Old hen gasping when sitting and being held

[Insnesnakos]

I have an old hen named Penny who is about eight years old now, she makes a gasping kind of motion when sitting down or being held. She opens and closes her mouth and she seems like she's breathing hard anyone know what this means.

 

[WishingStar]

How's her abdomen feel?

If you haven't already, isolate her so she can remain calm in a safe space.

 

[Insnesnakos]

How's her abdomen feel?

If you haven't already, isolate her so she can remain calm in a safe space.

Its not firm and not squishy
Recently she has been looking to go into the house whenever the door is open, I don't have much isolated areas but a wire cage

 

[WishingStar]

Its not firm and not squishy
Recently she has been looking to go into the house whenever the door is open, I don't have much isolated areas but a wire cage

Isolation for my chickens often means a small wire dog cage with a towel for shade/shelter. Often I keep it within the run; that way she's still with her flock mates but they cannot bother her. Maybe she's looking to go into the house to hide? Chickens that are ill tend to self-isolate.

@Eggcessive @Debbie292d @Wyorp Rock will have better ideas on antibiotics and such.

I'd give her vitamin/electrolyte water and a quiet place to relax. Hopefully an Educator can help more.

 

[WishingStar]

I know there was a similar thread that I referenced for my hen doing the same thing... I'll see if I can find it while waiting on someone with more experience to hopefully chime in.

Unfortunately, my girl passed the following day and necropsy revealed she had an infection in her reproductive tract that had gone septic.

 

[Debbie292d]

I have an old hen named Penny who is about eight years old now, she makes a gasping kind of motion when sitting down or being held. She opens and closes her mouth and she seems like she's breathing hard anyone know what this means.

What breed is Penny? I ask because eight years is getting up there for chickens.

She sounds like she might be short of breath. Can you hold her up to your ear and see if you can hear any rattling in her chest?

 

[Debbie292d]

If you want to try an antibiotic to be on the safe side, Amoxicillin is a broad spectrum antibiotic.

Here's where you can get it online if you wish.

Jedds https://jedds.com/collections/poultry
Twin City Poultry https://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/
https://thecanaryfinchstore.com
Fish Mox: https://hardypaw.com/products/fix-mox-amoxicillin-capsules-fish-antibiotics?variant=44787640008865

Dosage: 57 mg per pound of weight every 12 hours for 7 days. 250 mg twice a day for 7-10 days for grown chicken.

 

[Insnesnakos]

What breed is Penny? I ask because eight years is getting up there for chickens.

She sounds like she might be short of breath. Can you hold her up to your ear and see if you can hear any rattling in her chest?

She's a buff orpington
I think I heard some slight rattling when listening to her before but havent heard it lately

 

[Eggcessive]

If her abdomen is enlarged she could possibly have water belly. That can cause gasping and labored breathing. Reproductive disorders are common in older hens.

 

[Debbie292d]

She's a buff orpington
I think I heard some slight rattling when listening to her before but havent heard it lately

I'm not one to grab an antibiotic over every sneeze and rather they get over whatever it is themselves, which most of the time they do. In 10 years and out of probably 100 adult birds here over that time, I've had two chickens in the house getting antibiotics.

However, if you feel it's needed, then I would.