Sneezing and wheezing

[NestingMillenial]

My Black Copper Maran is sneezing and wheezing. I heard her sneeze yesterday when feeding and again today when foraging. I caught her and put her aside. Now that we're alone, with me sitting next to her crate, inside and in relative silence, I can hear her breathing with small gargling, like a bubble popping every now and then or some calm wheezing.

I know that's not good. She's lively and lay consistently. She's the flock boss and act exactly as usual. Her face is normal, I see no discharge whatsoever and no swelling, combs and wattles as red as usual.

We had large temperature swings here. I got the flock, we got rattled by a storm and cold rain that very evening, then by the end of that first week the temperature swung in barely 23H from 70-80 during the days to 40-50 and freezing at night for the last 5 days or so. This has been wild, happened while they were still stressed by the move. And on top of it all, they're all molting and we're going through an outbreak of fowl pox. Do I need to cull her? Can I hope it's pneumonia or something treatable dhe got because of the cold? What are the risks for the others? Right now they all seem 100% fine, including this BCM except for her wheezing/sneezing of course, and except one who was the first to show symptoms of fowl pox and is now in the peak of it while others are just starting to show wattle blisters.

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

My black copper Maran is sneezing and wheezing. I heard her sneeze yesterday when feeding and again today when foraging. I caught her and put her aside. Now that we're alone, inside, in the silence, I can her breath with small gargling, like a bubble popping every now and then or some calm wheezing.

I know that's not good. She's lively and lay consistently. She's the flock boss and act exactly as usual. Her face is normal, I see no discharge whatsoever and no swelling, combs and wattles as rrd as usual.

We had large temperature swings here. I got the flock, we got rattled by a storm and cold rain that very evening, then by the end of that first week the temperature swung in barely 23H from 70-80 during the days to 40-50 and freezing at night for the last 5 days or so. This has been wild, happened while they were still stressed by the moved. Add on yop they're all molting and we're going through an outbreak of fowl pox. Do I need to cull her? Can I hope it's pneumonia or something treatable dhe got because of the cold? What are the risks for the others? Right now they all seem 100% fine, including this BCM except for her wheezing/sneezing of course, and except one who was the first to show symptoms of fowl pox and is now in the peak of it while others are just starting to show wattle blisters.

I have had the same problem with one of my roosters,I gave him electrolytes and scrambled eggs and it went away,if there is no swelling and her poop looks normal I would just give it some time and make sure she eats and drinks hope she will make it

 

[Eggcessive]

Make sure the crop is emptying overnight. How does it feel right now? Is the sneezing mostly during eating feed?

 

[NestingMillenial]

Today she sneezed while foraging in a bunch of dead leaves but then kept on wheezing once I had her in the crate (which has the same pine shavings as in their coop, which I clean from poop every day).

Crop was just normal when I handled her, not very prominent or sticking out. And she's been eating well every day so far. I'll check her crop again tomorrow morning!

 

[Eggcessive]

Sometimes a gurgling sound may be from a full and puffy crop with contents coming back up into the throat. I would make sure to limit any dust, and prevent any moldy areas. Watch for any bubbles or foam in one eye, swollen eyelid, or nasal drainage.

 

[NestingMillenial]

Ok, I'll keep watching her and check her crop again in the morning.

Would it be ok to let her back with the others meanwhile? I have only one crate and so far I have been using it to keep the one with fowl pox inside at night (I disinfect her comb an wattles and apply antibiotic ointment every night, since a couple of the warts are bleeding/raw, and I have been keeping her inside for the rest of the night after treatment, for the last few days, letting her out again in the morning)

 

[Eggcessive]

She will probably feel much better being with her flock. That is what I would do.

 

[NestingMillenial]

Ok, I returned her with the flock and took that chance to palp her crop again. Very souple and squishy. At this point I'm totally paranoid so I caught another pullet passing nearby (they are no longer wary of me but I might be convincing them that they should be again...) for comparison. Same soft, relaxed crop. So I'm assuming that's good.

What's less good though is that the second pullet in question had foam in one eye like you just told me to look for. She didn't have it just 10min prior!! She had just ran a bit before, in case that matters... So I tried and listen to her breathing and I think it's normal (at this point I'm just trying so hard to hear anything bad, I don't even know anymore), I also never saw her sneeze. On the pic, her beak is open but it's because she was complaining to me, sye doesn't keep it open the rest of the time.

 

[Mason Farm and Ranch]

My Black Copper Maran is sneezing and wheezing. I heard her sneeze yesterday when feeding and again today when foraging. I caught her and put her aside. Now that we're alone, with me sitting next to her crate, inside and in relative silence, I can hear her breathing with small gargling, like a bubble popping every now and then or some calm wheezing.

I know that's not good. She's lively and lay consistently. She's the flock boss and act exactly as usual. Her face is normal, I see no discharge whatsoever and no swelling, combs and wattles as red as usual.

We had large temperature swings here. I got the flock, we got rattled by a storm and cold rain that very evening, then by the end of that first week the temperature swung in barely 23H from 70-80 during the days to 40-50 and freezing at night for the last 5 days or so. This has been wild, happened while they were still stressed by the move. And on top of it all, they're all molting and we're going through an outbreak of fowl pox. Do I need to cull her? Can I hope it's pneumonia or something treatable dhe got because of the cold? What are the risks for the others? Right now they all seem 100% fine, including this BCM except for her wheezing/sneezing of course, and except one who was the first to show symptoms of fowl pox and is now in the peak of it while others are just starting to show wattle blisters.

In all likelihood, she's fine. Chickens do get colds. If you keep herbs, boil any mint, thyme, oregano, ginger, Nettle leaf, Goldenrod and Yarrow into a strong tea. About 20 drops a day should clear it up. Stop when she's better. All of these support lung health.

If it doesn't clear up it might be Mycoplasma Gallisepticum in it's early stages. It's also fairly easy to treat.

 

[NestingMillenial]

Now with the addition of foamy eye symptom, it seems it has little chance not to be mycoplasma, right? I Googled it and couldn't find anything else with that symptom, but please, please, please tell me I'm wrong!