Respiratory infection? Or something else? Getting worse...help!

[77horses]

Hey everyone,
I have an older Easter egger hen (she’s at least 5 years old, we adopted her from a neglectful home about a year ago) who started showing some “cold symptoms” about a week and a half ago- sneezing, wheezing, throat/nasal congestion...no visible signs of mucus in the eyes, nose or mouth though. I didn’t separate her from the flock because none of the other chickens have shown any symptoms. I added nutrition-drench and ACV to their watererers and bought some VetRX, which I’ve been applying to her beak/nostrils, comb and wattles every night with the hopes that it would help ease the symptoms and make breathing easier. I’d heard good things about it’s effectiveness. However, it hasn’t seemed to help.
Tonight her breathing is worse. When she takes a breath in she opens her mouth, and will sneeze every few minutes. Again, no visible mucus.
I’m starting to wonder if it’s not a respiratory infection but rather a health condition that she’s had for a while that’s starting to get worse? It’s not contagious otherwise the others would be showing symptoms.
When we adopted her I noticed that she had a little raspy/noisy breathing, but I didn’t think much of it because it didn’t seem to make breathing more difficult for her and she has always seemed healthy and happy- active, eating/drinking regularly, foraging with the flock, etc. I’m starting to wonder if her symptoms now are connected to this?
Any ideas?

To sum it up:
-older hen (5+ years)
-previous history of neglect (lack of food and water) before we adopted her
-has always been a “noisy breather” but with no other symptoms
-open-mouth breathing
-no mucus/eye discharge
-normal behavior otherwise (eating/drinking, although her crop has felt less full lately and I think the breathing issue is interfering with her food consumption)
-no worms/lice/other health issues known
-VetRX doesn’t seem to ease symptoms (today is day 3 of applying it every night before bed)
-other chickens aren’t showing symptoms
-diet: all flock pellets, layer pellets, oyster shells, cracked corn (in the winter), dried mealworms for treats, veggies/fruits table scraps, and grass/dirt/bugs eaten when foraging the yard.
Any insight would be much appreciated!

 

[annaBsChick]

Have you tried using the chicken symptom checker tool? http://www.poultrydvm.com/views/symptoms.php - It might help you narrow down the possibilities..

 

[77horses]

Have you tried using the chicken symptom checker tool? http://www.poultrydvm.com/views/symptoms.php - It might help you narrow down the possibilities..

@annaBsChick I gave the symptom checker a try but for some reason it yielded no results. Not sure if it’s a glitch or what, or if it’s not compatible with iPhone web browsing.

 

[dawg53]

Since your other birds arnt showing any symptoms, it might be something in the environment she was exposed to. Such as mold spores or some type of fungus, inhalation of feed dust or dust from dust bathing, pesticide use, maybe a clogged nare. I thought about air sac mites but not all the symptoms are present and other birds would be infected as well.

 

[77horses]

Since your other birds arnt showing any symptoms, it might be something in the environment she was exposed to. Such as mold spores or some type of fungus, inhalation of feed dust or dust from dust bathing, pesticide use, maybe a clogged nare. I thought about air sac mites but not all the symptoms are present and other birds would be infected as well.

Yeah I’m worried that the place she came from gave her some illness that’s now starting to rear its head. Her previous owners neglected her and two other hens we have (who we adopted with her but show no symptoms) by failing to feed them regularly, no access to water, etc...from what I saw their coop was in the corner of a run-down garage and was incredibly dusty/never cleaned. Several birds died in there from starvation and who knows what else before we were able to get to them. She and her two sisters were the only ones who made it out alive. It was awful.
If her previous living environment was to blame- say, mold or dust- what would treatment look like? Is this just something that’s going to stay with her? Like I said she has always had raspy breathing. Ever since it started to get cold around here (I live in New England) it has gotten a lot worse with the sneezing and open-mouth breathing.

