My hen is having breathing probs.

[guineafowlguy]

I found a chicken today who was having trouble breathing.

She didn't show it. She was acting like a chicken running around chasing things. I just noticed i heard a strange sound coming from her.

I piked her up (my chickens don't run away) and heard a rattling noise when she would breath.

She is a fat chicken no weight loss. Plenty strong just breathing doesn't sound right.

What would you think this is? Chicken pneumonia?

Should i give her some kind of antibiotic?

Thanks

 

[Michael Apple]

Look in the mouth at the back of the bird's throat. Tell me what you see.

 

[guineafowlguy]

I looked down its throat and didn't see anything.

Only stuff that was supposed to be in there.

My chicken is still gurgling. The best i could describe the sound is like sucking the last of a milkshake through a straw.

So i would think there is moisture in the lungs or something.

What should i give her?

 

[Michael Apple]

I looked down its throat and didn't see anything.

Only stuff that was supposed to be in there.

My chicken is still gurgling. The best i could describe the sound is like sucking the last of a milkshake through a straw.

So i would think there is moisture in the lungs or something.

What should i give her?

Well, first thing is feel the crop to see if it is full, hard or squishy. Sometimes gurgling happens as a result of an impacted crop/sour crop. This might determine what medication to use. You'd probably smell something unpleasant from the mouth if it were sour crop.

 

[Michael Apple]

If the crop feels normal, it is probably respiratory and you'll need to get some Tylan 50 injectable from the feed store. Inject 1/2 cc with a 25 gauge needle under the skin on the back of the neck. If she is over 5 lbs., inject an additional 1/2 cc in the breast muscle. Do it once a day for 5 days.

 

[Branman1971]

My chicken had the same breathing problem when I brought her home last week. I gave her Terra-vet 10, its an antibiotic that goes in their water and it seemed to help. I have been giving it to them for 4 days now, and the only time I can notice the gurgling is when I hold her and I can feel it in her chest when breathing but it was VERY loud before. She didn't go into the coop last night though, and when i went to get her she I saw that she had expelled an egg but it was broken. I saw no shell pieces in the egg. I heard not too good things when this happens to a hen and I am pretty bummed out about it.

 

[guineafowlguy]

The craw is full mostly becuase i put her in a cage with food and water lol. I let her have all she wanted.

I guess i could go and smell the chicken

I will be back with a reply to the smell.

 

[guineafowlguy]

I just smelled the chicken. The result is it smells like a chicken

Nothing out of the ordinary.

I'm just going to treat her with some antibiotic and see if it clears up. Also I wont get sick by sniffing what it exhales right?

 

[Michael Apple]

I just smelled the chicken. The result is it smells like a chicken

Nothing out of the ordinary.

I'm just going to treat her with some antibiotic and see if it clears up. Also I wont get sick by sniffing what it exhales right?

No, you won't catch anything. Tylan 50 is the first recommendation as an antibiotic. If you want to use a water dispersible, at least use LS-50.

 

[2overeasy]

I just found one of mine having the same trouble. But she wasn't even making any noise - just opening and closing her mouth. I just got back from a four day trip. Before I left I noticed she was coughing a bit, but i didn't worry because I know every once in a while one will do that. But when I went to let them out this morning she didn't come out. She was still sitting on roost. I picked her up and tried to check her out but she just squirmed. I tried to feel her crop but she jerked away and escaped from my arms. I came straight here to find out what to do.