Sneezing, Gurgling Respirations, Mouth-Breathing, Crusted Eyes

[Cadillac Jill]

Our Delores appears to be in respiratory distress. She’s alert, but she is sneezing, and her respirations are rattly/gurgling. She opens her mouth to breathe, and usually stretches her neck upward a little. Her eyes were crusted shut this morning, but they've been fine today since we cleaned them and applied the Terramycin.

Here's a link to a short video of her:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=177215928972828

(The chirping in the back ground is from a brooder across the way. If you turn up the volume, you can hear the rattled breathing.)

1) What type of bird , age and weight. Wheaten Ameraucana, 5 months or so.
2) What is the behavior, exactly. Sneezing, Opening mouth and stretching upward to breathe, gurgling respiration, eyes crusted shut
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? Since this morning. She *did* have sneezing and crusted eyes for a couple of days after we first got her (about a month ago)
4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? Not yet.
5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No.
6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. Temps in the 20’s last night?
7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Eating & drinking normally.
8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Normal poop.
9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? Cleaned eyes & beak; Terramycin to eyes; isolation w/ heat lamp
10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? Need to treat her ourselves.
11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. See video above
12) Describe the housing/bedding in use. Coop with pine shavings (Country Boy Animal Bedding)

She seems to be getting a little worse tonight. I don't want the rest of our flock to get sick! Tips and advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[perolane]

You said she was exhibiting some symptoms when you got her a month ago....did you quarantine her? Read the info below & see if it sounds like what you're dealing with....others will be by with more advice.


Infectious Laryngotracheitis
Synonyms: LT, ILT, trach, laryngo

Species affected: Chickens and pheasants are affected by LT. Chickens 14 weeks and older are more susceptible than young chickens. Most LT outbreaks occur in mature hens. In recent years, LT has also caused significant respiratory problems in broilers greater than 3 weeks of age, especially during the cooler seasons of the year. This is believed to be due to unwanted spread of LT vaccines between poultry flocks.

Clinical signs: The clinical sign usually first noticed is watery eyes. Affected birds remain quiet because breathing is difficult. Coughing, sneezing, and shaking of the head to dislodge exudate plugs in the windpipe follow. Birds extend their head and neck to facilitate breathing (commonly referred to as "pump handle respiration"). Inhalation produces a wheezing and gurgling sound. Blood-tinged exudates and serum clots are expelled from the trachea of affected birds. Many birds die from asphyxiation due to a blockage of the trachea when the tracheal plug is freed (see Table 1 ).

Transmission: LT is spread by the respiratory route. LT is also spread from flock to flock by contaminated clothing, shoes, tires, etc. Birds that recover should be considered carriers for life. LT may be harbored in speciality poultry such as exhibition birds and game fowl.

Treatment: Incinerate dead birds, administer antibiotics to control secondary infection, and vaccinate the flock. Mass vaccination by spray or drinking water method is not recommended for large commercial or caged flocks. Individual bird administration by the eye-drop route is suggested. Follow manufacturers instructions. In small poultry flocks, use a swab to remove plug from gasping birds, and vaccinate by eye-drop method.

Prevention: Vaccinate replacement birds for outbreak farms. Vaccination for LT is not as successful as for other disease, but is an excellent preventive measure for use in outbreaks and in epidemic areas. Refer to the publication PS-36 (Vaccination of Small Poultry Flocks) for more information on LT vaccinations.

 

[speckledhen]

Could be CRD, Chronic Respiratory Disease or Coryza, but no way to tell without testing. My only treatment would be to cull since, if she recovers, she will probably remain a carrier. I won't ever tell anyone to treat with antibiotics, especially since we dont know if it's viral or bacterial.
The reason I doubt ILT is because you haven't seen these symptoms below:

Blood-tinged exudates and serum clots are expelled from the trachea of affected birds. Many birds die from asphyxiation due to a blockage of the trachea when the tracheal plug is freed

That said, I am not a vet and many diseases have similar symptoms so it's not easy to diagnose a bird without testing.​

 

[Cadillac Jill]

I haven't seen any head shaking or mucus excretion, but I guess those are things I could have missed.

