Chicken honking noise!

[Ccort]

I see, I understand your concern. The way she opened her mouth tells me her throat is uncomfortable, but she is not gaping which is a good sign. How does her crop feel right now?

She only opened her mouth that one time. She just ate and drank well. Her crop has contents in it and feels totally normal. When I pick her up and apply light pressure to her chest when doing so, she makes the noise. As in, it may be in the chest?

 

[Ccort]

There very well could be something stuck in her airways causing this honking noise. I'm not sure what you could do to dislodge it if there is something in there. You might injure her trying to remove it. I don't recommend meds for this, it will have to be coughed out or work it's way out on it's own.

I had a hen that lived to 14 years of age, at age 6 she started honking occasionally, as the years went on the honking became more common. I could only assume her airways were collapsing just from age. She honked quite a bit at the end, daily, hourly, it never caused her any breathing or health issues, I never did figure out why she honked.

Ok. Should I not be super concerned?

 

[TwoCrows]

Ok. Should I not be super concerned?

She doesn't appear stressed just yet. I think time will tell if this progresses or not. If it doesn't and she continues to thrive living a normal life but the honking remains the same, then it's probably not something to be too concerned about. If this gets worse and she starts having difficulty breathing and eating, then yes you should be concerned. You might start doing some research into a vet nearby that knows Avian medicine and could possibly do an ultrasound or X-rays, other diagnostics, parasites and worms included.

 

[Ccort]

She doesn't appear stressed just yet. I think time will tell if this progresses or not. If it doesn't and she continues to thrive living a normal life but the honking remains the same, then it's probably not something to be too concerned about. If this gets worse and she starts having difficulty breathing and eating, then yes you should be concerned. You might start doing some research into a vet nearby that knows Avian medicine and could possibly do an ultrasound or X-rays, other diagnostics, parasites and worms included.

The vet who sees chickens says they aren't seeing chickens anymore if it's anything potentially respiratory. They also won't give antibiotics out.

 

[DonyaQuick]

There are a number of things that can cause this kind of sound by irritating the throat or something blocking an airway, but one pretty benign thing that can cause this sound is a hen yelling a lot and giving themselves an inflamed throat from it. Two of mine have done that to themselves at various times (one recently; spring nest box drama). That one goes away in time but it can take 24h or so for the voice to go back to normal. In that situation it an also be the case that certain neck/head positions result in more noise. That can superficially look like it's a pressure thing as you hold them in different positions and they hold their head differently. If she doesn't seem distressed, eats/drinks, continues to have a bright red face, etc., those are all good signs.

 

[Ccort]

There are a number of things that can cause this kind of sound by irritating the throat or something blocking an airway, but one pretty benign thing that can cause this sound is a hen yelling a lot and giving themselves an inflamed throat from it. Two of mine have done that to themselves at various times (one recently; spring nest box drama). That one goes away in time but it can take 24h or so for the voice to go back to normal. In that situation it an also be the case that certain neck/head positions result in more noise. That can superficially look like it's a pressure thing as you hold them in different positions and they hold their head differently. If she doesn't seem distressed, eats/drinks, continues to have a bright red face, etc., those are all good signs.

Ok. Ty. She otherwise seems ok. Should I keep her inside for the night?

 

[DonyaQuick]

Ok. Ty. She otherwise seems ok. Should I keep her inside for the night?

I did with mine that made themselves hoarse; helped keep them calm and rest, and they were significantly better by morning. I would make that decision based on the inividual bird though and whether they're calmer indoors or out, and also how big of a change the temperature is indoors vs out. I've had a couple hens with other problems where I wanted to keep them in for observation this winter and couldn't because they started chugging water, which is an indication of overheating. If yours is calm and happy indoors and drinking at normal levels, then an indoor night will definitely let you monitor her more easily.

 

[Ccort]

I think she may have mites. I've been suspicious for a while...thoughts? And when she was just inside, it appears I had two mites on my phone screen from her.

 

[StinkyAcres]

I think she may have mites. I've been suspicious for a while...thoughts? And when she was just inside, it appears I had two mites on my phone screen from her.

Yeah, if you or your things are getting mites on them when you touch your chickens or go into their coop, she, your other chickens, and the coop need to be treated. And I wouldn't keep her in your house if that's the case.

 

[Ccort]

Yeah, if you or your things are getting mites on them when you touch your chickens or go into their coop, she, your other chickens, and the coop need to be treated. And I wouldn't keep her in your house if that's the case.

Ok. I think they're mites. Not certain. I'm reading about a lot of ways to treat mites. What would be best? Is this safe to treat?