Labored breathing

[sonjadowns]

After a day of free-ranging, I went outside to collect the chickens to put them up in their nest and found this hen hiding and gasping for air and not moving. I brought her in and she's had some electrolytes but I'm not sure what else to do for her. Please help.

 

[staceyj]

If you can accomplish this without upsetting her,

Check to make sure she doesn’t have anything visibly stuck in her mouth or throat, gently feel her neck and crop, work your way down and around her body including manipulating her appendages to look for injuries and puncture wounds.

Chickens don’t really like having their combs touched and resist having their mouth examined.

It might be easier to save the mouth for LAST, so
after you’ve examined her body, wrap her snugly in a towel and firmly grasp her wattles together with your thumb and index finger (like a pinching motion) right up under her chin, pull downward while your other hand opens the top of her beak to look inside there.

It might be helpful if someone could hold a flashlight for you.

If you don’t see anything I’d consider setting her up for the night in a dog crate, box or laundry basket with some old clean towels and let her rest.

In case you just unknowingly thwarted a predator attack, Are the rest of your flock secure for the night?

 

[sonjadowns]

Nothing stuck in mouth. Already checked her everywhere except vent. I found her under the ramp leading to their hen house along with an egg. Her crop feels fairly empty. She is no longer gasping for air and is taking water with electrolytes via a q-tip next to her beak.

 

[sonjadowns]

The rest of the flock is accounted for and acting normal.

 

[starrmar006]

I've had this happen to me but it didn't end so happy nor does anyone know what was wrong with her, how is your ventilation. When you go inside the coop do you have to put your shirt over your nose to stop you from smelling the stench? Does your hens breath smell terrible?

 

[staceyj]

Has she been laying prior to today?

It may have just been an odd coincidence.
She may have been hiding to build a clutch. Or she may have been struggling to expel that egg for quite some time. When an egg is stuck it’s exhausting to them.
How does her vent look?
Normal? Or any sign of prolapse?
Has she ever laid soft or shell-less eggs?
Perhaps just watch her tonight and see how she is in the morning.
A little dose of calcium certainly wouldn’t hurt.
If she laid that egg very late today her body might skip laying one tomorrow due to the light factor and the number of hours it takes to produce the next egg.
Although it does happen occasionally, hens don’t normally lay after they’ve gone to roost.

 

[sonjadowns]

I keep a clean hen house. Just changed out all the bedding in the last two weeks. She just walked about a bit.

 

[sonjadowns]

Vent looks normal. I have eight of the same breed so not sure exactly who is laying. I have noticed a slight drop but figured it was due to the weather change. None of that breed has layed any soft eggs. Shell-less eggs haven't occurred since all the hen were past at least 6 months old. Dipped her beak in the water and she eagerly drank some water. Should I give her some scrambled egg?

 

[staceyj]

Sorry I didn’t see this.
If your both awake it wouldn’t hurt.

 

[sonjadowns]

Made a decision earlier to go ahead and try some egg. She gobbled some of it. Put some VetRX under her wing, rubbed some on her head, and dropped a couple of drops down her throat. She did a couple of hops and shook her head after doing that but is now sleeping. Thanks so much! This was my first real scare with the girls.