Breathing+purple comb, help us

[Johnchickens2]

Hello everyone,
Our hen, Dafna, has started breathing heavily lately and her comb and wattles have also turned purple-blue. She is five years old. Poor appetite recently. No external pests. She behaves normally in the flock - that is, she keeps her place in the pecking order, goes up to the roost in the evening, digs in the ground and takes dust baths. But her breathing... is heavy all the time. Last week, for example, I wanted to check if she had worms or something in her throat, so I held her and she struggled, and then she started showing signs of respiratory distress, and started breathing and gasping heavily with her mouth open and her wings drooping a bit. Only after a few minutes did she come back to herself.

Just today I found out that we have a poultry vet about 40 minutes away. Bringing a vet home is not possible. But here begins my concern - what will the vet do? Maybe all the stress of the trip and the examination at the clinic will cause her to collapse? And what if he says there is no treatment? Dafna is one of our favorites, we raised her ourselves along with her two sisters, who are completely healthy.
We are very worried and would be happy for any help or advice. Thanks everyone!

 

[Johnchickens2]

Please help ...

 

[Johnchickens2]

Here is a picture from today..

 

[alinas2010]

I’m really sorry to hear about Dafna’s breathing issues. What breed is she and how has she been about laying eggs? Any reproductive issues? Also how does her abdomen feel? Bulgy at all?

 

[Johnchickens2]

I’m really sorry to hear about Dafna’s breathing issues. What breed is she and how has she been about laying eggs? Any reproductive issues? Also how does her abdomen feel? Bulgy at all?

Thank you! Dafna is a bantam...mixed. She stopped laying eggs when she was about 3.5 years old. She hatched eggs twice, too, and was a great mother. We don't feel something wrong with her abdomen....

 

[alinas2010]

It is hard to say what might be going on, but it does sound like she is having a tough time catching her breath. You mention a poor appetite, can you rule out respiratory illnesses? Any drainage or discharge from eyes ears nose, etc? How has the weather been, could she be too hot or a sudden change in temps be hard on her?

 

[Johnchickens2]

It is hard to say what might be going on, but it does sound like she is having a tough time catching her breath. You mention a poor appetite, can you rule out respiratory illnesses? Any drainage or discharge from eyes ears nose, etc? How has the weather been, could she be too hot or a sudden change in temps be hard on her?

A month ago she did have a "watery" eye - only the left eye. We gave her supportive care and the eye was back to normal. Now - no discharge at all.... The last few days have been nice and warm, but we had very cold nights and days this month and last month. She eats a few pellets every time and her crop never really looks full. She does drink. She breathes heavily with her mouth closed

 

[alinas2010]

A month ago she did have a "watery" eye - only the left eye. We gave her supportive care and the eye was back to normal. Now - no discharge at all.... The last few days have been nice and warm, but we had very cold nights and days this month and last month. She eats a few pellets every time and her crop never really looks full. She does drink. She breathes heavily with her mouth closed

For her breed, I know you said she is a mix, but is it normal to completely stop laying eggs at 3.5 years? I’m sorry I don’t know much about her mix. Before she stopped laying did she have any reproductive issues at all?

The reason I ask is bc I wonder if she doesn’t have something internally such as ascites causing pressure which could hinder her breathing. Of course you might be able to feel a bulge in her abdomen if she had ascites. But other things such as tumors from reproductive disorders could also cause such pressure. I’m not saying this is what she has going on, but it is tough to pinpoint what might be giving her a hard time breathing without many more outward symptoms. I do hope it’s none of this and something she could overcome, though.

 

[Johnchickens2]

For her breed, I know you said she is a mix, but is it normal to completely stop laying eggs at 3.5 years? I’m sorry I don’t know much about her mix. Before she stopped laying did she have any reproductive issues at all?

The reason I ask is bc I wonder if she doesn’t have something internally such as ascites causing pressure which could hinder her breathing. Of course you might be able to feel a bulge in her abdomen if she had ascites. But other things such as tumors from reproductive disorders could also cause such pressure. I’m not saying this is what she has going on, but it is tough to pinpoint what might be giving her a hard time breathing without many more outward symptoms. I do hope it’s none of this and something she could overcome, though.

Thank you!! Do you think I should take her to the vet?

 

[Johnchickens2]

For her breed, I know you said she is a mix, but is it normal to completely stop laying eggs at 3.5 years? I’m sorry I don’t know much about her mix. Before she stopped laying did she have any reproductive issues at all?

The reason I ask is bc I wonder if she doesn’t have something internally such as ascites causing pressure which could hinder her breathing. Of course you might be able to feel a bulge in her abdomen if she had ascites. But other things such as tumors from reproductive disorders could also cause such pressure. I’m not saying this is what she has going on, but it is tough to pinpoint what might be giving her a hard time breathing without many more outward symptoms. I do hope it’s none of this and something she could overcome, though.

Yes - there was a long period when she laid eggs without shells every evening on the roost. It stopped after a while and she even hatched her own eggs, but for a few weeks/months it had been like this