Sick Hen help

[Bring]

I have a 17 wk old EE Hen. Not laying eggs yet.
She free ranges during the day and is in the coop at night.
The bedding is soft wood chips
She eats complete layers feed and lots of grasshoppers
Today I noticed her making strange "honking" sounds when she breathes. Also she is sneezing and what sounds like coughing. She is alert, no lathargy. No nasal discharge. Clear and bright eyes. She Is eating and drinking well. She was in with a small flock of 8, including her. I seperated her and have her in the house in a cage in a dark and quiet room. It has been raining all day today and it's a little chilly. I had to run some errands and was gone for a couple of hours. when I came back she seemed better. She isn't "honking" while she's breathing. I haven't given her any medication yet. I have some antibiotics that you add to drinking water, should I medicate her with that? Should I medicate the whole flock? Can I eat the eggs of one of my laying hens if I do medicate them?

EDIT: She's outside with the rest of the flock now. She hasn't made any loud noises or sneezed since after I brought her in the house. Is it possible she had a reaction to the sudden change of weather? It was borderline hot yesterday and today it is cold and wet.

 

[chickenlady]

Im not sure what you mean by honking when she breathes but chickens will usually sneeze or cough when eating as they sometimes take it in to quickly. If she has no other symptoms I would leave her be and just keep a close eye on her. Maybe what you see is perfectly normal. I would not medicate for no reason.

 

[Bring]

Well by honking I mean with each breath in and out she would make a really loud sound. Louder than wheezing. I don't know how else to discribe it. Since she's been in the house she is breathing normally and I don't see any of the other birds doing it. I think I will let her outside again. I will see how she is in the morning.

 

[purpletree23]

I'm not trying to be funny here. I just want to make that clear.

It could be the grasshoppers. My girls got into a bunch of them and I think they ate so many they had trouble digesting them. I almost passed out when one of the girls came running up to me and I could see something hanging out of her mouth. She kept trying to swallow the hopper but it kept trying to climb out her mouth. I'm getting woooozy! She finally grabbed in with her beak, beat it against the ground and swallowed it.

Lets just say that everyone got locked in the coop for the rest of the for MY own good.