Hen open mouth breathing and lethargic

[KCward]

My welsummer hen has been acting sick since yesterday morning (that I’ve noticed). Very lethargic, not eating or drinking, and opening mouth breathing. I can tell she’s having a hard time breathing. But no discharge from eyes or nose. No coughing or sneezing. She did have some runny poop yesterday on her. Crop feels pretty empty. My other welsummer is starting to act lethargic today as well, but no other symptoms yet. Other 10 hens look fine. Any idea what this could be? I have doxy-tyl if antibiotics would be a good idea in case of respiratory infection. I’ve also heard of gapeworm but have not had any experience with that. I do have safegaurd if it may sound like that as well. Thanks in advance.

 

[Chicken_Obsesser]

@azygous

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My welsummer hen has been acting sick since yesterday morning (that I’ve noticed). Very lethargic, not eating or drinking, and opening mouth breathing. I can tell she’s having a hard time breathing. But no discharge from eyes or nose. No coughing or sneezing. She did have some runny poop yesterday on her. Crop feels pretty empty. My other welsummer is starting to act lethargic today as well, but no other symptoms yet. Other 10 hens look fine. Any idea what this could be? I have doxy-tyl if antibiotics would be a good idea in case of respiratory infection. I’ve also heard of gapeworm but have not had any experience with that. I do have safegaurd if it may sound like that as well. Thanks in advance.

Where are you located in the world?

Gapeworm is fairly rare and generally only one bird is affected.

Since you have another developing symptoms in a short period of time, I'd be looking at environment. Have you added new birds recently, changed out bedding, closed up ventilation, etc. Anything that could be an irritant to the respiratory system. Could they have gotten into anything toxic or moldy?

 

[azygous]

What is your location? What has the weather been doing there? Any sudden changes from cold to hot?

Chickens will gape their beaks when under stress of any kind. It does not necessarily indicate trouble breathing unless you can hear bubbling or rattling as she breathes. Have you checked her nares? Sometimes they become clogged with food or mud and need to be cleaned out.

 

[KCward]

Where are you located in the world?

Gapeworm is fairly rare and generally only one bird is affected.

Since you have another developing symptoms in a short period of time, I'd be looking at environment. Have you added new birds recently, changed out bedding, closed up ventilation, etc. Anything that could be an irritant to the respiratory system. Could they have gotten into anything toxic or moldy?

I am in north Texas. They do free range on 1/2 acres so it’s not impossible that she could have gotten into something moldy, but I don’t have anything moldy laying out anywhere and didn’t see anything when I checked. My other hen that was lethargic has sour crop, so I started treating her for that yesterday. So she is the only one with an unknown illness now. I’ve been tubing her electrolytes yesterday and today since she won’t eat or drink. She’s up and moving around slowly. Ventilation is good and coop is clean.

 

[KCward]

What is your location? What has the weather been doing there? Any sudden changes from cold to hot?

Chickens will gape their beaks when under stress of any kind. It does not necessarily indicate trouble breathing unless you can hear bubbling or rattling as she breathes. Have you checked her nares? Sometimes they become clogged with food or mud and need to be cleaned out.

I am in north Texas. The weather hasn’t changed much lately. It’s slowly becoming warmer. I don’t see anything in her nares or throat. No rattling, bubbling, sneezing, ect. I have tubed her electrolytes yesterday and today since she doesn’t want to drink on her own yet. She is up and moving around slowly in the coop. My other hen that I thought may be sick as well has sour crop so not the same as this hen. I’m treating the sour crop and that one is doing better. The sick one hasn’t laid an egg in a few days, but I’m assuming that is because she is sick? Not sure how to check for egg bound. Nothing else is obvious.

 

[azygous]

Most of the time egg binding is not possible to detect as it most often involved an egg with no shell. If a hen is lethargic, maybe spending hours in the nest without producing an egg, may have a watery, smelly discharge from the vent that soaks the butt fluff, I always recommend giving a calcium citrate tablet just in case. If there's a stuck egg, this often resolves the issue in as little as an hour or two.

 

[KCward]

Most of the time egg binding is not possible to detect as it most often involved an egg with no shell. If a hen is lethargic, maybe spending hours in the nest without producing an egg, may have a watery, smelly discharge from the vent that soaks the butt fluff, I always recommend giving a calcium citrate tablet just in case. If there's a stuck egg, this often resolves the issue in as little as an hour or two.

Thanks! I will go ahead and try that just in case.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I am in north Texas. They do free range on 1/2 acres so it’s not impossible that she could have gotten into something moldy, but I don’t have anything moldy laying out anywhere and didn’t see anything when I checked. My other hen that was lethargic has sour crop, so I started treating her for that yesterday. So she is the only one with an unknown illness now. I’ve been tubing her electrolytes yesterday and today since she won’t eat or drink. She’s up and moving around slowly. Ventilation is good and coop is clean.

Glad you are treating the Sour Crop in the one hen.

I agree, the one that is moving around slowly and has not laid in a few days, I'd definitely give Extra Calcium to see if that helps her out.