Respiratory Issues?

[three_tinas]

Winter: perhaps the time for chicken colds that just stick around?? So I have a fairly young rock barred hen who has been sort of 'gasp breathing' for the past few weeks. There has been no sneezing, coughing, discharge, swelling...When she inhales her lower waddle rises up like she’s reaching to fill her lungs. When she exhales, her ‘cheeks’ at the base of her beak balloon out a little. If you’re quiet, you can hear her breath. Her comb is pale but still standing upright. The symptoms have stabilized; not gotten worse nor better. She is getting over a really heavy molt — the new feathers are in but still opening up around the base.
I have tried the following treatments with little or no success: oregano/garlic cloves/raw honey in the water, offering cooked scrambled duck eggs, high quality feed, probiotics in the drinking water (alternating with the garlic/oregano combo).
Her behavior is that of a normal chicken: she loves the scrambled eggs, enjoys the feed and drinks enough water. She pecks and scratches with her sisters during the day. She’s a little quieter than usual but will certianly chirp away if there are treat mealworms in her future.
I have the chickens currently in a hoop house since their usual home is on the lower north side the property and hasn’t dried out or seen sun since October. I generally roll up one or both sides of the hoop house to allow for fresher air to circulate.
I’m a bit perplexed on what is issue is and worried that her symptoms aren’t going away. We’ve had a relatively mild winter here in Portland, Oregon so I think she’s been able to keep warm.
Any advice ? What have I missed? Any advice is welcome! Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

young rock barred hen who has been sort of 'gasp breathing' for the past few weeks. There has been no sneezing, coughing, discharge, swelling...When she inhales her lower waddle rises up like she’s reaching to fill her lungs. When she exhales, her ‘cheeks’ at the base of her beak balloon out a little. If you’re quiet, you can hear her breath. Her comb is pale but still standing upright. The symptoms have stabilized; not gotten worse nor better. She is getting over a really heavy molt — the new feathers are in but still opening up around the base.

Welcome To BYC!
Can you take a video of her? Upload to youtube, then provide us a link.
Photos would be good too if you have them.

How old is she?
Have you checked to make sure her crop is empty in the morning before she eats/drinks?
Is she of laying age? When was her last egg?

Gasping for breath, does sound like a respiratory illness. Mycoplasma, Infectious Bronchitis, Infectious Coryza and ILT are all common illnesses chickens can have.
Since she is the only one, then I would be a good idea to look inside her beak for any canker, obstruction, lesions or plaques as well.
Fresh air is very important even in winter. Do you notice if she has more difficulty breathing at certain times - early morning when coming out of the coop, late at night or right after eating/drinking?

What type of food do you feed? Do you provide a source of grit?

 

[three_tinas]

Thank you for the quick reply! I think she's approx 2-3. Not sure when her last egg was -- the hens have pretty much stopped laying, although one left an egg for us while we let them run around the yard this afternoon.
I'll check for obstructions and her crop, although she's been eating and pooping like a champ. It does seem like her breathing is a bit more 'labored' in the morning, but I can double check that also.
I give them a pelleted, I'll have to check the brand. Yes, they have a source of grit and greens a provided daily.
Video/photos coming soon!
Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Look forward to it

 

[three_tinas]

Hi Wyorp: So here are the images of Libby. Above is a link to a You Tube video; its difficult to hear her breathing because of the rain but you can see her lower waddle move. She's not into being held because her feathers are still coming in, so I had to be a bit patient....We are feeding the birds "Payback" organic pelleted feed, she's got access to grit and oyster shells. I added cinnamon/oregano to the water this morning. Her crop is totally empty in the morning before she eats and her appetite is still pretty amazing.Thank you for taking a look and getting back to me. Please let me know if you have difficulty accessing the images/links. Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

At this time I would go with a wait and see approach. See if she gets better or worse.
Continue to do as you are. She's molting so this is very hard on them. I do like to give my molters a direct dose of poultry vitamins (Poultry Cell) for a few days or you can add it to the flock's water if you wish.

 

[three_tinas]

Thank you Wyorp! I feel really good about your advice. Another member of a FB poultry forum suggested that Libby might have a mild case of Asthma, which makes sense. Her bird has occasional flare-ups that are similar to Libby's symptoms when exposed to dry, cold, dusty conditions which is exactly where my chickens are now. I've sprayed down the dust in the hoop house which seems to help and obviously keeping the sides up for air flow. I'm anxious to get them back to their normal home but we're experiencing about a week or so of pretty cold temps... I'll look into the Poultry Cell !
Thank you!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Thank you Wyorp! I feel really good about your advice. Another member of a FB poultry forum suggested that Libby might have a mild case of Asthma, which makes sense. Her bird has occasional flare-ups that are similar to Libby's symptoms when exposed to dry, cold, dusty conditions which is exactly where my chickens are now. I've sprayed down the dust in the hoop house which seems to help and obviously keeping the sides up for air flow. I'm anxious to get them back to their normal home but we're experiencing about a week or so of pretty cold temps... I'll look into the Poultry Cell !
Thank you!

I hope Libby starts feeling better soon. She's a pretty girl, I just love my Rock Girls and I'm sure you do too

 

[Eggcessive]

You also might look into possible aspergillosis from mold or wet conditions, or wet bedding. Sometimes a chicken, perhaps, only one in a flock can get aspergillosis which is spread through the air sacs all over the body. Sometimes the only symptom is silent gasping. Here are some articles to read:
http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/aspergillosis
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/diseaseinfo/7/aspergillosis/