Wheezing, slight fever, upper respiratory?

[Heres2U_MrsR]

My 9 month old began molting, stopped laying, and is now sick. She’s wheezingand it does seem to be moving to her chest. She is eating, but not drinking much. I wouldn’t say that she seems incredibly droopy - alert and walking around her “hospital room”(isolated as of yesterday). Poop seems normal though not as much as usual since she’s eating much less.

Setup: walk in 7x8 coop with several roosting bars, deep layer bedding, shared with 12 others(6 polish/6 orps), screened door for ventilation(its reinforced with hardware cloth), attached run. She free ranges for about 4 hours a day.

-Layena feed + organic scraps
-I have done turmeric, garlic, yogurt, ACV, rooster booster, and scrambled eggs to this point. Vetting not an option around here.
-I bought Terramycin Scours @ TSC last night and also VetRX. Don’t know if Terramycin is the right thing and doseage for a 3.5 lb girl. She’s a mottled Houdan and her beak is crooked...not scissored though. I did wonder if that’s a contributing factor.

True to Texas weather, it’s been all over the place. Sunny and 65, snow, and rain = mud. Because of the cold, wet weather, we’ve allowed the chickens to free range in grass all day for a few days. They mostly hang out on my back covered porch and stare in the door at me . Can anyone help me out with how to treat her?

 

[Isaac 0]

Could you post a video of the hen wheezing?

Are there any other symptoms, such as nasal, or ocular discharge, infraorbital/eye swelling, or rattled breathing? Have you checked inside the hen's mouth for any lesions, mucous, plaques, etc?

Is her crop emptying each morning?

 

[Heres2U_MrsR]

Her crop is empty, and I’m not seeing mucus, swelling, or any other symptoms really. Her eyes seem bright and clear, inside of her mouth/throat look normal. Can chickens get a common cold?

 

[Isaac 0]

Doesn't particularly sound like respiratory disease, as you'd often see other symptoms, such as sneezing, facial swelling, or ocular or nasal discharge. If you want to use the Oxy tablets, you could go ahead and use them, but I'm guessing her problem could be anything from a fungal infection, to an environmental issue such as repeatedly breathing in mold, which can cause inflammation to the respiratory system, and create breathing problems. Pneumonia, gapeworms, are also possibilities but may be uncommon to find in chickens.

Sometimes hens may inhale seeds or other matter that can get stuck in their airways, and cause dyspnea. Out of all those, it's hard to exactly pinpoint whats the problem without an endoscopy done by a vet. I would continue to check the crop and ensure it's empty each morning. Chickens do not get colds.

I also would focus on keeping her area well ventilated and dust-free for now. If she shows no improvement, one can make a simple nebulization chamber using a nebulizer, plastic tote, and oxine in case of bacterial, or fungal infection of the airways. Whether you feel the antibiotics would be beneficial, is up to you.

Others may have different suggestions/opinions.