Yikes! Sick hen and a new batch of chicks

Lannie · #1 05/11/12, 03:23 PM

I just got a batch of new chicks, and a batch of keets 1 and 2 weeks ago, respectively. Meaning the keets are 2 weeks old, and the chicks are 1 week old. They're all doing great in their brooder, which is a sectioned off part of the coop.

This morning after I let the chickens out (everyone was fine) I went back out to check on the babies, and I heard a strange noise. I finally tracked it down and it was an EE hen out with a group of other chickens in the horse corral, and she was WHEEZING horribly. Closing her eyes on the inhale, opening them on the exhale, but loud "reeeeeee, reeeeee, reeeeee" on both inhale and exhale. I grabbed her up and brought her in the house so I could get some oil of oregano in her, and now I'm trying to decide what to do with her.

My husband said he'd kill her if we need to, but if she's got some bug, I assume she's had it for a while before becoming symptomatic. I'm basically worried the chicks and keets will get it and because they're so young it will kill them. That would be baaaaaaad.

I've just taken out a two gallon batch of clabber loaded up with cayenne pepper and olive leaf for the big chickens, and the chicks have been getting cayenne pepper on their feed all along. Will that be enough, do you think? And should we go ahead and kill that sick hen? I think she can recover, but I don't want her to infect all the babies (if she hasn't already). They all share the same coop, but the babies are separated by a chicken wire wall.

~Lannie

Lannie · #2 05/11/12, 06:24 PM

Well, she's much better now. I don't know whether the oil of oregano worked that fast (I doubt it) or maybe she just had something stuck in her throat. I just checked on her, and she's back in the coop and she's partaking freely of the medicated clabber (earlier her crop was totally empty) and I took out some cheese as well, and she's eating some of that. So at least she's eating. When she was sitting on the roost, she was quiet, but when she hopped down to check out the cheese and have some more clabber, she wheezed a couple of times, and also sneezed, so it's probably a bug, but at least she can breathe now.

I think she'll recover OK. Now I just need to keep an eye on the babies, but so far they all seem fine.

~Lannie

VA Susan · #3 05/12/12, 10:46 PM

Lannie,
Glad she is doing better today.I never heard about oil of oregano. I know that some use a medicine called VetRx which is like Viks Vaporub for birds with congestion. Sorry I can't help but I've never had any that sneezed and wheezed, thankfully. My rooster makes a wheezing sound right after he crows but since he's been doing it for a long time and seems healthy in every way I don't think he's sick. Maybe others here can help?

Lannie · #4 05/13/12, 02:38 PM

Thanks, but it's not necessary. She made a complete recovery. I don't think she was sick now at all, I think she had something stuck in her throat. She's been fine since yesterday morning, and I even watched her lay an egg (good timing, checking on her! LOL!). She's been out all day today with the other chickens, foraging, dusting, sunning, and not a wheeze out of her or anyone else. The babies are all just peachy. So I think I panicked for no reason. Nothing too unusual about that!

~Lannie