Potential respiratory illness?

[Ayra01]

Hi all, I've got a chicken with some breathing issues going on, I've listed everything of note below.

• Name: Trooper
• Light Sussex hen
• Age approx. 6 years old
• Weight 3.6kg
• Location: NSW Australia, for non Australians we are currently in mid spring

Symptoms:

• Breathing through mouth, more noticeable when hen is picked up
• Face a bit swollen, she has some issues seeing directly ahead of her as a result. Noticeable when she attempts to pick up food and misses
• Feed intake is not reduced
• Have seen clear fluid come from her beak BUT that was shortly after her having a drink
• Her breath does not smell like sour crop
• Her breathing sounds quiet with ear against chest but it did sound wheezy when I had her mouth open to smell for sour crop
• She does a short sneeze that sounds a bit like a short BUK, I haven't seen if fluid comes out or not.
• Her eyes are not runny
• Her belly towards her rear seems tender as she struggled and did a small poo after I massaged it gently to see if it was water belly. The skin does not appear red around that area and I don't believe it feels like water belly.
• I don't weigh my chickens religiously but her weight has been reasonably consistent this year. From my records she weighed about 3.3kg from March to June and 3.6kg from August to October. I didn't record her weight in July.
• She is still laying, I had an egg from her this morning although she has laid 2 wind eggs in the last week or two.
• I haven't noticed any external parasites or worms. They get dusted for mites every two weeks and they were last wormed late July this year.
• She isn't lethargic

I've known about her breathing through her mouth for a few months at least now but I wasn't concerned because it appeared to only be when she was picked up. It seems to have gotten worse and she is doing it all the time, its not a highly noticeable action. The tender belly however I have only noticed in the past day, however I don't handle her frequently as she is somewhat skittish.
I've included photos of either side of her head from today, a photo of her from 2016 as a comparison and a short video of her breathing from today.

Is this something I need to be concerned about?
I've had three die since March from what appears to be the same or similar illness, they lose weight, and get an impacted crop. But I didn't notice any respiratory symptoms in the ones that have died.
Thanks for any help you can give me.

https://imgur.com/a/c9lGz4q

 

[Silkie Princess]

@Wyorp Rock @azygous @Eggcessive

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Welcome To BYC

At 6 years old along with the symptoms you describe I would take a good guess that she's having some reproductive issues. Cancer, Salpingitis, EYP, etc. can be common in laying hens. As the conditions progress, symptoms gradually become more noticeable - labored breathing, slowing of the digestive process, a little less active...

Picking up a bird that has reproductive issues will often make difficulty breathing more pronounced, so I would suggest while you look her over, you set her on a table for examination instead of trying to hold her. Even when supported underneath her with an arm, it can be distressing for them. I've been there.

Have you brought in new birds recently? I would look inside her beak to make sure there's no lesions/canker. While you re-inspect her, look for any lice/mites. If possible get a fecal float to see if worms can be contributing to her symptoms as well.

I would check to make sure her crop is emptying too. At least check once a week if not more - hens that are slowing down often have crop problems as well.

 

[Ayra01]

Thanks for your help.
I had a look at her throat, I don't think it looks abnormal. No mites that I can see, as for her crop I'll check it tomorrow morning.