Wheezing Chicken

[TroyBlackburn]

I've got a 7 month old Rhode Island White hen that I noticed wheezing last night. I do not see any sign of discharge from the eyes or nostrils. Does anyone have any suggestions regarding how I should proceed?

I've read posts that suggest respiratory infection, worms or even something caught in its throat. Any guidance regarding how to be sure what it is and how to proceed would be appreciated.

Thank You
Troy

 

[Eggcessive]

Something like dust or allergies may be affecting him, but you can already start treating with Tylan, or Duramycin, oxytetracycline, and others. Or you can just watch him to see if he gets worse. Eye bubbles and facial swelling are also signs.

 

[TroyBlackburn]

Thanks for the input. I brought her inside and have put her in a cage with clean bedding. She's definitely still wheezing, however it's not as bad as it was when she was outside; however I think that's mostly because it's in the high 90's outside today and a more comfortable 74 degrees in my house.

For the moment there are no feed stores around here that are open until tomorrow. I'll keep and eye on here and watch for symptoms from the others.

If anyone else has any suggestions, they would be appreciated.

Thank You
Troy

 

[KKsilver1977]

Eye bubbles and facial swelling are also signs of what?

Something like dust or allergies may be affecting him, but you can already start treating with Tylan, or Duramycin, oxytetracycline, and others. Or you can just watch him to see if he gets worse.  Eye bubbles and facial swelling are also signs.

 

[BantamLover21]

I would put him on a course of Oxytetracycline (commonly sold as Terramycin) powder. The dosage is 1/8 teaspoon Oxytetracycline per cup of water for 7-14 days. During this time, do not give probiotics or dairy products. Vitamins/electrolytes are fine, though.

 

[TroyBlackburn]

Tomorrow will be the soonest I might be able to put her on any antibiotics (no feed stores open at this time). For now she's resting pretty quietly inside. She seems to be eating and drinking fine and for the moment the wheezing is so slight that I can barely here it at all. Sounds better than earlier, however I realize it could be in part because she is resting and so not taking deep breaths.

 

[Eggcessive]

To answer the question above, eye bubbles, facial swelling, nasal discharge, eye drainage, wheezing, rattles are all signs of respiratory disease--mycoplasma (CRD), coryza, laryngotracheitis, infectious bronchitis, and many more.

 

[TroyBlackburn]

Quick update... The affected chicken is still indoors, the wheezing is about the same as last night (still there, but very slight), still no other symptoms; she's eating and drinking well. As I let the other chickens out this morning, I checked each one individually (28 others in the flock) and none of them are wheezing or showing any signs of anything wrong.

At this point I'm monitoring.... I'm undecided whether to medicate or not. Much of what I've read suggests that respiratory diseases are quick to spread through a flock, so I suspect it unusual that only one out of 29 would be affected and that even it would not have any of the symptoms of respiratory disease other than wheezing.

I appreciate all the input and am definitely not disregarding it, just proceeding cautiously. Any additional input would would appreciated.

Thank You
Troy

 

[TroyBlackburn]

A little more info... Many of the chickens in my flock have recently recovered from fowl pox. My flock is made up of 29 chickens, about 10 of them hatched here and never fed medicated feed or vaccinated, about 19 bought from hatcheries. The chicken that is currently wheezing is one that was hatched here and has never had any medicated feed or vaccines. I've read some references that state that fowl pox could result in respiratory issues and wheezing. Does anyone have any thoughts regarding this?

One more question: if none of the other 28 chickens develop any symptoms would you still suspect the issue to be a contagious respiratory disease? Most if not all of the other chickens had close proximity to the affected chicken for at least 24 hours after the onset of symptoms.

Thanks Again
Troy

 

[BantamLover21]

A little more info... Many of the chickens in my flock have recently recovered from fowl pox. My flock is made up of 29 chickens, about 10 of them hatched here and never fed medicated feed or vaccinated, about 19 bought from hatcheries. The chicken that is currently wheezing is one that was hatched here and has never had any medicated feed or vaccines. I've read some references that state that fowl pox could result in respiratory issues and wheezing. Does anyone have any thoughts regarding this?

One more question: if none of the other 28 chickens develop any symptoms would you still suspect the issue to be a contagious respiratory disease? Most if not all of the other chickens had close proximity to the affected chicken for at least 24 hours after the onset of symptoms.

Thanks Again
Troy

You may be on to something. Could you possibly open up your wheezing bird's mouth and look inside of it? Do you see any lumps/lesions/sores or excessive mucus? Fowl pox does take a wet form that infects the respiratory tract of birds, causing difficult breathing. There isn't any treatment, and if the wet pox bumps get large enough, the bird dies from suffocation. Hopefully that isn't the case, but if it is, at least we'll know what is wrong!

In regards to your other question, if none of your other chickens develop any respiratory disease symptoms, it is likely that the disease wasn't a contagious disease. However, that is not set in stone. Your other birds might have stronger immune systems, and therefore might not be affected in the same way.