Rattly breathing, squidgy crop, mucky bum ...

[kathyd]

Hi. There's always something, isn't there?! Just when you think things are back to normal, something else happens! Anyway, I'm looking for some more advice please...

Dotty, my maran, is making horrible noises when she breathes. Her crop has always dangled and swung since we got her, but it's not caused any problems before that I've been aware of. However, at the moment it feels full of something squishy and liquidy, and I'm wondering if this is connected to her 'wet' breathing noises.

I did take her to the vet's a few days ago because she'd seemed off colour, and she was giving an occasional small cough or sneeze, and the odd rasp, but he seemed more concerned with her crop than her breathing at the time until she obliged by making rattly noises whilst sat on my knee. For her crop, he suggested not letting her eat pellets, just whatever she could find by free ranging - he seemed keen on grit (which is freely available all the time), and grass, plus insects etc. But she free ranges all the time, and I'm not sure how provide pellets for everyone except for her. But that's not my main worry, it's the breathing.

He gave her an injection, and gave me a syringe thing with 4 doses of 'something' to feed her over the next 4 days - today is the last day. I don't know what the medicine was because his English wasn't great, and my French is worse, and nothing was labelled. Day 1, I managed to lose the first day's dose down my trousers as she twisted and writhed, so gave her half the second day's dose. Day 2 I got a full dose down her, and Day 3 also. Today I lost the final half dose as she twisted her head at the last minute and it went all down her neck. She did seem to improve after the injection and other stuff, until today when her breathing sounds worse than ever.

In herself she seems fine to be honest - eating (even trying to steal from my pocket), drinking, trying to lay (don't know if successful or not because the hen I was worried about the other day promptly climbed into Dotty's nest box before I got a chance to check). She's chatty as well, and her tail's not down.

So I'm at a loss - she's obviously 'ill', but does it sound like an infection? Something 'physical' which the vet thought it was? - he said there was no sign of fungus or anything in her mouth when he looked down her throat. Do I take her back to him? Try for more of the same medicine? Put her on a diet?? As she doesn't appear ill, I've not isolated her - is this OK?

Help! Thx.

This morning she's been rattling loudly all day, it's not just an odd rasp any more.

[RichmondHens]

Oh dear you're not having much luck with your hens lately are you? Rattly breathing is a symptom of mycoplasmosis, but there are also other respiratory conditions such as infectious bronchitis which produce similar symptoms. I think as the vet has already seen her I would be inclined to take her back again. Also add lots of garlic to the drinking water - she might even eat it chopped up on its own, mine do. I would think by now your other hens will have been exposed so there is probably little point in isolating her unless she goes downhill and needs quiet time. Just be aware however that respiratory problems pass round chickens really quickly so you may find one or more of the others go down with the same thing.

[kathyd]

Hi RH - no, everything seems to be happening at once doesn't it . The whole chicken-keeping experience seems to have been a bit of a roller coaster to be honest - what with the disabled cockerel who died suddenly, his little damaged sister, worms, lice, 'off colour' and now breathing problems! I never thought I'd be such a bad chicken-mummy . However, overall I wouldn't be without them .

I'll add crushed garlic to their water then - can I do this in a metal drinker, or should I use the plastic box I use for vinegar water? Do I use either vinegar or garlic, or can I use them both together? I sometimes add chopped garlic to their lunchtime pellets-plus-treat combo, and it all seems to disappear, so I'll do that more often too.

If she's still rattling in the morning I'll make another appointment with the vet too.

Thx.

[RichmondHens]

You're not a bad chicken mummy, you got a load of duff chickens to start with. Don't blame yourself. I would be inclined to see this lot out then start afresh with a brand new flock from a reputable source.

Garlic is fine in a metal drinker or you can add it to the vinegar in a plastic one, it's up to you.

Good luck.

[kathyd]

Maybe you're right, thanks . Although finding a reputable source may be tricky over here. But hopefully even my less than perfect birds will last a few years, so I've got plenty of time to investigate before then.

[petal]

I agree with RH, does sound like a mycoplasma to me and tylan would knock that on the head. It sounds like you are a very kind, caring person- lucky hens to have found someone so nice.

[VirginVegGrower]

I was going to say Tylan for respiratory and I also keep Citricidal in which you can get from health shops over here, but over there who knows. If the crop is squishy isn't that sour crop RH? I don't know, am guessing a bit really, thought I had read it. Some folk have had a hen upside down to get it out from what I've read. Thank God I've not had to do it.
Chicken keeping has a very steep learning curve to it as I have found out also. You're not alone in all this.

[kathyd]

Hi Petal, VVG - thanks for your thoughts and suggestions. I'll let you know how things go over the next couple of days.

[Jax]

Could it be a cold. My cochin done similar was gasping and rattling etc and was diagnosed with a cold and promptly upped cider vinegar and live yoghurt as I said in the other thread. They said if it continued then mycoplasmosis and would need antibiotic.

[kathyd]

Quick update as promised - Dotty still sounds a bit hoarse when she talks (which she does almost non-stop if we're around) - but the rattle seems to have stopped for now, thank goodness. I'm hoping that it was an antibiotic that the vet gave her, and that it's helped even though she didn't get quite the full dose due to having an owl-like neck that seems to twist at unbelievable angles... So far the others seem OK, touch wood, but I'll keep an eye on all of them for a few more days. I forgot the yoghurt yesterday when we went shopping, so it looks like I might have to find an excuse to get back there today! Hehe . Thanks for all your help. Again

[petal]

glad she is recovering, just keep an eye on the others, they may need a water soluble antibiotic to clear it up.
Jax, the new chicken vet in hitchin berry house(yippee, they sent someone on a course!!) told me that all colds were mycoplasma based. once in the flock it can lie dormant until other illness or stress challenges their immune system.

[kathyd]

Thanks Petal, I'll keep a close eye on them. Luckily I'm around most of the time, so I get to see them and prod them around quite frequently and should notice fairly quickly if they start to seem poorly. The most stressful things in their lives are when I'm 5 minutes late with their food, when I chase them out of the farmer's field and back into the garden, or when I have to pick them up for de-lousing purposes. A more pampered bunch you'd be hard pushed to find on the whole.

[petal]

I sometimes spend up to half an hour just watching ours- picking up on any odd behaviour etc- fortunately(touch wood..!) they rarely get ill so its mostly relaxing to observe them!!

[kathyd]

Well, after 2 days not rasping, Dotty seems to have started sneezing this afternoon! Looks like another vet trip next week after all . Is Tylan only available from a vet in the UK? I know it used to be available online, but you seem to need a prescription now?

[VirginVegGrower]

It is prescription in the UK KathyD. How quick does the UK-France postal service work?