I noticed one of my 13 week old EE's, 'Pepper', sounded like she was wheezing & honking (she's always honked instead of clucking) when I let the birds out of the coop this morning. When I went to give the girls roast for lunch Pepper was trying to eat as much as the others but was having to drop pieces to wheeze & I think she has to breath through her mouth. I could hear her wheezing & honking constantly across the backyard, it started really making me nervous so I separated her from the others, brought her inside & she is not happy. She looks healthy (eyes, bottom, feathers, legs) has been eating & drinking normally & her poo looks normal. I did clean poo & some bedding out of their coop yesterday as well as wipe it down some & added some new bedding. This is in Chesapeake, VA & the weather has been screwy for the last 3 weeks. We went from upper 60's to an average of 86 degrees all last week to about 68 & nothing but heavy rain &/or drizzle for the last 5 days after 2 months of no rain, everything feels damp. I don't know if the damp weather has brought this on & I should keep her inside & warm for a few days under a lamp? Does she need to be medicated or will it pass & I just let her back w/the other birds? I've had Pepper inside for 2hrs & her appetite is normal as she's eating her feed & some yogurt. She is definitely breathing through her mouth (beak) & breathing hard, her sides are heaving when she breathes.
It may be the start of a respiratory disease, but just to may sure I would look inside her beak for anything partially blocking her airway or any unusual material inside. Watch her for more signs such as sneeze, nasal discharge, eye or face swelling, or bubbles in the eye.