We purchased the entire flock as a group, and they had always lived together so we didn't quarantine. I thought her initial trouble was possibly due to a new coop and the dust from freshly laid bedding. I have a lot to learn about chickens.

If it's true that she'll be a carrier for life, I agree that we'll have to cull her. That will be a major bummer, but not as bad as keeping a permanent chicken infirmary and watching them suffer.

Thank you very much for the information.

 

[RedRoosterFarm]

I use ylan 50 injectable. I inject in the breast or neck .35cc 3 to 5 days. It works for me. I would seperate and keep an eye on the others too. Good luck!

 

[perolane]

The reason I supplied the info on ILT is this statement from the OP......"Opening mouth and stretching upward to breathe".....IE classic "pump handle" respiration....the blood tinged exudate may not manifest until the end. Sometimes symptoms listed will not exhibit at the same time. Here is the link to the entire list:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044


As mentioned...it could be a number of things....some non-infectious, which is why I do not cull at the first sign of illness. They would require alot of nursing care & meds. If you are not willing to do this, then by all means cull to prevent suffering.

You can contact Peter Brown (known as the chicken doctor) @ First State Vet Supply. He can help pinpoint the possible problem & then your options.

Good luck!

 

[speckledhen]

I know Doc Brown. What he will do is tell you how to treat anything-in other words, he'll do what you ask him to do. He will not necessarily tell you to cull for anything. The problem is that most things are highly contagious and make carriers of the survivors and that is why breeders who sell eggs, chicks and adult birds cull for respiratory illnesses. ILT is very contagious, a very nasty disease.

The truth is that we cannot accurately diagnose most respiratory diseases over the net. I hesitate to say absolutely your bird has this or that because of the similar symptoms of many diseases. If you choose to treat many of the most common ones, you are setting yourself up to do it over and over again and possibly, in some way, transfer it to someone else's flock on your clothes or shoes, etc. That is why cull. The decision is entirely up to the owner, as I always say, but work from a position of knowledge, not wishful thinking, in treating disease. I expect to be lambasted for everything I say here in Diseases, which is why I have been avoiding this section entirely for long periods of time.

"Opening mouth and stretching upward to breathe"

can by symptomatic of many diseases, including canker.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
Not much point in culling her now unless you are going to cull the entire flock, since they are probably all carriers of whatever disease she is manifesting. Your choices are slim - either cull the entire flock or close your flock permanently. By closed I mean NO birds of any age or type in or out and never let chicken people on your property. And you don't go to shows or to visit other chickens. I have gone to a closed flock out of safety concerns and am very glad I did.

I agree with speckledhen in that it is almost impossible to diagnose accurately on the internet or over a phone line. I say this from the position of having had chickens for 18+ years. Many illnesses have very similar symptoms. I find that my best source of info is reading as much as possible and sifting the information for what applies to my situation.

 

[perolane]

Quote:
can by symptomatic of many diseases, including canker.

No one lambasting you here....if you feel that way, then I apologize. Just trying to help the poster identify what could POSSIBLY be wrong with her sick hen. I'll leave further advice/help to the experts.

 

[Cadillac Jill]

We've decided to take her to the vet so we can find out exactly what we're dealing with here. If we have to cull her, we'll send her for a post-mortem.

Hopefully the news won't be too bad. I'm very fond of our little flock, but we're working toward a self-sufficient lifestyle in which our land and animals take care of us, and we take care of our land and animals. That's going to require some adaptability along the way. Starting off with a flock of sick birds is a very disappointing prospect, and having to close the flock will interfere with our ability to make adjustments as we learn and grow. But again, I'm praying that it's not a worst case scenario.

I'm pretty upset to find myself in this situation. I shopped for chickens for several months. I passed over Craigslist offerings and poultry swaps and the-guy-down-the-road-has-some-chickens-to-spare deals so I could get top quality, healthy birds. I asked around, called the county extension agent, etc., and got several recommendations for the local bird farm from which they were purchased. And now this.

Live and learn, I guess.