Sick or Allergies? Edited I really need help it’s gotten really bad!!!

[Farmgirl283420]

I went out and my poor sweet hen Jessie looks uncomfortable. Her face seems to be swollen and she is breathing through her mouth even though her nose does not appear to be clogged. My hen who gets hot the easiest is not panting which makes me think she is not panting because she is hot. Sometimes she will breath through her mouth and sneeze a few times before going back to normal. Do you think she’s allergic to something or sick? I don’t think she has a runny nose I’m not sure if she has diarrhea. I would really like some advice she is such a sweet girl and one of my original chickens!

 

[Lillith37]

A video might be helpful. It could be allergies, smoke or dust in the air, or a respiratory illness. I would separate her just in case it’s contagious to stop it spreading. That way you can keep an eye on her, make sure her crop empties overnight, make sure she is eating and drinking and check her poo for abnormalities. All that will be useful information to figure out whether she is sick.

Check inside her beak for wounds or lesions.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

A video might be helpful. It could be allergies, smoke or dust in the air, or a respiratory illness. I would separate her just in case it’s contagious to stop it spreading. That way you can keep an eye on her, make sure her crop empties overnight, make sure she is eating and drinking and check her poo for abnormalities. All that will be useful information to figure out whether she is sick.

Check inside her beak for wounds or lesions.

Would a picture be ok? I don’t have you tube. As much as I hate to separate her I agree with you so I’ll have to do that. How do I get her to open her beak and keep it open? Last year her face also looked to be swollen and none of the other chickens seem to have any of the symptoms that she is showing. Thanks for your quick response and advice!

 

[Lillith37]

Would a picture be ok? I don’t have you tube. As much as I hate to separate her I agree with you so I’ll have to do that. How do I get her to open her beak and keep it open? Last year her face also looked to be swollen and none of the other chickens seem to have any of the symptoms that she is showing. Thanks for your quick response and advice!

Chickens can be long term carriers of respiratory illnesses which flare up during times of stress.

You can gently press on the corners of her beak and she should open her mouth, depending on how energetic and fussy she is, she may not like it.

You can also gently pull her wattles down and her beak should open.

Or you can wedge one finger in between her beak to keep it open and brace the back of her head with your thumb. Just be gentle.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Chickens can be long term carriers of respiratory illnesses which flare up during times of stress.

You can gently press on the corners of her beak and she should open her mouth, depending on how energetic and fussy she is, she may not like it.

You can also gently pull her wattles down and her beak should open.

Or you can wedge one finger in between her beak to keep it open and brace the back of her head with your thumb. Just be gentle.

She is pretty calm compared to some of my other chickens so hopefully she won’t get upset. The last thing I want to do is hurt her by accident.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

So shortly after I posted I saw Jessie poop and it was normal. After weeks of looking to be sick none of the other birds seem to be sick like her. She acts like a normal chicken just breathes out her mouth and is pale. Here’s a picture of her. I’m at a loss of what to do I put some RX in her water she got rather swollen last summer too.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

She is still acting like this and I’m worried can anyone help?! @Eggcessive @Wyorp Rock @azygous

 

[Farmgirl283420]

@HollowOfWisps could you help?

 

[HollowOfWisps]

@HollowOfWisps could you help?

If it was contagious like a virus I would assume the others would have started showing signs by now. If she were mine, I would treat her with Durvets B complex. It might sound odd since most people think leg problems or wry neck with b deficiencies and that seems to be what the research for chickens mainly revolves around. However, I know with people and other animals certain b vitamin deficiencies such as b12 it can cause pale skin swollen face/ mouth as well as more labored breathing due to the facial swelling. It might be a Hail Mary, but could be worth a shot.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

If it was contagious like a virus I would assume the others would have started showing signs by now. If she were mine, I would treat her with Durvets B complex. It might sound odd since most people think leg problems or wry neck with b deficiencies and that seems to be what the research for chickens mainly revolves around. However, I know with people and other animals certain b vitamin deficiencies such as b12 it can cause pale skin swollen face/ mouth as well as more labored breathing due to the facial swelling. It might be a Hail Mary, but could be worth a shot.

Thanks! At this point I would treat with just about anything if I could give her a shot at being well again.