Hen with wheeze and hiccup

[Englewood]

I have a 2 year old EE hen that started wheezing and occasionally hiccupping today. She only does it after running. I read that it may be impacted crop (it was hard) or something stuck in her throat so I gave her some olive oil to try to loosen things up. She has had access grass and hay since she is free range. She seems fine otherwise and eats just fine. None of the other chickens have these symptoms. I found a video that is exactly what she is doing. Any ideas on what is going on?

 

[Eggcessive]

That is stridor (upper airway noise) and a sneeze. She more than likely has a respiratory disease. Many have similar symptoms, but common ones are infectious bronchitis, mycoplasma (CRD,) and coryza. ILT is another one that causes blood-tinged mucus from the beak. Most are chronic and make carriers of the whole flock. Here is a list of these diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[Englewood]

She seems to be just fine now, no weird noises anymore. There were large amounts of grass poops (grass in the shape of poop) in the coop, so I think that she had an impacted crop.

 

[cafarmgirl]

I have on two occasions had a chicken do this when they had something stuck in their throat after foraging through the hay in the barn or in the pasture. Neither acted in any way sick and were running about as usual. In each case by the evening or the next morning they had managed to pass whatever was stuck and were completely fine and neither has ever made a noise like that again.

 

[Eggcessive]

She seems to be just fine now, no weird noises anymore. There were large amounts of grass poops (grass in the shape of poop) in the coop, so I think that she had an impacted crop.

That would make sense if she had something stuck in her throat since she was having upper airway obstruction--usually it is a mucus plug, but grass could do it too. She was probably coughing it out. I'm so glad she is better.