How to care for a hen with a respiratory infection

[ravismomma]

I wish I was better versed to help you. I am pretty new to this as well. I have spent the past few weeks reading as much as I can on it. Please let me know what you find out, I'll do my best to support you! Best of luck!

 

[Zoom Zoom]

Thank you so much.

 

[Zoom Zoom]

Update on Chloe and the other girls. The others are fine now, no wheezing at all. When I took Chloe to the local vet to have blood drawn I was told he does not have the equipment to run the labs. I checked with other vets with no luck. The blood can be drawn here but it has to be sent out-of-town and could take up to two weeks for the results!! Chloe's breathing is no longer labored and she isn't wheezing but I can hear a faint rattle. I kept her inside until the wheezing was gone and yesterday afternoon put her out with the rest of the flock. She was weak but walked around and sat with the others but mostly stayed in or near the coop by herself. One of my concerns is that she is already at the bottom of the pecking order and is frequently picked on, I am concerned that keeping her away from the others for too long will make it worse. How she got to the bottom is another story. Instead of going to the roost last night, she climbed onto the poop board so I put her on the roost. She was still there this morning and I had to lift her off. I just brought her into the house for the night and plan to take her outside in the morning. Am I making a mistake by putting her outside for the day, or bringing her in for the night? She is eating and drinking normally. I have been making her a scrambled egg and mixing in a little yogurt when they have cooled. I couldn't get an appointment out-of-town until Thursday which I guess we will keep- hoping she has completely recovered by then though.

Am I making a mistake by putting her outside during the day?
Or, should she stay outside, or inside, all of the time?
Is there something I can feed her to help her get her strength back?
Anything else I can do?

Also, I have been putting VetRx under her wings and on her head according to the directions.

Thanks

 

[ravismomma]

My advice would be to keep her in until she feels better. If she isn't coming out on her own in the am, it's signaling somethings wrong.
If she is already at the bottom of the pecking order, the others will exploit her and cause additional stress. That can make her worse. Once she's better she can go back out, she will re-establish with the others.
I'd continue to keep her isolated and give her a supplement. I swear by nutra drench.
Avoid dairy and yogurt. Chickens aren't designed to digest dairy. That can cause diarrhea which can dehydrate her. Hydration is critical when chickens are ill.
I had a girl isolated and on her death bed. A few days in isolation, warmth and lots of hand fed water shaped her right up. By day 4 she was begging me to be outside! Good luck!

 

[Zoom Zoom]

I brought her back inside this morning after being out about 30 mins and will keep her in until she is well. The others were giving her a hard time. I read about Nutra drench last night so picked some up today. She sure likes the egg with yogurt but will hold the yogurt from now on. She seems to be OK other than being weak. She is a little stronger today. she stands and walks around the cage more than yesterday. Thanks for your advice.

 

[ravismomma]

Sorry about the yogurt, my girl liked it when I wet her food. I made it into a mush and she ate like crazy.
I'd avoid anything hard on her to digest. It's like when we are sick, stick to a bland diet.
Scrambled eggs are good! I also have my girl apple sauce (unsweetened)