Please help - 12 week old pullet with lump on chest and gurgly breathing

[gumbomom2011]

Hello all- Please help if possible. We are new to chickens - Long story but we swapped out a cockerel for a pullet and were given advice to keep her with the other pullets in the run, while she is in a crate and at night put her in the coop with them. This happened for the past 2-3 days. Yesterday I noticed she was sneezing a few times but seemed otherwise OK. Tonight her breathing is rattling, almost like someone with bad bronchitis or pneumonia, and she has a lump on the left side of her chest. There appears to be some yellow discharge coming out of her nostrils but otherwise she seemed OK.

We have her in a dog crate now with blankets for the evening and gave her water with probiotics and electrolytes which she quickly gulped down.

What could this be and how can we help her if possible? Of course we are also worried about the rest of our girls who are the same age but they seem OK for now. Any help you can give would be much appreciated.

Thank you!!

 

[dixiebackyard]

sounds like it may be a respiratory infection and the lump maybe something else

 

[gumbomom2011]

Thanks for the reply! When you mention respiratory, is that coryza?

Also the lump is soft and I tried massaging it and then it got harder.

 

[dixiebackyard]

Thanks for the reply! When you mention respiratory, is that coryza?

Also the lump is soft and I tried massaging it and then it got harder.

There are several forms of respiratory disease in chickens. Coryza, MG, Infectious bronchitis to name a few. No cure as to my knowledge only treatments for the symptoms.

 

[gumbomom2011]

Thank you! We have been doing a bunch of research here on the site. We have to see what tomorrow brings....

 

[rebrascora]

The lump just sounds like her crop. They go through a phase as chicks where it sometimes becomes particularly noticeable and there are several posts on BYC about it each year where people think it is a cyst, but just a gluttonous chick with a bald patch right over it's crop. If I am correct, you can check it by removing access to food overnight and see if I has noticeably reduced in size the next morning.
@dixiebackyard has the respiratory issue covered. Some people use antibiotics to treat their flock but antibiotics will only help with an infection which may develop as a result of the Virus. The virus itself just takes time to run it's course. Unfortunately your other chickens have been exposed to it now. Supporting their immune system with a vitamin supplement like Nutri Drench will help them fight it off as well as good nutrition. I believe VetRX is helpful to improve their breathing. In it's absence, I have used eucalyptus oil to help open the airways.

Good luck with your flock

Regards

Barbara

 

[gumbomom2011]

The lump just sounds like her crop. They go through a phase as chicks where it sometimes becomes particularly noticeable and there are several posts on BYC about it each year where people think it is a cyst, but just a gluttonous chick with a bald patch right over it's crop. If I am correct, you can check it by removing access to food overnight and see if I has noticeably reduced in size the next morning.
@dixiebackyard has the respiratory issue covered. Some people use antibiotics to treat their flock but antibiotics will only help with an infection which may develop as a result of the Virus. The virus itself just takes time to run it's course. Unfortunately your other chickens have been exposed to it now. Supporting their immune system with a vitamin supplement like Nutri Drench will help them fight it off as well as good nutrition. I believe VetRX is helpful to improve their breathing. In it's absence, I have used eucalyptus oil to help open the airways.

Good luck with your flock

Regards

Barbara

Thank you so much Barbara & Dixiebackyard!

Other than her breathing, the new pullet is eating and seems OK. We bought VetRx and some vitamins for the other birds. She got sick so fast we are wondering if she got it from ours or if she came to us with it. So far (fingers crossed) the other girls seem OK. Watching closely though and pampering.