I think my chicken might be sick?

[SmiifKoqla]

So I have three silkie's that I keep in my backyard, and one of them seems to be possibly a little sick? It could be that or allergies, but idk if chickens get that.

Shes about a year old I think, and she weighs 1 pound 15 ounces. She was laying normally until she and one of my other hens got broody, so they stopped. I thought that maybe I could breed her while she was broody so I took her to an acquaintance of mine to leave her there to be bred with one of her roosters, but it didn't work so I took her back. I'm not sure if she got something from them, but now she and the others seem a little sneezy. My other hen occasionally had a snotty nose, but not very often, if that's important.

Though, she is the only one I'm most worried about. She still hasn't laid since she became broody and we tried with the rooster (although that could be because of the Texas heat, though my other hen is laying so that's why I'm adding this.) Sometimes I have them in the house to get a break from the heat, and she has a little bit of a wheezy breath every now and then (it's not constantly!), plus some mouth breathing. As well as them sneezing, I think.

Other than those behaviors though, shes running around just fine and coming when I call, eating & drinking, her stool seems normal, etc.

I didn't know if I should take her to the vet to see if she has a respiratory infection or not, because I'm kinda short for cash, so instead we started our girls on penicillin tablets that we're crushing and putting in the water. Is that okay??

They sleep on kiln-dried low dust aspen(? I think, I cant remember for the life of me. It could also be pine.) and hay in their nest boxes.

Here was her nostril just a moment ago before I cleaned it, though idk if it was snot or just dirt/ something from the ground. It was easy to clean off with a wet q-tip. Here is a link

of her strange sound that she sometimes makes. I just can't tell if its raspy/ groggily breathing or just an odd sound. If anyone can share their thoughts it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

Wow, that is unique sound lol. I'm not quite sure what it is, but chickens often tend to loose their voices when they have respiratory issues. If most of your hens are sneezing, then I guess you can't really separate the sick ones out? Right now, just keep an eye on them for any new symptoms or labored breathing (and keep cleaning her nose). You can put electrolytes into their water, too. So far it doesn't sound like too severe a problem, or at least not an identifiable illness yet. Keep a close eye on them if symptoms worsen. And although it would be nice to get them looked at by a vet, I completely understand the choice not too. So if I were you, I wouldn't take them unless they got significantly worse. Good luck!