Is our hen choking on something? Crazy noise from her constantly!

[OvermediumPNW]

In response to one of your earlier questions, we have seen no blood in any discharge or in her mucus-

 

[OvermediumPNW]

Since we are new to chickens, we are trying to decide - is she suffering and does she have a chance at recovery? If there isn't a chance at recovery, is culling her the most humane thing to do?

Thanks -

 

[Eggcessive]

She really sounds like that could wear her out if she is doing the coughing and gaping all of the time. She might have some yellow plaques of infection inside her trachea or mucus that are making her cough so much.

Is she able to eat and drink enough with her constant coughing? If it is caused by a virus, antibiotics will not affect it. But, secondary bacterial infections can cause problems, and may be treated with AB’s.

If she is a welsummer, I would think that she would weigh more than 1 kg. You may want to get some Baytril to treat her for 5 days, or give her the max. dose of Tylan. I would give 0.2 ml per pound 3 times a day, or 0.3 ml per pound 2 times a day. And get a weight, either by using a kitchen scale or weigh her while you are on scales, and then subtract your own weight (which will be a rougher estimate, but maybe close enough.) Here is a thread about finding Baytril, and dosage is in post 3:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/baytril-enrofloxacin-sources.959119/

Also, I just wanted to add that gapeworm can look like that, minus the other symptoms of nasal drainage, etc. Gapeworm is rare, but if you would like to treat her for it, you could get SafeGuard or Panacur Horse Paste, and give her 1/4 ml per pound orally for 5 straight days.

 

[Eggcessive]

Here is a video of a chicken with gapeworm, so that you can see how hard it is to eat and drink:

 

[rebrascora]

If your cockerel had Marek's then it is highly likely that this is Marek's related too. Tumours on the lungs are common with Marek's but it may also be a secondary infection due to the immune suppressive aspect of the disease. A fungal infection of the respiratory tract(aspergillosis) is also possible and can occur with a bacterial infection in some Marek's cases. I believe that an Oxine vaporizer can be beneficial in such cases, so that might be something to try before you throw more antibiotics at the problem.
If you lose her, it would be a good idea to get a necropsy done to find out what you are actually dealing with, so that you can make a plan to move forward. Even if it is Marek's, it is unlikely to wipe out your whole flock. Keeping them as happy and stress free as possible will be key to keeping the disease in it's dormant phase. Unfortunately the surge of hormones during this adolescent phase is not something you can control, but I would keep pullets separate from cockerels if you have more males than the one you lost. Randy males terrorising the flock is one of the main triggers for the disease in my experience.

 

[OvermediumPNW]

We still have Tylan 50 that we were injecting. I am on the road and my girlfriend can't give an injection right now due to having an arm in a sling. Would that be the same medication we would give orally? Would the dosage be the same that you gave above?

Thanks!

 

[Eggcessive]

Yes the dosage is the same whether it is given orally or by injection.

 

[OvermediumPNW]

Thank-you so much for all of the great information. This board is such a great resource!

A couple more questions - should we give the Tylan for a full 5 days even though she finished a 3 day injected course of Tylan on Monday?

We are considering giving Tylan to one of our laying hens that is making a rattling noise when she breathes. How long should we throw away her eggs after we finish with her?

We weighed her - she is 2.25 pounds, so basically 1 kg. Do you think that is undersized? We'll try to watch closer as to how much she eats and drinks, but this has been going on for so long that she clearly has been eating and drinking. Any suggestions on how we can put weight on them?

Today she is on her 5th and what we planned, final day of Albon (sulfadimethoxine). Should we continue that or do you think that is helping?

Lastly, we don't think it is gapeworm. The video you posted as well as any that we can find online show the birds not making any noise when the flex their neck. Our Hen always make the same noise.

Thanks again! Sorry for so many questions but we are learning!!

 

[Grace11]

Make sure she doesnt have something wrapped around her tongue!

 

[OvermediumPNW]

Make sure she doesnt have something wrapped around her tongue!

We looked down her throat as best we can and can’t see anything. Any advice on the best way to do that?

Thanks!