Hen with high pitched 'whistle'

[Veritysilkies]

Hello,

My 6 month old hen has started to make a very high pitched whistle sound in the last couple of days. She is normally quite vocal, but this seems to have replaced her normal screechy cluck. She seems fine in herself: eating, drinking and pecking about as normal. Her faeces are also normal.

Has anyone had any experience of this? She has started laying in the last few days so I dont know if this has something to do with it?

Any help much appreciated!

 

[Marigold]

Hi Verity, and welcome to the Forum.
How interesting! I’ve not heard of a whistling hen. It did remind me of the old saying about “A whistling woman and a crowing hen/ Are neither good to God or men” but I don’t suppose that’s relevant, sorry!

What breed is she? 6 months is fairly late for her to come into lay in the summer season, so maybe a purebred? Is her breathing apparently normal? Does she whistle all the time, as if she has something blocking her nasal passages or windpipe, or does it sound as if it’s down in her chest if you pick her up and hold her near to you? Have you ever noticed her sneezing?

It’s good news that everything is apparently normal otherwise, and that she has the energy to lay. It could be an infection, (is she vaccinated?) or some kind of dust or pollen allergy (what bedding do you use in the coop and nest boxes, and what access to a dust bath does she enjoy? Does she come into contact with diatomaceous earth?)

We’ll be interested in more details, and also a photo if you could post one.

 

[Veritysilkies]

Thanks a lot for your response!
So I did try and add a sound clip but unfortunately it wouldnt upload! Unfortunately it also wont let me upload a photo.

So she is a silkie bantam cross- I think with a pekin bantam. She was meant to be pure silkie, like the other two hens I purchased at the same time, But she defintely looks a little different! They have all been vaccinated though.

It is definitely a new crow rather than an airway obstruction as she does it every 5-20mins or so (she has always been a chatter box compared to the other two!). She does occasionally sneeze. All 3 of them have continued to sneeze a little since I got them 2 months ago. I did take them to the vet about 4 weeks ago to have this checked out but because they were bright in themselves and their chests sounded fine, the vet did not prescribe anything.

I do wonder if they might have an allergy to something- I have a fir tree and silver birch in the garden and read that these can cause allergies? I have occasionally used diatomaceous earth but actually stopped a few weeks ago as I was worried this was causing the sneezing. They have sawdust in their coop- it seems pretty dust free but perhaps could be the cause?

Shes been fine in herself today but the funny high pitched crow continues! I wondered maybe if she has gone a little hoarse from all the crowing/squawking when she laid her first couple of eggs?!

 

[Veritysilkies]

I have also purchased some VetRx today to see if that might help with both the sneezing and whistling?!

 

[Marigold]

Have you wormed them yet with Flubenvet? It’s always good practice to do this at 6 months with new pullets, and then 6-monthly thereafter. I’m not suggesting that this will help with the sneezing and / or whistling/ crowing, but reducing the worm burden does help the immune system, especially for birds that have come from a different bio environment. I’m not sure what VetRx is claimed to do, but personally I have little faith in ‘tonics’ for chickens, but that’s just me ...

P.S. is this it? https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VetRx-Poultry-Remedy-for-chickens-bantams-ducks-game-birds-/202731138987
Claims to be effective for ‘colds, croup, scaly leg and eye worm.’ Since scaley leg is a parasitic infection treated by local application of some kind of salve to kill the mites between the scales, I’m not sure how a remedy for ‘colds’ could cover all those bases.