I went in our coop last night to collect eggs and check the hens. When I put down food for them, I heard one of the hens wheezing very loudly. I whistled to quiet the hens and she continued to wheeze and cough. I put her in quarantine and prepared an antibiotic for her water. She was eating and didn't seem bothered by her horrible wheezing. There was no nasal discharge, eye swelling, lightening of the comb or facial swelling. I went into the coop this morning expecting her to be dead, but she was just fine. No wheezing or coughing, nothing at all out of the ordinary. Does anyone have any ideas as to what might have happened?
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She could have a respiratory disease, it's like a human cold, but for chickens. Signs of it would be wheezing, as you mentioned, tints of purple on their combs, and deformed eggs (like lots of sandiness, ripples, bumps in certain spots..) Those are the most common. My hen got it a lot, shes 4 but it seemed to settle down some more.
To prevent respiratory disease is to keep them away from wild birds (because they can carry it) and make sure when you see symptoms contain the chicken so it doesn't spread to the others (like how little kids spread colds)
Ways they can get it is poultry shows, (like if there's one chicken with a resp. disease and it spreads to yours) so that's why you usually contain them after a show just in case, also wild birds can poop in their water and when the chickens drink it, it's possible they can get a resp. disease.
Hope this helped!
My little 5 month old Silkie hen that I just got on Sunday is very timid and shy little girl. I thought it was from her being moved to a new home!
When we got her I did notice her eyes but it almost looked like she was crying?!? Just kinda wet...then it turned to crusty?!?! Now this morning she still has one eye that looks crusty and she's now wheezing??
Please looking for any advise for my little girl!