please look at my chicken video

[Heatherberry]

I have an appointment tomorrow with vet here in my town who treats chickens. Finally found one. My husband really doesn't want me to spend the money on a $2.00 chicken to go to the vet but ,she is a pet. I have issues terminating the life of an animal if I haven't done all I could. She's the sweetest one in the bunch. Albeit the runt.

None of the other girls are acting strange. They are all healthy. She has alway been the smallest. I hope the vet can help. I suspect if he cant find anything by a manual exam they will do radio-graphs.

We'll see. How many people out there take their chickens to the vet?

If you were hypothetically going to cull a chicken, how would one go about doing it? I would have to do it after my 4year olds bedtime. So I could tell him the next day Marilyn didn't make it. How horrible. That is the one from the time we got the chicks that would sit on his knee. She still does.

BTW yes I did hear gurgling in her throat yesterday.

 

[NattyK]

Heatherberry you sound like a kind person, so don't feel silly for taking her to the vet. The time to cull, IMHO, is after you have done what you can, even if that includes going to the vet. We agree there. (Even if it is for a rooster you don't like) ;0)If your kids are attached, why not? I have spent a lot of money on my cats and other animals, and they were free LOL! If you need to cull her, I have read that the best way is to get some starter fluid, soak a rag and put her and the rag in an airtight bucket. If I had to do this I would probably cover her head with something. I have not had to do this, but you can research it on the BYC website. Good luck with your girl!

 

[Wynette]

Heather, I'm very sorry!

If you're hearing gurgling, she's definitely got a respiratory disease. You may be able to treat it, but as I said, she will be a carrier of the disease forever. Please, please think long & hard about this. ANY birds you have in with her have already been exposed, and any future birds...plus, if you are selling hatching eggs or stock, they have also been exposed. It's a horrible thing to have, and there's likely nothing that you have done wrong. In my opinion, when you hear rales (gurgling), you need to remove the ill one ASAP before others contract what she has. Please think about the future. When you go to the vet, ask the vet about her being a carrier of the disease if she can be cured. I'm sure the vet will be able to explain it in a more scientific way - I know this to be absolutely true, without a doubt, but I sometimes can't explain things that well.

As far as culling. It's very difficult with a pet or even just a hen that you don't have a relationship with. Please do not use the starter fluid method. It's basically suffocating them. If you cannot do it (I can't either, so don't feel whimpy!!), find a friend that can do it for you. I have a few folks that I call when I have one that needs to be put down.

Also, I DO take my birds to the vet...but not for respiratory issues. I have lived & learned about that one, unfortunately. BEST of luck!

 

[PoultryPedia]

Some respiratory issues make culling advisable, but myself I haven't gotten had the impression that most such issues necessarily do.
The problems for this particular hen seem to have been serious for a while. I don't know if culling would or wouldn't be best with her

I am very sorry the challenges have been so persistent. Very hard.

Please keep us updated.

 

[speckledhen]

Unless you do testing to see what she has, you won't know if she can be a carrier or not. Most respiratory illnesses do produce carriers, whether bacterial or viral, though some may be carriers for a certain time period and then be okay, but you will not know that. Many are carriers for the life of the bird., And some of these diseases pass down through the egg to the chick, but you have to know what you're dealing with if you want to keep and treat a bird with respiratory illness. Any bird who has been ill like that has a compromised immune system and may relapse in the future.
I can't hear the sound in the video, so I'm talking in general, not diagnosing your bird (netbook isn't great with video, though I tried to hear it)

 

[Heatherberry]

Well, she is much better today so I cancelled the vet appointment. They want $58.00 just to look at her. I have decided if it gets worse I will cull her how I don't know or who I could get to do it. We live in a town where it is basically sacrilege to kill an animal. The other girls are good. It may be that something has been caught in her throat, although I don't know if that would cause gurgling sounds in the throat.

Anyway, there is no mouth breathing this morning. She is just squawking minimally and peeping more. I am going to give a a few more days. Tomorrow will be three weeks since this saga has begun and I appreciate the support and patience. Heaven knows my husband is so tired of hearing about it. All he says now is, "Honey, it's up to you. Whatever you want to do."

I will let you all know what happens.