 

[dawg53]

If it was mold spores or a fungal problem, non activated Oxine would be best. Here's a link for you to read about it.
https://www.shagbarkbantams.com/upper-respiratory-fungal-infections/
Here's where to buy it, and it looks like it's on sale. You do not need the citric acid activator.
https://www.revivalanimal.com/product/oxine-animal-health-ah?sku=15101-801
You dont need to buy the fogger. Use a spray bottle that you can purchase at a garden center.
Dosage is 1/8 teaspoon per gallon of water. Fill the spray bottle with the mixture and set the nozzle to a fine mist. Then spray over the head of the hen 3 times a day for 10 days, 4 or 5 pumps and she should have breathed it in. It may clear up sooner if in fact it's mold or fungus. Ten days is best to ensure she's clear.

 

[77horses]

If it was mold spores or a fungal problem, non activated Oxine would be best. Here's a link for you to read about it.
https://www.shagbarkbantams.com/upper-respiratory-fungal-infections/
Here's where to buy it, and it looks like it's on sale. You do not need the citric acid activator.
https://www.revivalanimal.com/product/oxine-animal-health-ah?sku=15101-801
You dont need to buy the fogger. Use a spray bottle that you can purchase at a garden center.
Dosage is 1/8 teaspoon per gallon of water. Fill the spray bottle with the mixture and set the nozzle to a fine mist. Then spray over the head of the hen 3 times a day for 10 days, 4 or 5 pumps and she should have breathed it in. It may clear up sooner if in fact it's mold or fungus. Ten days is best to ensure she's clear.

Thank you!! I will look into this.
She’s getting worse I think...more lethargic today. :/ Not really interested in food, even when I made a hot mash (all-flock pellets, cracked corn, dried cranberries, a little minced garlic, splash of ACV, and some milled flax seed all in one bowl; pour hot water over it and mix together. I call it oatmeal for chickens). Not even the dried meal worms sprinkled on top interested her.

 

[77horses]

If it was mold spores or a fungal problem, non activated Oxine would be best. Here's a link for you to read about it.
https://www.shagbarkbantams.com/upper-respiratory-fungal-infections/
Here's where to buy it, and it looks like it's on sale. You do not need the citric acid activator.
https://www.revivalanimal.com/product/oxine-animal-health-ah?sku=15101-801
You dont need to buy the fogger. Use a spray bottle that you can purchase at a garden center.
Dosage is 1/8 teaspoon per gallon of water. Fill the spray bottle with the mixture and set the nozzle to a fine mist. Then spray over the head of the hen 3 times a day for 10 days, 4 or 5 pumps and she should have breathed it in. It may clear up sooner if in fact it's mold or fungus. Ten days is best to ensure she's clear.

After reading that article you attached, that sounds like exactly what’s going on. I can hear the crackling when she breathes.
I just ordered the Oxine and paid extra for 2-day shipping. It’ll be here by Thursday.
Is there anything I can do in the meantime to help her breathing? I’m really worried she’s not gonna make it by the time it arrives, especially if she stops eating. I have no experience in feeding birds that aren’t able to eat themselves, but I’m willing to learn if it means getting her to eat and maintain her energy. Not eating, and being an older hen as it is, is just going to make her go downhill faster. I also need to make sure she’s drinking enough water.
I gave her a squirt of nutri-drench directly into her mouth. Hopefully that gives her extra nutrients.
Does applying the VetRX help clear her airways if it’s fungal, even if it’s temporary?

 

[77horses]

Update: she ate a little cracked corn before bed tonight, which is a good sign...she’s sleeping with her head tucked in her back, labored breathing seems to be on and off rather than constant (she’ll go through episodes it seems). Poor girl. Hoping she holds on until medicine arrives.

 

[dawg53]

Give her one or two drops of nutri drench a day orally for no more than 7 days. Try giving her some plain boiled white rice mixed with buttermilk or cottage cheese and see if she'll eat it. What does her poop look like?