My 3-ish year old hen made gurgling noises when I put my ear next to her side.

[AChickenBoi]

I remember hearing that gurgling in a chicken’s breathing means that something is wrong with the lungs, but I can’t be sure whether or not it is something serious. It doesn’t sound like gurgling coming from her breathing, and instead a noise similar to the gut digesting food. She is the only one who makes this sound, and everyone else is fine. My parents think I’m crazy, worrying over these kinds of things, and I’m not sure whether or not I need to look further into this. She has made these noises for the past couple health exams I did, and although she pants often, I don’t think it is related to her body, as it is the middle of summer in Texas, and all of the hens pant.

She is still very active and eats well. Her eyes are wide and bright, and her comb is vibrant and healthy. I’ve never had to deal with this before, though, and it is nerve wracking to think that this is connected to a previous post regarding Rocky.

Also, I want to add that her abdomen is slightly softer to squish than the other girls. I don’t want to diagnose, but I have a very small suspicion of it being ascites possibly. I just don’t know. I’m flat broke right now, and the avian vet bill was $80+ to get Olive checked for her leg. My parents are less than willing to take money out of their pockets for my “filthy ass poultry.” I’m very concerned about the future for my Rocky if I can’t find a way to get her diagnosed.

I feel awful, not being able to help my babies when I feel that they’re hurt or ill…

 

[GermanKennhuhn]

I wouldn’t be that concerned unless she starts acting sick or lethargic. @azygous

 

[azygous]

You should never feel guilty or silly for being concerned about the health of a chicken of yours. You know your chickens like nobody else, and anything "off" will trigger your alarm. Listen to it.

Read this. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/ It will tell you what you need to know to check for crop disorders. The best way to find out if a chicken has a crop issue is to withhold food after dark and check the crop before you feed her. If the crop is full, the article will help you decide which disorder it is and how to treat it.

Even if the crop is normal in the morning, your hen may benefit from a probiotic tablet each day for awhile. This is in tablet form and available where they sell vitamins for people. It will install good microbes in her crop and intestines so she digests her food more efficiently. Perhaps the gurgling will then go away.

 

[AChickenBoi]

You should never feel guilty or silly for being concerned about the health of a chicken of yours. You know your chickens like nobody else, and anything "off" will trigger your alarm. Listen to it.

Read this. https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/ It will tell you what you need to know to check for crop disorders. The best way to find out if a chicken has a crop issue is to withhold food after dark and check the crop before you feed her. If the crop is full, the article will help you decide which disorder it is and how to treat it.

Even if the crop is normal in the morning, your hen may benefit from a probiotic tablet each day for awhile. This is in tablet form and available where they sell vitamins for people. It will install good microbes in her crop and intestines so she digests her food more efficiently. Perhaps the gurgling will then go away.

Thank you so much for helping! In your opinion, what if the gurgling was possibly coming from her breathing? Last night, before locking up the coop, I gave another listen to Rocky’s gurgling noises. It sounded like it was actually coming from her breathing, but I’m still on the fence on the possibility.

 

[azygous]

Yes, this could be respiratory. Do you notice any darkening of her comb when you are hearing the gurgling? A dusky comb can mean poor circulation. Is there any swelling in her face or around the eyes? Any crust or swelling in the ears?

 

[AChickenBoi]

Yes, this could be respiratory. Do you notice any darkening of her comb when you are hearing the gurgling? A dusky comb can mean poor circulation. Is there any swelling in her face or around the eyes? Any crust or swelling in the ears?

At one point, a few months ago, I would say yes, she had a dark and floppy comb. Now, though, it looks perfectly fine (aside from being a little floppy, but she has a big comb to begin with). I would also have to say no to swelling or crust on her face. I don’t doubt that she can have poor circulation at times, but it’s never for more than a few days if she’s looked after. If I didn’t feel her abdomen or listen to her breathing, I would say this is the healthiest and most active she’s been since she threw up this black stuff from her crop.

Would you like for me to take a photo of her, or even a video? I’d have to do it tomorrow morning since it is nighttime right now, and even the porch light wouldn’t help much.

 

[azygous]

Yes, a video would give a lot of information.

 

[AChickenBoi]

Yes, a video would give a lot of information.

I’m having a really tough time trying to attach a video file I have the video and everything, but the website doesn’t give me the option to upload videos. Is it possible I could try to reach out via a personal email just to get the videos across, and get feedback through there?

I’m sorry, this is really frustrating for me, since it allows me to upload pictures, but there’s absolutely nothing regarding personal videos.

 

[azygous]

It's really simpler than you think to put a video on BYC. First post to You Tube, then copy and paste the URL here. It will automatically embed.

Anything you have trouble with, just ask.

 

[AChickenBoi]

It's really simpler than you think to put a video on BYC. First post to You Tube, then copy and paste the URL here. It will automatically embed.

Anything you have trouble with, just ask.

YouTube kept on giving me an error every time I tried to upload the video. Something like, “An error occurred, please try again later.” I tried again over an hour later, same thing