"Special" leghorn? Question

[NineChickens]

I joined BYC about a year ago asking for help with one of my girls because Google didn't have any answers. All they could give me were suggestions. I ended up separating her from the flock in case her condition was contagious and she ended up being alone for almost a month. My parents said i either had to put her back with the flock or put her down since she was lonely. I figured if it was bad she would have been dead already so I put her back. I've had NO problems and she goes about like a normal chicken, except she's not normal. Shes had this condition for a year now:

Like she gasps? Sometimes coughs?

I'm not concerned about it anymore but I just wanted to know why she's like this. I'm not sure how big brown leghorns are supposed to be but she seems smaller. Again, I don't know how many eggs leghorns lay but I don't think she lays much, she defiantly stopped during the autumn and winter.

She's still happy, shes just different.
And her name adds to her uniqueness (her name is Duck)

 

[NineChickens]

Also she's almost 2 years old. So she's had this about half her life

 

[PouleNoire]

My speckled sussex sometimes does something like that, shakes her head and you hear her beak click and he has her mouth open. I think it's just a twitch, my girl seems healthy. Does she make any weird noises? Like weird breathing noises?

 

[NineChickens]

My speckled sussex sometimes does something like that, shakes her head and you hear her beak click and he has her mouth open. I think it's just a twitch, my girl seems healthy. Does she make any weird noises? Like weird breathing noises?

Just sometimes she coughs, but she's like this everyday, every second. It calms down sometimes, how loud and bad it is depends on her activity level at the time

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

Looks like she’s trying to clear her throat to breathe.
Leghorns are smaller than the heavier breeds and Brown Leghorns don’t lay as many eggs as White Leghorns.

 

[NineChickens]

Looks like she’s trying to clear her throat to breathe.
Leghorns are smaller than the heavier breeds and Brown Leghorns don’t lay as many eggs as White Leghorns.

But she's had this for a year, shouldn't it be clear now? She's perfectly fine, it's just weird

 

[EggSighted4Life]

She's a pretty gal!

Leghorn are smaller birds than many. And should lay well when in GOOD condition. The delay during winter though would have been normal for her age. But very surely her condition is diminishing her regular production.

That breathing is a definite concern. Try out this symptom tool to see if you can narrow down the reason.... http://www.poultrydvm.com/symptoms

Gapeworms, infectious bronchitis, MC/MG come to mind. But I still have so much learning to do. I will note that NOT ALL symptoms have to be present to be one specific thing. And unfortunately, so many things in chickens have the SAME symptoms, making it even harder for us to discern.

Good luck!

 

[PouleNoire]

I would bet it's something with her respiratory system. It sounds a little funky but, can chickens get asthma? She may have it. I doubt it's anything contagious and really wouldn't worry about it too much unless she shows other signs of illness...I don't want to fully let her off the hook incase it IS something...she's eating and drinking right? Everything else normal?

 

[PouleNoire]

She's a pretty gal!

Leghorn are smaller birds than many. And should lay well when in GOOD condition. The delay during winter though would have been normal for her age. But very surely her condition is diminishing her regular production.

That breathing is a definite concern. Try out this symptom tool to see if you can narrow down the reason.... http://www.poultrydvm.com/symptoms

Gapeworms, infectious bronchitis, MC/MG come to mind. But I still have so much learning to do. I will note that NOT ALL symptoms have to be present to be one specific thing. And unfortunately, so many things in chickens have the SAME symptoms, making it even harder for us to discern.

Good luck!

I would check out that site and those are possibilities too. Hope you find out and get her cured soon, keep us updated

 

[Brahma Chicken5000]

I would bet it's something with her respiratory system. It sounds a little funky but, can chickens get asthma? She may have it. I doubt it's anything contagious and really wouldn't worry about it too much unless she shows other signs of illness...I don't want to fully let her off the hook incase it IS something...she's eating and drinking right? Everything else normal?

I was thinking that maybe she had asthma too.