Rattling Breathing - sounds like a cat purring?

[kstavert]

A couple of days ago, when putting my ladies to bed,
I heard one of my hens breathing.... it almost sounded
like a cat purring....

Next morning, the rattle was gone..... when I checked
several times during the day, still no rattle....

when I put them to bed that night, the rattle was back..

Next morning, rattling again....so, I brought her in
and have been reading about it....

I'm still not clear on how to care for her or what to
give her.... would always rather natural treatments...

I did read about using Oil of Oregano and dried or
fresh oregano.... garlic....

She's been in the house for two days now and has
not been rattling... (I put dried, ground up oregano
in her feed and oil of oregano in her water - even
though she'd not been rattling for two days)

None of the other birds in the same run with her
had been rattling....

Just checked again and the roo is now rattling ;(

I have a package of Agrimycin-343 -
Oxytetracycline-Hydrochloride but haven't really been
able to discern from the things that I've read if this
antibiotic is something that will help the birds?

Would FAR rather use natural means, if at all possible..

I will greatly appreciate the expertise of anyone who knows
about this and has successfully treated their birds...

Thanks

 

[kstavert]

I've put Oil of Oregano in the water of two of my
birds .... the first - hen - was fine within a couple
of hours and I put her back with her little herd....

as I did, I heard the roo rattling.... he's been
in the house for two days now and is somewhat
better.... I've also given him garlic tabs dissolved
in water.... he drinks this really quickly....

I went to take him back out this morning but he's
still rattling....

and, another hen in the run is also rattling ....

I've been all over the internet, looking for info about
this issue....

there are so many possibilities and I'm not able
to go to a Vet...

they have no other symptoms but the
rattling/gurgling breathing...

I used "Natural treatment" as a search term and
found VetRx and lots of wonderful reviews of it -
how it helps with all manner of breathing issues...

I will post the results when I try VetRx on the
hens and roo later today

 

[Eggcessive]

CAt purr sounds are probably rales, which can be a sign of MG, coryza, and others. Many of the respiratory diseases that are bacterial or mycoplasma (CRD) will respond to oxytetracycline, Viruses such as infectious bronchitis or ILT will not, but it can prevent any secondary infections. It's nice to use herbs to prevent infections, but once there are symptoms, I would rather cull or treat with a known antibiotic while keeping a closed flock. Here is a link of the common respiratory diseases and symptoms with treatment recommendations of the above diseases: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[kstavert]

Hi Eggcessive

Thank you for sharing your
expertise with me...

I'm relatively new to raising
hens and this is my first
experience with illness.

I bring a bird in, give it
Oil of Oregano and VetRx
and the following morning, the
rattle is gone...

I return them to the run and
another one will be rattling ;(

Kinda scared? I have about 25
birds and am very attached to
them.

If this rattle is (seems to be)
so easily treated, is it likely
that antibiotics are useful?

Again, thank you so very much
for your help... Off to check out
the link you shared....

Karen

p.s.....I've been reading about the
various illnesses and the only
symptom my birds show / have
is the rattling ... they eat and
drink very well when they
are inside .....

 

[Eggcessive]

You could always get one of your birds tested for respiratory disease by your local Dept of Agriculture or NPIP agency. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/poultry/participants.shtml
Molds could also be causing problems.

 

[Serenity Sav]

Are you sure it's not just that, purring? Chickens can purr, mine do when they are happy and/or sleepy. Can you make a video of the rattling sound? It might not be anything serious at all.

 

[An Sun]

Cat purr sounds are probably rales

Cat purr sounds are probably an indication of contentment, much like with an actual cat. My chickens make the same sound sometimes, and they are all perfectly healthy.

 

[kstavert]

After about a week of the rattling moving
from one hen/roo to another, it just stopped...

The day before this all started, we'd taken
6 roos out to send to auction...

The roos were tested and found to be
healthy....

so, I'm thinking that it's possible that
the remaining birds were stressed and
the rattles were their expression of
stress????

The only other "symptom" was that
they didn't eat much first thing in the
day (when they usually gobble up all
of their feed)

They are all fine now and laying and
eating are back to normal

Thank you all for your input....

I'm SOOOOOOO glad taht I didn't
rush to give them antibiotics out
of fear

Karen