Wheezing chicken, sneezing, coughing..

[Bocktobery 10]

Hi,

Need some help. My hen, a blue Andalusian who is about 5 years old, was fine this morning but later on I checked in the coop to see if everyone was ok and she was standing by the water dish and wheezing. The noises she is emitting sound exactly like the hen in this you tube video:

I should note that she was treated with topical (on the skin) ivermectin a few days ago. I had one hen whom I treated yesterday with ivermectin dead this morning in the coop. I have no idea if the two things are related or not, but I did check with signs of ivermectin poisoning and none of them were wheezing.

After giving my hen some water and olive oil, and also feeling around her throat for blockages (there were none) and also looked down her throat for blockages (I couldn't see any), I also smelled her breath to see if there was any odor, there is not. Her eyes are clear and bright... nothing looks like it is sinus related. None of the other hens are doing this or showing any signs of stress/illness.. except the one that died suddenly overnight.

My only guess would be she got mated and when the rooster hopped on her she might have breathed in some small particles of pine chips from the floor? When I put her back in the coop after observation, she seemed ok- she seemed interested in getting back to normal. She was still wheezing/sneezing/ and coughing at the time. I will check back occasionally. She does seem like she is struggling for breath a bit.

I'm at a loss as to what to do. At this point, I think its probably some sort of lodged particle in her esophagus. I tried tilting her upside down to dislodge anything or make her throw up if she needed, but again, nothing.

Has anyone else had this before? She is sounding EXACTLY like the hen in the video link above.

 

[Eggcessive]

Thanks for the great description of your hen. The hen in the video is having stridor, which is a high pitched noise from something partially blocking her airway or trachea (not the esophagus.) I have seen a lost of posts about this with videos, and most of the hens sound normal within a few hours, possibly from coughing up the mucus, chunk of feed, or foreign body. If it continues, then I would be concerned about a possible respiratory disease. I have a rather fat hen who occasionally gobbles a treat of scratch, and does this on occasion.

I just reread your title, and if she is sneezing, that may also be feed related, but keep an eye on her as I'm sure you will.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Eggcessive,

Thank you so much. This is what I suspect too. I went back out to check up on her and she is doing the same thing. I have a lot of small broken particles of pine chips in the coop right now because of just adding new over the winter and not emptying out the old. So, this is highly likely she breathed in something and its stuck inside. I'll keep watching though. She seems fine otherwise, though I can tell she is really struggling with being uncomfortable with it, poor girl.

Thank you so much again for your comforting post.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Just wanted to say..

Its evening now. She's fine now.. a little bit of wheezing, but hardly audible anymore. I expect it will be cleared by tomorrow morning.

Thanks everyone.

 

[Eggcessive]

That is promising news. Hopefully it is nothing serious.

 

[jessica5113]

That is promising news. Hopefully it is nothing serious.

. I have the same thing going on with a hen of mine except she has bubbles in her right eye and only the right eye. It started before winter and I got some duramiacin and mixed in the water to treat her and the whole flock just in case and it didn't help her at all. What is the next step I should take?

 

[Branch Chickens]

Any further update? I have a hen who is doing the same thing this morning. Tiny bit of sneezing. No other symptoms.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

. I have the same thing going on with a hen of mine except she has bubbles in her right eye and only the right eye. It started before winter and I got some duramiacin and mixed in the water to treat her and the whole flock just in case and it didn't help her at all. What is the next step I should take?

This sounds serious... sorry to update so late... I just saw your post. Hopefully you have had some help with this since.
With your hen there.. it does sound like it could be MG... I treated my flock with Duramiacyn 10 and it helped the ones that had small symptoms, but not my main symptomatic hen, who ended up dying. The medicine for this I think is Denagard, but unfortunately I got it too late for her.

The hen in my OP is doing fine. I do believe it was just something in her esophagus. She had no other signs of respiratory distress like you mention (the bubbles in eyes) Bubbles in eyes is definitely a sign to treat with an antibiotic.. the whole flock.

 

[Bocktobery 10]

Any further update? I have a hen who is doing the same thing this morning. Tiny bit of sneezing. No other symptoms.

Sorry to get back so late!

Yes, the hen in my OP is doing fine now. Within a few days it cleared up and I had not heard the noises again. It is as Eggcessive says, I think.

This is what I have learned about this: If your hen continues to make those noises, even after treating with a dewormer or antibiotic, then it could be MG and go for treating them with Denagard. ... don't wait. I thought for weeks my girl was fine because she seemed to be doing fine, but her condition got worse and eventually choked her to death. I got the Denagard too late (the day she was dying). MG is a tough silent slow killer.

IF its just one day or a day and a half, and your hen is not showing any signs of bubbles in eyes and puffy faces or other respiratory signs, then she probably just has something temporary. Keep an eye on them though.

 

[All Ball]

I have a 4.5-year-old hen who emerged from the coop with stridor this morning. Occasional sneezing, and I see her doing some swallowing the way humans do. Her mouth is not open. She has plenty of energy, in fact is more active scratching and digging than most of the other girls, so I am hoping she just inhaled something or has something stuck. She has been going through a major head feather molt so could have breathed in some shaft debris. I've put VetRX in their water and provided garlic/probiotics in yogurt. I'll provide updates as I've found it helpful to read others' experiences.