4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[skye]

Hello all,

 

Hoping you could offer some advice if you have ever experienced this with one of your chooks?

 

At porridge time today I noticed that Bella my bluebelle was making high pitched gurgling noises rather than her normal clucking. A bit like she needed to clear her throat. I picked her up and took her indoors to look at her closer, and she just sat there making a funny squeaky noise with each in and out breath. Other than that she looks INCREDIBLY healthy - beautiful feathers, very perky, good appetite, bright eyes and very red healthy comb.

 

Bizarrely, when I took her back up to the run (by this time, 15 mins later, it was bedtime and all the other chooks had just gone inside the cube), she popped up the ladder, still making the noise, then immediately stopped doing it as soon as she went to roost??!!

 

I would have thought if it was a breathing problem/chest infection that she would have continued to make the noise all the time, not just when she was awake? The cube is completely silent and everybody is roosting peacefully.

 

Any advice very welcome... a bit worried as we are going away on Friday for a week and would hate for her to be poorly while we're on holiday.

 

skye x

[Guest]

it sounds like either a chest infection or possibly gapeworm. she might not be making the noise when settled because she's not exerrting as much energy so not needing to breathe as heavily. I'd take her to the vet to get a proper diagnosis as either way, she souds very poorly.

[skye]

Thanks Poet. I doubt very much it's gapeworm as she isn't gaping or flicking her head, and seems in glowing health in every other way. She doesn't look poorly at all - and I've had very poorly hens before.

 

The point you made about her stopping the noise when she went to roost is sensible, but I would have expected the noise to gradually abate if it was linked to exertion. She simply... stopped... as soon as she lay down on the bars.

 

skye x

[skye]

(PS - I don't think it's a wheeze, it's her voice she's using?)

[chelsea]

Sounds a bit odd... when my hen had a respiratory infection you could clearly hear it when you held her up close and it was for most of the time.

 

To be on the safe side I would nip her to the vets before you go away on Friday - that way if you catch it early and it is an infection you will be able to get some antibiotics into her before you go.

[Patricia W]

My Dusty sounded like this when she had a respiratory infection. I'd say go to the vet tomorrow and get some Baytril. It worked a treat with her.

 

I think if you leave it too long it could be very serious.

 

Tricia

[Egluntyne]

I agree that a trip to the vet would be a good idea.

[skye]

Thank you very much for the swift replies. I really appreciate your advice, all.

 

I will indeed take her to the vet's open surgery at 9 tomorrow morning.

 

skye x

[Jools]

Could she have a piece of food stuck? One of mine is a real pig and she rushes around trying to eat all the corn before anyone else can and then spends ages making really scary shrieking/whistling noises (well they are scary the first time you hear them and thing she's about to expire)!

[skye]

Thanks Jools for the suggestion. I also wondered this as it seemed to come on so suddenly. She'd been fine previously.

 

Well, I'm a bit embarrassed, but also extremely relieved and happy to report, that Bella seems totally, 100% normal again this morning

 

Whatever the squeaking was has disappeared as quickly as it came. No trilling or squeaking, her voice totally back to normal, very perky, doing lots of digging and pecking. Very calm and bright eyed. Enormous appetite as usual. No runny nose or anything like that. I brought her inside again and put her on the dining room table to have a close listen to her, and apart from a very slight 'k' noise when she is about to say something, I can't hear anything on her chest. Her beak is completely closed and I couldn't feel her struggling for breath at all. She was more interested in wolfing down grapes out of the fruit bowl

 

So I'm going to keep an eye on her all day and any sign of anything she is going to the vet's, I've got the pet carrier all ready... really hoping she won't need it though.

 

Just have to put it down to... er... chicken madness? These girls don't half get you worried eh?! I dreamt about her all night!

 

skye x

[Plum]

So glad she's ok must have been a foreign body

[chelsea]

Sounds like it Plum - maybe she had a bit of pellet stuck up her nostril?!

 

Glad she's ok.