Our chicken sounds congested

[blackswamp]

Our chicken has not been normal for the past several days: moves slowly, doesn't peck around as usual. She has been sitting on her roost most of the day, does not want to get out of the coop. She is making very little poop, and we do not believe she has laid an egg for the past two days. Today we picked her up off of the roost, and instead of the usually chicken sounds, she made only a few sounds, and she sounded very congested, as if phlegm in her throat. We checked her for mites, and there are none. We checked vent area for pasty butt, and no paste. Any ideas?

 

[Wyandottes7]

She may have a respiratory disease. Is there any sneezing or coughing going on? I'd isolate her from the other birds, and start giving her some electrolytes and probiotics. It would probably be a good idea to get some antibiiotics, too. Duramycin, Terramycin, and Tylan50 are all good antibiotics for respiratory diseases.

Has she been laying? Moving slow/not acting normal can mean that she is egg bound. However, many diseases can cause a chicken to not act healthy or normal.

 

[blackswamp]

ok lets say she is egg bound how should I treat that.

 

[cafarmgirl]

They often do not lay when they are sick but you should check her and see if you can feel an egg stuck. Egg bound hens will generally be in and out of the nest box in an attempt to lay the egg. I would suspect she's just not feeling well with whatever respiratory bug she's got, especially if you can hear that she is congested. If she is not active and not wanting to eat/drink much she is really feeling unwell. I would start her on antibiotic's asap. You won't cure any respiratory disease she may have but risk of pneumonia and death is high if left untreated. They also get dehydrated quickly so giving additional fluids is a good idea.