Sick hen? Sneezing, wheezing, and...a weird noise. See video.

[ferroplasm]

First post here. We have a small flock, of 15 hens and one roo. Three hens are 2+ years old and 13 are young, around 18 weeks. One of our Turken hens, Friar Cluck, has begun showing some signs of a respiratory infection. She's sneezing, wheezing, stretching her neck occasionally, panting somewhat, and making a very strange noise. It's indescribable, so I'm linking a video of her doing it.

Any ideas?

 

[Silkielove103]

First post here. We have a small flock, of 15 hens and one roo. Three hens are 2+ years old and 13 are young, around 18 weeks. One of our Turken hens, Friar Cluck, has begun showing some signs of a respiratory infection. She's sneezing, wheezing, stretching her neck occasionally, panting somewhat, and making a very strange noise. It's indescribable, so I'm linking a video of her doing it.

Any ideas?

This looks like pneumonia, are you cleaning the coop frequently?

 

[Silkielove103]

This looks like pneumonia, are you cleaning the coop frequently?

Or maybe due to weather changes, like severe heat?

 

[ferroplasm]

Interesting. It's a brand new coop that they spend very little time in aside from sleeping and laying eggs. The rest of the run has fresh wood chips. Very little manure buildup anywhere.

 

[dawg53]

Welcome to BYC. Have you seen any other respiratory disease symptoms such as; mucus from nostrils, bubbles in her eyes, gurgling, facial swelling?
How long has the symptoms you're seeing been going on? Are any other birds showing symptoms?

 

[ferroplasm]

Welcome to BYC. Have you seen any other respiratory disease symptoms such as; mucus from nostrils, bubbles in her eyes, gurgling, facial swelling?
How long has the symptoms you're seeing been going on? Are any other birds showing symptoms?

No other symptoms like that. I noticed the onset of open mouth breathing, sneezing, and the weird sound this week. Could this possibly be gapeworm??

 

[ferroplasm]

Or maybe due to weather changes, like severe heat?

We have had a lot of humid days in the mid 90s. It's hot for sure. I just started the girls on electrolytes and vitamins to help offset the heat stress a bit.

 

[dawg53]

Birds that are hot due to high temps can sometimes gape and honk. They also move or open their upper wings away from their body.
Try setting up a box fan in the pen. I've seen my birds sit on the ground about 4 or 5 feet in front of the fan trying to keep cool.
Right now I have 2 fans in 3 pens, and 1 fan in another pen. One coop has 2 fans inside it, and the other two coops have 1 fan in each.
I shut the fans off in the pens when they go to roost in the evening and turn the fans on inside the coops. Visa versa the next morning.
The fans inside the coops blow air OUT a vent. Indirect airflow is sucked in the other vents providing fresh air. You dont want direct air blowing on the birds.

 

[ferroplasm]

I suspect this is not a problem of heat stress.

This evening as I was checking on the birds, this hen was wheezing, gasping, and sneezing. I also noticed her crop was empty and her comb was just a little bit darker red than the other turkens. I rubbed a small amount of vet rx on her wattles, comb, beak, and under her wings. What else should I be doing for her? Should I be mixing a special mash for her to eat since her crop was empty??

Please help. Really don't want to lose this bird.

 

[Silkielove103]

Birds that are hot due to high temps can sometimes gape and honk. They also move or open their upper wings away from their body.
Try setting up a box fan in the pen. I've seen my birds sit on the ground about 4 or 5 feet in front of the fan trying to keep cool.
Right now I have 2 fans in 3 pens, and 1 fan in another pen. One coop has 2 fans inside it, and the other two coops have 1 fan in each.
I shut the fans off in the pens when they go to roost in the evening and turn the fans on inside the coops. Visa versa the next morning.
The fans inside the coops blow air OUT a vent. Indirect airflow is sucked in the other vents providing fresh air. You dont want direct air blowing on the birds.

I have a fan in with all 28 and ( and still counting ) Silkies. I keep it on 24/7