Panting (definitely not associated with heat) won't go away!

[Teepov]

Does anyone know why chickens would pant regularly and intermittently, but not when it is heat related?
The panting usually sounds of heavy breathing, but sometimes there is wheezing, slight rattling, and rasping. Their clucks sound to me like they have congestion and/or irritation in their throat, almost like they're losing their voice. Sometimes there is more severe gasping, but this is much less common. The frequency and severity of the panting increases DRAMATICALLY in the evening and lasts through out to the night.

All of the birds are two months old give or take a couple of weeks.
They have recently completed treatment for coccidiosis. They are currently undergoing treatment for Aspergillus infection through fogging twice a day with oxine. Treatment for Aspergillus has been going on for a week now. Improvement in breathing has been slight.
As of a couple of days ago, their poops seem healthy and relatively normal. Before that they were watery and diarrhea like. Some of them were white and of a mucous consistency. This has improved with the completion of coccidiosis treatment, and giving them less watermelon.
Their coop is being worked on now, so they range and forage outside during the day, and sleep indoors in a pen at night.

I am wondering if the change in temperature from inside to outside and back again is not somehow causing this. What I'm trying to find out is if there is something besides the Aspergillus affecting them. After a week of fogging, I expected far greater improvement with their breathing.

Thank you so much for your input, I really do appreciate it.

 

[Teepov]

As a little background, I had one of the pullet sty a week and a half ago. We had her body necropsied. It was found that she had the Aspergillus in her lungs, and the beginning stages of coccidiosis. Best, the treatment the rest of the flock has been undergoing.

Eloise (the girl who died), however, was far worse than any of the rest of the flock ever got. She stopped eating and drinking and could barely hold herself up. When she breeze she wheeze very hard all the time.

We miss her but I am hoping her death will help prevent any more tragedy.

 

[Teepov]

I'm really at a loss and could use the help, guys.

 

[erinchelsea]

I'm so sorry you're having this trouble and not finding answers. I don't have any advice, just sympathy! I lost a couple chicks that were gasping a few weeks ago and kind of wonder if this isn't what they had. It was definitely not heat related. From what I've read there's not much you can do to treat, just to keep their environment clean. It was smart of you to get a necropsy so you know for sure what you're dealing with. I wish I would have had one done on my chicks.

 

[Teepov]

Thanks for the sympathy, erinchelsea. In a strange way, it's just nice that someone cared enough to reply even if you couldn't help.
Everything I've read suggests that the Aspergillus should have cleared up by now. Perhaps I'm just worrying myself by looking all of the respiratory illnesses contractable by chickens and looking up symptoms for hours on the internet (it's very easy for me to read about chicken ailments until I end up more confused and worried than informed), but I don't have a clue what to do. It seems to me that giving the birds the wrong treatment is just as bad as not doing anything at all, so I'm at a stale mate...

 

[BigECarter]

Maybe an antibiotic would help?

 

[Teepov]

I've been considering it, but they've been undergoing so many treatments of late that I don't want to stress their systems unduly....