Hen wheezing? Help!!

[PandCo]

My Buff Brahma is in the middle of a molt and today I noticed her wheezing as she breathes. She still is able to make her other noises such as when I pick her up but this wheezing seems to be constant.

What can I do to help her? There have been no changes or additions to my flock so to can't be an infection from a newcomer. She's also eating and drinking just fine.

Please help

 

[GitaBooks]

Sorry for the late reply.

How is she doing now?

Molting can be stressful and lead to minor issues such as lack of appetite, a lowered immune system, and catching a chill so once the molt has passed they often perk up again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is there any nasal drainage, watery eyes, or sneezing? If there is only wheezing, there could be something in her throat like a piece of food, mucus, or her crop may be overly full and contents are coming up. It's been 3 days since you posted, so is she still doing this? Sorry for the late response, and good that GitaBooks answered.

 

[PandCo]

It's definitely gotten better than it was in the course of a few days now, though she isn't talking much either so it's hard to tell if she's completely well. I had taken another close look at her after I posted and noticed she had been preening a lot of her feathers out near her throat/upper neck under her beak. So I'm thinking that the constant bending of her neck in a contortionist fashion put a strain on her voice box. Maybe.

No noticeable drainage, everything is clear.

What do you think?

 

[Eggcessive]

Look at your coop conditions. Mold or wet spots, dust in the coop or dusty feed, poor overhead air circulation, or too hot of a coop can lead to respiratory issues. I would just keep an eye on her--you seem to be pretty observant.