This has been known to revive chickens who may be showing symptoms of something much more serious than stress or hunger, which respond almost immediately to a little glucose.

Check her crop. Look for fullness that doesn't go away after a few hours, hardness, lumpiness, sponginess. To verify, the crop needs to be checked in the morning before she eats or drinks.

Have your chickens been wormed in the last six months?

 

[Chickenmomsage]

Please describe what she's doing and the sounds involved to lead you to believe she's having trouble breaking. A photo or video would be helpful. What you may determine is a breathing issue could be a crop issue or late stage infection.

A photo of her poop would also be helpful.

For starters, give her some warm sugar water to drink and put some Poultry Nutri-drench in it if you have some. This has been known to revive chickens who may be showing symptoms of something much more serious than stress or hunger, which respond almost immediately to a little glucose.

Check her crop. Look for fullness that doesn't go away after a few hours, hardness, lumpiness, sponginess. To verify, the crop needs to be checked in the morning before she eats or drinks.

Have your chickens been wormed in the last six

They haven't been wormed since last summer. Husband did mention her crop being still.full after a full night if not eating. I tried to post a video but guess my phone doesn't make the right versions. Have no clue how to fix that. She's stretching her neck upward and opening her beak to pull in air. It makes a whistling, wheezing sound. I've been syringing her water because she struggles to drink or eat in between breaths. Her poop last time was clear with some white.

 

[Chickenmomsage]

Her crop is also spongey. I just felt it. It's about the size of a golf ball.

 

[azygous]

This will help bring you up to speed on crop disorders and how to figure them out and treat. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

To post a video, post it first to YouTube, then copy the URL and paste that here. It will then embed on this thread.

A heavy worm load can cause obstruction and cause the crop to slow down and cause yeast to grow. You might want to treat for a crop disorder. You might also consider worming right now in case worms are behind all this. I would advise a gentle worming med such as Safeguard over the span of several days of small doses so as not to trigger shock from the worms all dying at once.

 

[Chickenmomsage]

Best video I could get.

This will help bring you up to speed on crop disorders and how to figure them out and treat. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

To post a video, post it first to YouTube, then copy the URL and paste that here. It will then embed on this thread.

A heavy worm load can cause obstruction and cause the crop to slow down and cause yeast to grow. You might want to treat for a crop disorder. You might also consider worming right now in case worms are behind all this. I would advise a gentle worming med such as Safeguard over the span of several days of small doses so as not to trigger shock from the worms all dying at once.

What type of safeguard do you recommend? I see there are ones for livestock and cats and dogs. What would be the right dose?

 

[azygous]

None of them will state it will treat chickens. Mix once ounce of Safeguard to a cup of water and give to the chickens to drink as the sole water source for three days. Repeat in 10 days.

 

[Chickenmomsage]

I can do that. She can barely drink at this point though. Everytime she tries she gets two sips and then starts choking. I have pick her up and pat her until she starts going back to wheezing. I was using a syringe to give her fluids but she's insistent on drinking on her own. I'm not comfortable using the syringe now with how her breathing is. Don't want her sucking it into her lung accidentally. I've used vetrx and given her olive oil and massaged her crop. Now to try to get the wormer in her.

 

[azygous]

If you syringe or tube liquids in the proper manner, you will not risk getting any fluids in the airway. The airway is in the center of the throat behind the tongue while the esophagus leading directly into the crop is on the chicken's right side of the throat. Inserting the syringe or tubing directly into the esophagus will prevent fluids from reaching the airway.

 

[Chickenmomsage]

Her breathing is still the same today but her crop is about half the size it was yesterday. I haven't been able to get the wormer yet. Hoping to get it today. Been doing everything else suggested. Her poop is less runny and looks more like a normal poop just black. She didn't lay today or yesterday. I hope she doesn't end up egg bound on top of this. Considering trying to find a vet tomorrow to euthanize her. Really hoping I see some even small improvement in her breathing by then.