Wheezing Chicken! Is she sick or just playing?

[chickenlover09]

Hello.

Basically, I was gone for a week and a petsitter was watching the chickens.

I came back today, and I noticed that my black silkie has been wheezing, or something. It rained a couple times two weeks ago, she wasn't doing it then. None of the other chickens are doing it, but she is.

It sounds sort of like what this chicken is doing but softer.

What does it mean when a chicken is making this sound? If she is sick, how can I cure her? There aren't any vets that treat chickens in my area.

Please help!

 

[Eggcessive]

That sound is called stridor, and can be present if there is something in the airway just partially blocking it enough to make that sound. The something could be mucus, a piece of food, a foreign object, such as a piece of plastic, or tissue that has grown there. If she gives a good cough, it may clear it out, but it could be that she is developing a respiratory infection or disease. I would look down the throat with a flashlight for anything out of the ordinary. I would watch her to see if the sound goes away, and if not, you may want to start an antibiotic such as Tylan 50 or oxytetracycline. Look for other signs such as watery or bubbly eyes, nasal drainage, or swelling around an eye or in the face. Here is a good link about common respiratory diseases such as MG, coryza, ILT, and infectious bronchitis, along with a page of links to threads about stridor:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044
https://www.backyardchickens.com/newsearch?search=stridor

 

[chickenlover09]

Thanks so much! I'm really hoping she just has something in her throat and not an infection.

It's about 8pm here. I just went out to check on her. When I walked outside, she was quite, but when I looked in the coop and she knew I was there it got a bit louder. In the morning i'll catch her and look down her throat. She hasn't tried to cough, but I read that giving her a small piece of bread covered in olive oil might help...

If it doesn't go away, I guess i'll have to seperate her from the other chickens until she's better, should I?

 

[Eggcessive]

If she develops more symptoms as in a respiratory disease, you may want to separate her, but then you have to worry about re-integrating her later. The others would probably have been exposed already.

 

[chickenlover09]

Update:

I went to check on her this morning and the wheezing was gone and she started squaking normally again. I think she just had something stuck in her throat and manadged to cough it up.

Thanks for the help anyways! I'm sure it'll come in handy eventually...

 

[jak2002003]

Update:

I went to check on her this morning and the wheezing was gone and she started squaking normally again. I think she just had something stuck in her throat and manadged to cough it up.

Thanks for the help anyways! I'm sure it'll come in handy eventually...

Grate news.

I had a similar experience with a wheezing hen that kept opening its beak and stretching its neck.. I was so worried and sure it was some disease all my others would get.. But the next day she was back to normal.. phew.

 

[chickenlover09]

Update:

the wheezing chicken, originally thought to be a "she" turned out to be a "he". He is about 8-10 months old. I thought roosters started crowing when they were younger, but yesterday morning I awoke to "cock-a-doodle-do". He is my favorite chicken, so there is no way i'm giving him away, but if he's too loud i'm going to move him into the house or something.

 

[yellowchicks]

One of my chickens was wheezing this morning, sounded just like this video. It was so loud I could hear it from closed windows. I gave the girls their usual hot oatmeal+crumble and warm water in the morning afterwards, noticed that the same hen was wheezing and sneezing even when she was eating. There is no sign of watery eyes. The coop is always well ventilated however, she has some minor frost bite on her comb due to the high outdoor humidity and near zero temperature several nights in the last couple of days.

I took her indoor, tried to feed her some treats and water, she ate some scramble eggs, mealworm, drank some water. She was wheezing at first, but once she calmed down, the noise was gone. I have no idea if she has an respiratory problem or something was stuck in her throat. I called the local Agway, they don't have any chicken remedies such as VetRx or antibiotics. We don't have any Avian Vet around. What should I do next?