More problems - Wheezing, sneezing ..help

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Fuzzyfelt123

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:-)06 Feeling rather disheartened now; I have noticed the odd loose runny brown stool but not worried too much as all birds bright and healthy but this afternoon i noticed one of the girls sneezing, and now i have gone to lock the girls in bed and could hear wheezing - i poked my head in and could see one hen perched at the end breathing/wheezing loudly. Is this a cold, should i do anything? Is it the weather? oh boy , i feel out of my depth now :(
 
What sort of bedding do you use in the coop, Fuzzyfelt? If this is at all dusty it can affect their breathing. Also, how much ventilation is there at night? You say you lock them in the coop, so they are then reliant on vents for air amd it's essential that they have lots of it, don't worry about them getting cold.
If you know neither is a problem, then yes, she has a respiratory infection, which should respond to antibiotics if you can take her to the vet ASAP. It 's quite common, and with prompt treatment there's less chance the others will catch it - so long as the coop isn 't stuffy overnight.
 
I have newspaper under their perches for easy daily clean, and Bliss bedding in their nesting boxes. I have a central 3 " wide vent gap running across the width of the roof, which is then topped with onduline ( so there is plenty of free flow upwards) .....although i haven't put any specific venting lower down, however the coop door/nest boxes have some gaps above them. Maybe more vents needed?
 
Pick her up and put your ear to her back. If you can hear wheezing or gurgling when she breathes, she needs a vet. Had the same problem 2 years ago and a course of antibiotics solved it. One thing I have learnt (the hard way) is advice to go to vet should not be ignored :)
 
Poor Fuzzyfelt, my heart goes out to you and your hens.
Sounds as though you're having quite a baptism of fire? :(
 
Trip to the vet definitely Fuzzyfelt. Sometimes birds contract illness due to underlying stress (which lowers their resistance) and they just need a helping hand to get them over it. Our Bottom has had the same problem due to the disruption of his move.
 
thanks for the advice - I have let the other girls out but she has stayed in her run- opening her beak up, neck high; closing her eyes and not interested in food. I'll give the vets a ring :roll:
 
Would it be possible to bring her in, away from the others, until she has had her antibiotics and is on the mend? This would reduce the risk of spreading it to the others in the coop overnight.
 
The vet seems to think it's gapeworm.........all being treated. She's not got a runny nose, and no further sneezing, just this high neck gaping and wheezing. If i give her water in a syringe it makes a terrible gargling noise, the vet said she may not make it :cry:
 
Well whilst I would rarely question a veterinary surgeon, I would also consider a respiratory infection. My reasoning is that actually gapeworm is uncommon, plus I believe your birds are ex-batts, that you have only had a short while? It does take a while for gapeworm to develop into a problem,from ingesting the eggs, then the worms develop, migrating from the intestine up to the trachea. This process depending on whether the eggs are embryonated or not can take up to 3 to 4 weeks roughly. The worms then pair up in the trachea and thus the typical symptoms of coughing, neck stretching develops.
 
After speaking to the vet earlier - ( i didn't want to take Lucy to see the vet for a £23 consultation fee) he thought it may be gapeworm, and said to come down and pick up some meds. Anyway i met a lovely mature vet who listened to my chicken woes, and i showed him some video footage of Lucy and he said it was a respiratory problem and gave me some Baytril to give her, plus the worming treatment. He said he has looked after chickens for 30 years and that the outcome for Henrietta was poor, in his opinion stitching doesn't work.......... :cry:
Anyway when it came to payment time, he walked away and the lovely receptionist said that meant I didn't have to pay (because they were rescue hens) :o what a lovely man!!!!!
 
What a lovely vet you have FF! keep hold of that one.. ;)

Sorry to hear about Henrietta, poor love.. :(
 
My experience of hens being treated for respiratory problems, Baytril didn't work and they were then given Tylan by a different vet, which did work. At first I thought mine had gapeworm at first because they were holding their necks high and coughing/opening beaks etc. but it wasn't, it was respiratory. Good luck with her, I hope she responds to treatment.
 
I've never heard of a confirmed case of gapeworm, although so many occasions when the vet has diagnosed it first and it has always been discovered to be a respiratory infection. Don't know why they jump to that conclusion? Gurgling noise could be an inflamed throat, or simply too much water not being introduced far enough to the back of the throat and going into the airway.
 
Must admit I thought gapeworm was a surprising diagnosis, especially for a newly-rehomed exbatt, as if she had been living in a cage with a wire floor she just wouldnt have had opportunity to pick up worms from the ground like normal hens do when foraging outside. So I was interested when Foxy and Chris were also a little sceptical about this idea.
 
yes, i couldn't understand how she had it but as soon as he saw the footage he said it was respiratory...Lucy has been in our garage since yesterday with an old fleece buggy wrap to keep her warm. She isn't any worse today, and i have been syringing her water with acv/galic in it and some weak electrolyte mix. She actually backed away when she had enough, and also pecked a little food. However, i'm not counting my chickens just yet!
Henrietta spent the night in the coop, free ranging in the day as the other girls are pecking her badly but otherwise she clucks away, calling me at our back door! It will be sad losing her but i know it will happen as her prolapse was red and bloody today ( i bathed it in weak dettol).
 
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