Russian Orloff Cockerel not breathing normally?

[mlbowers]

For as long as we can remember this little guy has been breathing this way. The other chicks from the batch don't seem to have this issue. He seems completely fine otherwise, and is real spunky!
Thanks in advance!

 

[CMV]

He's got a pretty significant respiratory problem. What it is? I don't know precisely. Any other symptoms?

 

[mlbowers]

I spoke with the breeder from which we got the eggs and she says she too has never seen anything like this. We are guessing something did not fuse correctly as we even hear a clicking with each breath. Just trying to see if anyone has ever experienced this before...his body shows that he is breathing harder than his sisters from the hatch. His face is not symmetrical as well. Other than this he is amazing.

 

[Eggcessive]

His breathing looks pretty labored. Do you or your neighbors have other chickens that have any eye or face swelling, or nasal discharge with coughing or sneezing?

 

[mlbowers]

We have 40 birds outside and they are healthy as can be. He was hatched inside and has only been exposed to the 2 girls from his hatch. We live on over 5 acres and our closest neighbor doesn't raise chickens. He is happy as can be and shows no sign of being ill other than this.

 

[CMV]

I had a bird that showed distressed breathing like that after a predator attack. She had a punctured air sac that was bleeding air under her skin. She had labored breathing and a crinkly/popping noise (almost like the sound of cellophane being crushed) when she breathed. Unfortunately, my bird succumbed to her injuries about a week later when her lung collapsed. If your bird's issue is congenital he may live a bit longer. I doubt he will live a full life span, though. That kind of labored breathing cannot be maintained indefinitely. His heart will not withstand it.

I had another bird/chick injured during shipping from a hatchery. She arrived with a blown air sac, popping with every breath and puffed up like a balloon. I got her cleaned up pretty quickly, so I thought, but she succumbed to her problem 4 months later. I thought she was well healed and on the road to recovery. Again though, the breathing issue here was related to an injury, not a defect. A defect may be more of a long term problem than an emergent issue.

So, my advice is to enjoy him while he is around, but don't hold out too much hope for a long life expectancy. Good luck with him.

 

[mlbowers]

He is still doing great! Thank you for your thoughts and advice!