Little wheezing in one of my hens

[21henmom]

I have an 18 month old hen that has developed a little wheeze/ hoarseness. She is eating well and seems ok. Her comb is nice and red with no nasal or eye discharge. I isolated her yesterday (she is currently staying on our sun porch in a crate) and using VetRx externally. I had to change the straw I was using because Tractor Supply was out and it was very dusty and I found some very tiny insect eggs in it. I noticed her wheeze yesterday and had used the other straw twice. I cleaned out the coops and replaced the straw. I'm hoping that it is related to the straw. Any suggestions as to what it could be and how to best treat the wheeze?

 

[azygous]

Do you have a vaporizer? Do you have any Oxine? How about Betadine? How about Chlorhexidine? Peppermint oil?

Set up a crate with a damp bath towel draped over it and your hen installed inside. Set up a vaporizer just outside the crate so some of the vapor drifts into the crate. Don't point it directly at the hen. Put one of the liquids mentioned above into the vaporizer with the water. I listed them in order of effectiveness. They should help soothe the hen's respiratory track and help clear up her breathing.

Oxine and Betadine will both attack bacteria and fungus.

 

[21henmom]

Do you have a vaporizer? Do you have any Oxine? How about Betadine? How about Chlorhexidine? Peppermint oil?

Set up a crate with a damp bath towel draped over it and your hen installed inside. Set up a vaporizer just outside the crate so some of the vapor drifts into the crate. Don't point it directly at the hen. Put one of the liquids mentioned above into the vaporizer with the water. I listed them in order of effectiveness. They should help soothe the hen's respiratory track and help clear up her breathing.

Oxine and Betadine will both attack bacteria and fungus.

I have all the above mentioned liquids (except for oxine), will have to see if I can dig up an old vaporizer!

 

[azygous]

Please let us know how our patient is come morning. Hopefully, she'll be much better.

I have a hunch she's inhaled dust and maybe fungus spores. If she isn't better over the next two days, she may need an antibiotic. Hopefully, we won't need to cross that bridge.

 

[21henmom]

Please let us know how our patient is come morning. Hopefully, she'll be much better.

I have a hunch she's inhaled dust and maybe fungus spores. If she isn't better over the next two days, she may need an antibiotic. Hopefully, we won't need to cross that bridge.

Thank you! I will keep you updated!

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Do you have a vaporizer? Do you have any Oxine? How about Betadine? How about Chlorhexidine? Peppermint oil?

Set up a crate with a damp bath towel draped over it and your hen installed inside. Set up a vaporizer just outside the crate so some of the vapor drifts into the crate. Don't point it directly at the hen. Put one of the liquids mentioned above into the vaporizer with the water. I listed them in order of effectiveness. They should help soothe the hen's respiratory track and help clear up her breathing.

Oxine and Betadine will both attack bacteria and fungus.

Great knowledge to have. Some of you people are amazing.

 

[21henmom]

I got up this morning to a VERY active hen! I didn't hear any wheeze and she had normal vocalizations. I was scared she was going to hurt herself, so I decided to let her sisters out of their runs for free time & let her join them. She made a B-line for the coop and now appears to be going to lay???

I didn't have a vaporizer (only cool mist humidifiers) so I decided (please don't laugh) to make a tent around the crate with a thin blanket and put my aromatherapy diffuser at the door of the crate under the blanket with peppermint oil in it. This morning she seemed to be her fiesty self, but I will continue to monitor her closely. So far no others have shown any signs of distress. Dang low quality straw! Hopefully TSC won't run out of the straw they sell any time soon! Thanks for the advice!!

 

[21henmom]

Thank you! I will keep you updated!

I posted an update, hut maybe I should have put it here-- hopefully you can see it!! Thanks again for the advice.

 

[azygous]

That's terrific news! I think she just needed some supportive care to help cleanse the dust and perhaps fungus spores from her respiratory track. Your improvising with the diffuser was a great idea and obviously worked well to get the job done. Good work!

As long as your hen is breathing normally and acting normally, you can be reasonably sure she's going to be fine. Monitor her for the next couple days, though, to be safe.

 

[21henmom]

That's terrific news! I think she just needed some supportive care to help cleanse the dust and perhaps fungus spores from her respiratory track. Your improvising with the diffuser was a great idea and obviously worked well to get the job done. Good work!

As long as your hen is breathing normally and acting normally, you can be reasonably sure she's going to be fine. Monitor her for the next couple days, though, to be safe.

Have no worries, i will keep a close eye on her! I love my girls-- oh, and she did lay an egg! First one in a couple of months. I have 12 girls that are 18 months old and they all went thru a hard molt at the same time and no one has been laying. Surprised the first one came from Blondie (my sick girl)!