Respiratory systems related to bedding?

[Jakico]

I have 8 chickens. Today I noticed one making a weird noise. She has a very nervous personality in general. Many of her sisters have started laying for the season in the last few weeks and I thought she was due for her first egg which for her is always a big nervous squawking production. However, I noticed the noise was related to her breathing. I took her inside and listened with a stethoscope and found she was in fact wheezing. I put her in a dog kennel in our mud room and placed a blanket over it to calm her and the wheezing slowed with her breathing, but persisted with each breath. I purchased from vetrx and followed the instructions and she drank some of the mixture. I dabbed it on her head and nostrils. I didn’t really notice a difference after a few hours. She was sleeping but still wheezing. We took a small flashlight and looking in her throat for worms or obstruction but found nothing obstructing her breathing. She eats normal, drinks a little and poop looks normal. My boyfriend turned the lights down to keep her calm and placed a ziplock bag over her head with a hole cut out of one side and gave her a puff of albuterol. Her wheezing has since stopped. Seems she either has a respiratory infection or allergy that is constricting her airway. Could it be their bedding? I purchased what I thought was the normal bedding they use but noticed it smelled piney. I double checked and the brand states it’s fir. None of the other girls are reacting. I only supplemented the bedding and added a little bit and this was two weeks prior to any symptoms staring with her.

 

[Eggcessive]

It could be stridor, a sound that happens with a small piece of feed getting stuck in the airway. This type may disappear in a few hours once the feed has been coughed up or disappears. Stridor also may happen with mucus or swelling in the airway from a respiratory infection or disease. Have you heard any sneeze, or seen any nasal or eye discharge? A video uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo with a link posted here can help. Here is a video in post 1 of this thread that is an example of stridor:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkie-w-possible-stridor.1218528/

 

[Jakico]

It could be stridor, a sound that happens with a small piece of feed getting stuck in the airway. This type may disappear in a few hours once the feed has been coughed up or disappears. Stridor also may happen with mucus or swelling in the airway from a respiratory infection or disease. Have you heard any sneeze, or seen any nasal or eye discharge? A video uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo with a link posted here can help. Here is a video in post 1 of this thread that is an example of stridor:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkie-w-possible-stridor.1218528/

Yes! that was the sound! She did seem to have some nasal discharge but just watery, not mucus or colored, I did see a few sneezes. This morning she seems ok, no funny noises. I’m keeping her in quarantine just in case for a few more days. Thanks for the video, it’s horrible to watch anything struggle to breath. I think this might be what happened though.

 

[Eggcessive]

What is your general location? Nasal drainage and sneezing could be respiratory disease, such as mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG,) or a virus, such as infectious bronchitis or others. If you see any eye bubbles or foam, you could get some Tylan or tylosin and treat for symptoms of MG. If her symptoms go away in a few hours, then I would just watch her.

 

[Jakico]

I’m in Portland Oregon. She seems ok today. Other than being annoyed she’s confined to a crate. I’m gonna keep her quarantined for a few days longer. I should purchase some of these meds just to have on hand. Do you know if Tylan is best used in the shot or I can add it to drinking water?

 

[Jakico]

Also how do I get Tylan? Looks like an rx is required

 

[Eggcessive]

Tylan 50 is sometimes found in some feed stores in the US. It is injectable, needs a syringe and needle to remove it from the vial, but most give it orally since it can cause muscle damage in chickens. Dosage is 0.25 ml per pound given orally 3 times a day for 5 days.

Tylosin powder is found online here without a prescription:
https://jedds.com/products/tylosin-powder

Dosage is 1 tsp of the powder mixed into each gallon of water for 5 days.