Wheezing chicken... respiratory infection? Help Please!

[Betsy57]

So sorry about your chicken! Can you check her mouth & see if there's anything odd going on in there? If she has no signs of a respiratory infection (other than the wheezing) could it be gape worm?

Haven't looked but don't think it is gape worm. So many times people think that problems are attributed to gape worm but I've never been able to determine if any of my birds have that (by looking down their throat). Guess I could try to flush her nostrils. I've used Vet x (kinda like vicks vaporub) but no improvement with that either. Maybe I'll put her in the bathroom with the vaporizer on. Did that before for antoher chicken but she didn't improve. This gal just sounds very congested and wheezing. Not struggling to breath as bad as one of my birds in the past but still can't stand to listen to the poor thing. Just picked some fresh strawberries from my garden and she scarfed those.

 

[CedarAcres]

I tend to agree with you about gape worm.. I don't think it's that common, but I figured I'd mention it anyway! My chicken was wheezing but stopped within two days. My vet thought she had something stuck in her nose or an environmental irritant since it stopped as soon as she was brought in the house. I hate hearing that wheezing sound..

 

[Betsy57]

I tend to agree with you about gape worm.. I don't think it's that common, but I figured I'd mention it anyway! My chicken was wheezing but stopped within two days. My vet thought she had something stuck in her nose or an environmental irritant since it stopped as soon as she was brought in the house. I hate hearing that wheezing sound..

Ya, I know when I have a cold, how I hate wheezing and struggling for breathing. She isn't as bad as the one I put down last year. That just wore me out hearing her struggle for every breath. I will give hre another few days with Tylan and figure out what to do. She is eating fine, still laying. Just don't want to put her back in genreal population at this point.

 

[Eggcessive]

Another fellow BYCer likes to put herbs in her nest boxes to freshen them and for insect repellent reasons, and she noticed her chickens wheezing after she put lavender in them. When it was removed they got better quickly, so I'm sure not all wheezing is a disease, but maybe an allergy. I think we all tend to panic when a chicken acts different since our whole flocks can be affected.

 

[Betsy57]

I put my gal down last night. I medicated her with Tylan for 10 days and no improvement. She started sounded 'moist' in her coughs, breathing and getting more congested. I struggled with doing putting her down. It is so hard on me but she wasn't improving. I was afraid to put her back in with the others due to her possibly infecting them with whatever she has. I hate this part of raising chickens.

 

[CedarAcres]

So sorry about your loss Betsy!

 

[Betsy57]

So sorry about your loss Betsy!

Thank you. That's precious. Isn't it remarkable how people can be so compassionate to each other on a web site for chickens?!