What do you think this means?

[sepaditty1]

I have 15 chickens. 5 that are 8 1/2 months old, 4 that are about 2 months old, and 6 who are probably 3 or 4 months. The 10 younger ones all came together almost 2 months ago. Of the 10, 4 are bantam orpingtons. 3 black and 1 chocolate. Her name is Hershey, of course.

Anyway, for 3-4 weeks I've noticed that sometimes Hershey stops, lifts her head and breathes in deeply through her open beak. This may go on for 2 or 3 minutes. During that time, her eyes close quite a bit. She also makes a little squeaky sound that may be a sneeze. Not really sure, since I don't know what a chicken sneeze sounds like. But it is very frequent.

Today she was doing the weird breathing think a lot more. But not constantly. She seems just as energetic as the others. Is growing at the same rate as the other orps. She's eating and drinking well. I gave her a few drops of PolyViSol this morning, just for good measure.

What do you guys think? Is she just a weak bird? Does she have some horrible condition? Is it going to spread? I'm almost afraid to even ask after a bout with Cocci took out 4 of my birds a couple months ago. But I don't want to ignore it and lose her, or more than just her.

 

[GoldenChicks16]

Theirs a possibility that she could have a respiratory infection. Have you checked for discharge from her nose? Does she only do this after large bouts of activity such as running?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Do a search on the possibility of gapeworm.

If this sounds like it, treat with either thiabendazole or levamisole.

It will eventually affect all the younger birds. Adults are resistant.

 

[realsis]

I would seprate her from the other birds bring her inside and treat her for a respiratory illness. A good choice for respitory symptoms is tylosin. Or known as tylan50. The dose for a large bird is 1/2 cc and dose for a small bird 1/4 cc given once daily into the breast muscle for 5 days. Tylan50 and syringes can be obtained through the feed store usually. many poultry owners including myself successfully use tylan 50 for respiratory symptoms. Don't worry the bottle will say for cattle and swine. It works wonderfully for chickens too. If she were my own displaying these symptoms I would treat with tylan50. The sound you hear is likely coming from her lungs. You can try the tylan50 and see if it helps with her symptoms. Giving the injection is much easier than it sounds. Use either the right or left breast muscle not too close to her crop or wing just into the muscle.i like injectables better than water soluble antibiotics because dose is more consistant and not dependant on amount of water drank like water soluble antibotics. It also gets into the blood stream faster. Tylan50 had always worked very well for me for respiratory symptoms. Its geared toward respitory. So depending on the size of your bird its 1/2or1/4cc given once daily into the breast muscle for 5 days. See if that helps her out. If she has a virus antibotics won't kill a virus but they WILL prevent a secondary infection from happening. I would try the tylan50 and see how she responds. Its really a excellent choice for respitory issues. I wish you the very best and hope this helps you out. If she were my own this is what I would try. Sounds like she's having trouble breathing and chickens can be very good at hiding illness. So seprate her to be safe. Best wishes

 

[sepaditty1]

No signs of any discharge from the nose or eyes. I have to admit that I don't really know what the crop is supposed to feel like, or exactly where it is. (First time chicken owner, learning as I go.) I did feel around on her and another and they feel the same. I will research the gapeworm.

 

[GoldenChicks16]

Quote: Seconding this. You could also give her some vitamins to help her perk up while she's on the antibiotics.

 

[sepaditty1]

Ok, it seems like if it were gapeworm, then she would already be super weak or dead by now. So I'm going with the respiratory disease. I will head to the supply store to get Tylan50. I don't feel like I know how to do the injection. Any chance there is a way to just add to water?

 

[rbaker0345]

If Tylan doesn't show improvement after 3 days, switch to denagard. Have you got a microscope? I would deworm her with fenbendazole for three days anyway. Chickens have very extensive respiratory systems and sometimes any kind of parasite or bacterial infection can present as a respiratory infection. Fenbendazole is really innocuous and also very effective against a wide variety of parasites. You can give it in conjunction with the tylan. Definitely separate her.

 

[realsis]

No I would not put in her water. Injections are a lot easier than you think. I dab the area with alcohol before hand and this servers two purposes it cleans the area and separates the feathers so you can clearly see the flesh. Think of a chickens body when you are baking a chicken the keel bone separates the two breast muscles you don't want to be too close to the keel or crop use the keel as a guide. About three inches over from the keel and away from the crop. you will be able to feel both crop and keel. You want the injection into the muscle . Not too close to the wing. If you like I believe you tube has a video on how to inject a chicken in the breast.it might be helpful. The first shot can be very nerving but after that you will begin to become much more comfortable with giving the injections. I promise its not as difficult as you imagine. In the cases I've given injections the birds don't even flinch. because its your first time have another person hold the bird steady for you. Use the alcohol so you have a clear view of the flesh. As long as your not into the crop you should be just fine. Just feel your way to either the right or left breast muscle. you will clearly be able to feel it.i know you can do it. Trust me if I can do it anyone can do it. Just take a deep breath find your area and give the injection.i promise you its easier than your thinking. Simply feel for her muscle. Either right or left breast. Clean the area and expose the skin then inject. It will be much much easier after your first injection. This should really help your bird just focus on that. You won't be hurting her at all. Hope this helps

 

[sepaditty1]

Well, I did it. I had my son hold Hershey while I gave the injection. It was easier than I thought to get the feathers out of the way and wipe down with alcohol. I must have done something wrong, though, because when I pulled out the syringe, it had quite a bit of blood in it. I sure hope that mistake isn't going to do any damage. Anyone else ever have that happen? Will she be OK?