Wheezing, Lethargic Hen

[Hercules9]

Hello, I'm a new member to this but have used the Website to get info for the past 3 years that I've owned chickens. I wanted to create my own post in order to get some advice. Yesterday afternoon I noticed our silkie bantam hen was wheezing and coughing very loudly. She was still perky- eating, drinking, and exploring as normal. Her breathing seemed labored and the sounds got worse. My husband and I took her to the vets. He tested for parasites and checked her crop. All seemed to be good. He said she may have something obstructing her trachea making it difficult to breathe. He gave us a couple of meds to administer once a day to see if it would help. $150 later and we are left to still worry and wonder about our little silkie's outcome... today she is much quieter and I only heard her cough a couple of times. I came home during lunch and noticed she has laid an egg and she got a drink of water in front of me. She seems much less active today and it still seems like her breathing is labored. It is rainy today so all of the birds tend to relax in the coop and where she is so fluffy it's hard to tell if she looks ill or not. Does anyone have any suggestions?! She's such a sweet hen and it is terribly hard to watch an animal suffer (if she is). The vets said 48 hours to see a difference and it's been just shy of 24. I want to do everything possible to help! Thank you

 

[Poultry Maid]

She could have a respiratory disease which is causing the wheezing and coughing. If that is the case then you should separate her from the rest of the flock so it does not spread. Watch her closely for any other signs of illness to get clues as to what type of disease she could have. If it is caused by something obstructing her trachea I would give her coconut/olive oil with a syringe to help it pass.

 

[GldnValleyHens]

Sorry to hear about that! I love silkies. Have you recently had rainy or cold weather that may have caused some respiratory problems, like moldy bedding, etc, that may have something to do with it? I have had a hen that had foamy eyes after a sever rainstorm that killed our silkie roo, and we were freaking out, but after administering colloidal silver in her eyes, it went away. ( it did come back after another storm, but same treatment and it was gone.)
Some treatment options that may help are oil of oregano, an essential oil that is a natural antibiotic, raw apple cider vinegar, not pasteurized, that boosts that immune system and basically treats everything, ( look it up) or the above mentioned colloidal silver. ( also, a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar daily in the chicken waterer helps keep them healthy.