Pullet Gurgling Sound in Throat

[linuxusr]

One pullet of five months respires with a loud gurgling sound in the throat. There are no other symptoms, behavioral or otherwise. And here in the Dominican Republic there are no vets, so I'm on my own. A quick google search indicates that it is a common symptom of respiratory infections in general.

Can anyone refer me to a detailed source whereby I can learn what this symptom is most likely indicative of as well as the most common treatment?

 

[chicknmania]

How long has she been doing this? If it's just for a day...sometimes they will inhale something, and run around sounding like that, but they seem to clear up the problem themselves.

If it's been longer than that, then yes it's probably illness in some form, it could be CRD, Mycoplasma (MG) or even (hopefully not) ILT. If she's acting normally, I'd be thinking it is probably Chronic Respiratory Disease, which can be treated with Oxytetracyclene. You should certainly separate her from the others. Do you have access to any antibiotics?

 

[linuxusr]

How long has she been doing this? If it's just for a day...sometimes they will inhale something, and run around sounding like that, but they seem to clear up the problem themselves.

If it's been longer than that, then yes it's probably illness in some form, it could be CRD, Mycoplasma (MG) or even (hopefully not) ILT. If she's acting normally, I'd be thinking it is probably Chronic Respiratory Disease, which can be treated with Oxytetracyclene. You should certainly separate her from the others. Do you have access to any antibiotics?

Thank you for this. She has been doing this for about a week. That suggests that I can eliminate a blockage due to inhalation. And, as you suggest, since she has no other symptoms, that indicates a lesser probability of MG or ILT whose symptoms, as time progressed, as it has here, would be acute. So CRD is a strong possibility. I do have oxytetracycline. I did have a URL for a veterinary site for poultry diseases. I think I will search for the same and learn more about CRD. Principally, I want to know if the infective agent is bacterial and, if so, if the bacterium is gram positive or negative and, then, if oxytetracyclene treats principally gram negative or positive bacteria or is wide-spectrum
As much as possible, I try to go by the science, and find a match between the cause of the infection and the medication rather than guessing or using home remedies.

Meanwhile, I will observe her and perhaps quarantine her as well. If oxytetracycline seems to fit the bill, I will try that.

 

[linuxusr]

How is her crop emptying? It should fill up during the day and be empty by the next morning. If it not empty in early morning before eating and drinking, their could be ahard impacted crop or a puffy sour or slow crop. If crop contents come back up into the throat there can be a gurgly sound. Mucus from a respiratory infection could also cause gurgling.

Respiratory diseases can be viral, where antibiotics do not help. The symptoms may be milder. Or they can be bacterial, such as MG or coryza, and those might respond to an antibiotic. MG may cause bubbles in the eyes, and the eyelids may be swollen. Mold fungus can also cause a respiratory infection.

I don't (or didn't) know anything about the crop. I hear it often mentioned here. I took it upon myself to listen to several veterinarian lectures on the chicken digestive system. I now understand that the crop is a storage organ with negligible digestive function. Evolutionarily it exists because chickens are prey animals. The crop enables chickens to eat rapidly in the event that they need to flee. Now, when you ask how her crop is emptying, you are suggesting a hands on intervention of which I know nothing. Can you explain?

This is the second day that I have observed no gurgling sounds during the day. That suggests to me that there is no infection but rather some mechanical issue, as you suggest, when you mention a crop's contents coming back into the throat . . . it seems to me that if there were a disease process, that the symptom(s) would be continuous. At the moment I am not medicating and taking a wait and see approach. At this moment I see healthy chickens with no issues . . . I did observe the problem last night during roosting. I'll check again tonight.

I want to bring up a second item, also related to digestion. I understand that the gizzard is functionally analogous to teeth in mammals, that it's a muscle, a strong one, that masticates utilizing "grit," in this case, I'm going to reference something midrange between sand and gravel, about the size of a pea. My chickens are not free ranging and for waste management I use loam or garden soil that I bought at a nursery. It is very fine. It may be abrasive but I think it will do poorly for a grinding function. I am therefore going to stop feeding whole corn (dent corn) until I can find an appropriate grit and place a large quantity of it in the coop where it will always be available. If they poop on it, easy to douse with water and clean. When I find something suitable, I will leave it in the coop for about a week before I begin again with whole kernels . . .

