Trouble Breathing

[Backyard Oasis]

Hello, I’m a new chicken keeper with a flock of 6 chickens of mixed breads. I have a White Leghorn that has been breathing very heavy for the past few days and just lays around. Today, the Black Star started open mouth breathing and breathing very heavy. There seems to be no other symptoms that I can tell but I’m new to this. The Black Star is 7weeks old and the Leghorn is about 6weeks.

Any thoughts on what to do?

Kind regards

 

[nuthatched]

Hi there, what'd their diet? Any new birds?

 

[Backyard Oasis]

Starter/ grower crumble. No new birds to the group.

 

[ChickenClaw03]

Is their breathing more heavy or raspy sounding, is their crest changing colour to purple?

Sounds like they may have a flu or infection as it’s affecting multiple birds.

If you have any chicken vitamins or electrolytes you may want to try that and see if there’s improvement.

If symptoms worsen it’s probably a good idea to take them to a vet, some breathing issues are more serious than others.

Hope this helps

 

[nuthatched]

Starter/ grower crumble. No new birds to the group.

Any respiratory irritants? DE, ash, ammonia build up?

 

[Backyard Oasis]

Is their breathing more heavy or raspy sounding, is their crest changing colour to purple?

Sounds like they may have a flu or infection as it’s affecting multiple birds.

If you have any chicken vitamins or electrolytes you may want to try that and see if there’s improvement.

If symptoms worsen it’s probably a good idea to take them to a vet, some breathing issues are more serious than others.

Hope this helps

Thanks for the help. The breathing is just heavy, not raspy at all. Yesterday I changed out the water and added the Quick Chick powder I got when if first received the chicks. The crest in the Leghorn does look a little pale

It’s strange, it looks like heat stress but it’s just not that hot (~70F). There is a good amount of run space that is in the shade but they keep going and laying in the sunny parts

 

[Backyard Oasis]

Any respiratory irritants? DE, ash, ammonia build up?

The run and coop are new. The run has fresh wood chips and the coop is mobile with a mesh bottom so no poop builds up.

Also they have only been outside in the coop and run for about a week and a half. They had been in the brooder inside before that

 

[nuthatched]

The run and coop are new. The run has fresh wood chips and the coop is mobile with a mesh bottom so no poop builds up.

Also they have only been outside in the coop and run for about a week and a half. They had been in the brooder inside before that

Hmm.
Where did you get them?
Any mucus or bubbling?
What type of wood chips?

 

[Backyard Oasis]

Hmm.
Where did you get them?
Any mucus or bubbling?
What type of wood chips?

3 came from McMurry 3 from a local co-op, Black Star from McMurry Leghorn from local
No mucus or bubbling.
Wood chips are mostly dug fir and some maple

 

[Eggcessive]

Do you have them under heat, or is it hot in their coop? How is the air circulation? Are they eating and drinking? What do their poops look like?