 

[linuxusr]

Do you have a balanced chicken feed available? Whole corn is not food for chickens period. Cracked corn is preferred, but that is too low in protein as scratch grains are. Chickens need a mix of nutrients. Granite poultry grit is available in many countries. The crop usually fills up during eating and drinking throughout the day, and by the next morning, the normal crop should be empty. If it is not functioning properly or the gizzard is blocked, or there is pressure inside the abdomen from other reasons, the crop may feel full, hard, or puffy. Crop disorders can be common with other illnesses, such as reproductive disorders.

How do I know if the crop has not emptied and what can I do about it? You say the crop fills up during eating and drinking. Does that mean that water is also stored in the crop?

Balanced chicken feed is not available in this country. It's either whole corn or ground corn or nothing. It's been that way for 500 years before Jamestown was even founded. I am supplementing with various fruits and vegetables to see what they like. Before they roosted tonight I fed carrots and bananas. They pecked a little but showed no interest. I will try different fruits and vegetables tomorrow. If they show no interest, I'm not sure if I should keep trying to offer it anyway or not. Also, I have bought some dogfood, which I will moisten, to make it easier to eat, and see how that works. I have bought the dog food only for a protein source. I think that the main problem with corn is that it is a poor protein source.

 

[linuxusr]

@chicknmania
OP Update;

 

[linuxusr]

Today I spent time observing all and could hear any gurgling sound. I also could not identify at that time which pullet was gurgling as I have several that appear similarly.

Tonight I went to the coop for a good listen during roosting and I found the particular pullet, who happened to be sitting on the end of one roost, obviously gurgling. Fortunately, I also discovered that she has a dark comb and I only have two pullets with dark combs, so that narrows my choice to two.

I'm not sure but as I observe her, I think that her beak is open more than usual and, of course, it's very cool now, so this cannot be a function of the heat. I have a quarantine cage of decent size. Tomorrow I'll pull her. If I don't which of the two are gurgling I'll pull both and when I hear, put one back. I will treat via water and monitor.

I was thinking about another possibility and I want to know what you think about it. I might be a little bare on the details here, so maybe you will need to correct me or fill in details. Once in a while I have found one of my pullets vomiting water. A quick research tells me that chickens don't have gag/vomit reflexes, so "vomit" is not the correct work. Let's use "evacuate." I read that sometimes this evacuation can be normal, possibly caused by excessive drinking during hot weather and that other times there is an underlying pathology. The possibility is that this pullet has drank excessive water and is not evacuating it. This is mostly a speculation. I also lack knowledge of chicken anatomy and have no idea why, in the first place, the water doesn't end up in the cut and needs to be evacuated.

Meanwhile, as noted, it's quarantine and oxytretracycline tomorrow, which I also find out is wide spectrum. More later.

 

[Eggcessive]

How is her crop emptying? It should fill up during the day and be empty by the next morning. If it not empty in early morning before eating and drinking, their could be ahard impacted crop or a puffy sour or slow crop. If crop contents come back up into the throat there can be a gurgly sound. Mucus from a respiratory infection could also cause gurgling.

Respiratory diseases can be viral, where antibiotics do not help. The symptoms may be milder. Or they can be bacterial, such as MG or coryza, and those might respond to an antibiotic. MG may cause bubbles in the eyes, and the eyelids may be swollen. Mold fungus can also cause a respiratory infection.

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have a balanced chicken feed available? Whole corn is not food for chickens period. Cracked corn is preferred, but that is too low in protein as scratch grains are. Chickens need a mix of nutrients. Granite poultry grit is available in many countries. The crop usually fills up during eating and drinking throughout the day, and by the next morning, the normal crop should be empty. If it is not functioning properly or the gizzard is blocked, or there is pressure inside the abdomen from other reasons, the crop may feel full, hard, or puffy. Crop disorders can be common with other illnesses, such as reproductive disorders.

 

[linuxusr]

OP: Forgot to say, as far as I can tell they don't sell grit designed for chickens here either. I will have to go to a place that sells construction materials. The Dominican Republic is not the United States.