As a chicken owner, it can be alarming to see your feathered friend gasping for air. Rapid or labored breathing is a clear sign that something is wrong and the chicken is struggling to get oxygen. But what exactly causes this respiratory distress? And what should you do about it? This article covers the common causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment options for respiratory problems in chickens.
What Causes Respiratory Problems in Chickens?
There are several infectious and non-infectious factors that can lead to breathing issues in chickens
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Bacterial infections – Mycoplasmosis is one of the most frequent bacterial culprits It leads to sneezing, nasal discharge, and bubbles in the eyes
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Fungal infections – Aspergillosis from mold spores causes severe breathing distress.
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Viral infections – Laryngotracheitis results in troubled breathing and bloody mucus.
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Parasites – Gapeworms in the trachea impair breathing.
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Dust – An excessively dusty coop can irritate the respiratory tract.
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Stress – Stress from overcrowding, heat, or other factors may worsen breathing issues.
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Anatomical defects – Problems with the anatomy of the respiratory tract.
So in short, infections, irritants, parasites, and underlying health conditions can all contribute to a chicken’s labored breathing and gasping.
Recognizing the Symptoms
Aside from the obvious breathing issues, watch for these other signs of respiratory distress:
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Hunched posture with eyes closed
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Refusal to eat or lethargy
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Nasal discharge or coughing
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Gurgling or wheezing sounds
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Swollen eyes or head
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Blueness of comb and wattles (cyanosis)
Caught early, respiratory problems may present as mild sneezing or whistling sounds as the chicken breathes. But gasping with an open beak is a late symptom indicating urgent treatment is needed.
Diagnosing the Cause
While a few causes are most common, identifying the specific culprit requires an exam by a vet, preferably a poultry specialist. They will consider the bird’s history and symptoms before doing diagnostic testing. Samples of discharge may be analyzed to pinpoint bacterial or viral infections. Parasite identification requires examining the trachea. In some cases, radiographs allow visualization of anatomical issues.
As a chicken owner, you can provide helpful details about the bird’s environment, timeline of symptoms, and anything else that could aid diagnosis. While waiting for the vet visit, separate the sick chicken from the flock to prevent disease spread.
Treatment Options
The right treatment depends on the cause but may include:
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Antibiotics for bacterial infections. Tetracycline and tylosin are commonly prescribed.
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Antifungals like itraconazole for aspergillosis.
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Anthelmintics such as ivermectin if gapeworms are found.
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Anti-inflammatories to reduce respiratory swelling and irritation.
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Nebulization with saline to clear congestion.
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Supplemental oxygen in severe cases of hypoxia.
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Surgery if anatomical defects require correction.
Along with medication, ensure proper housing hygiene to prevent recurrence. Address factors like dust, ammonia levels, and mold. Supportive care such as rest, fluids, and nutritional foods also aid recovery.
Can Respiratory Issues Be Prevented?
While not every case can be avoided, these measures help reduce respiratory risks:
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Keep coops clean, dry, and well-ventilated.
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Use dust-extracted bedding materials.
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Avoid overcrowding and stressors.
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Quarantine new birds before introducing them.
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Promptly treat any sick birds.
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Vaccinate against key viral diseases.
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Provide apple cider vinegar and herbs like oregano in feed.
By staying vigilant and acting quickly at the first signs of sickness, you have the best chance of getting a gasping chicken the treatment it needs before respiratory distress becomes life-threatening. Keep an eye out for breathing troubles along with other symptoms, and work closely with your avian vet to protect your flock’s respiratory health.
Respiratory Infections in Chickens
There are many different respiratory (breathing) specific diseases to poultry, and not all of them respond to the same medications. It’s easy for a layperson to incorrectly diagnose them, so if you see sick birds in your flock, seek the professional opinion of a veterinarian, preferably an avian vet, or even better; a poultry vet. That being said, it still doesn’t hurt to know the common signs specific to respiratory infections in chickens so you can detect illness earlier rather than later.
Rales, also known as crackles, refer to the sound of poor breathing. There are many different sounds, but rales in chickens are usually quite noticeable if you listen for them. Fluids in the chicken’s respiratory system cause a crackling sound as they breathe. This crackling is the sound of little air bubbles popping as they move air. Rales is a common sign of respiratory infections in chickens.
Gasping usually accompanies rales, but not always. Gasping is a noticeable behavior because chickens typically stretch their neck and crane their head up to straighten their upper airway. Chickens do this while trying to open their trachea so they can breath better. Gasping is a severe symptom and usually indicates an advanced respiratory infection in chickens or a mechanical airway obstruction. Some people refer to gasping as “pump handle breathing” because of the dramatic motion they make.
Nasal and eye discharge are common in birds that are suffering from a respiratory infection. Usually, a clear bubbling fluid can be seen near the corners of the eyes, or an oozing fluid will flow from the nares (nostrils).
Facial swelling is also a common symptom of respiratory infections in chickens. Look for swelling of the face, around the eyes, and sometimes even the wattles can be affected. Swollen heads in a flock of chickens can be a symptom of many different diseases, so take into account the other signs you’re observing to give you a better idea of which disease your bird(s) may have.
Cyanosis is a bluish or purple coloring of the skin. The face, comb, and wattles are vascular (they have a lot of little veins), so the condition of these surfaces give us an excellent gauge of how a chicken is circulating (moving blood) or saturating (absorbing oxygen). If a chicken is not saturating well, these surfaces turn blue.
This sign is not exclusive to respiratory infections in chickens, because a cardiac deficiency can cause the same symptom. Just like facial swelling, you need to consider the combination of symptoms before making any conclusions. A bird displaying this sort of sign is experiencing hypoxia (lack of oxygen to the tissues of the body). Hypoxia in chickens can be expected to cause altered behavior and lethargy.
Swelling and irritation of the tissue around the eye, known as conjunctivitis, is a relatively easy symptom to see (pun intended). Birds affected by advanced conjunctivitis usually can’t see out the affected eye. Sometimes conjunctivitis swelling makes the eye of a bird looked dished, almost as if it had lost an eye. Don’t confuse conjunctivitis with facial swelling, as conjunctivitis on its own only causes the area immediately around the eye to swell, not the entire face.
Head shaking can be seen in many respiratory infections in chickens. This behavior is an attempt to clear their airway, usually because there is a mucous or other fluid clogging it up. Usually accompanied by coughing and rales, head shaking can also result in blood spatter on the walls of your coop. Blood spatter from birds shaking their head is a hallmark of infectious laryngotracheitis.
Many of these respiratory infections in chickens present in one of two ways; highly pathogenic and low pathogenic, or high-path and low-path for short. Low-path diseases are usually a subacute (recent, but gradual onset), chronic (long-standing symptoms), or even asymptomatic (they show no or very little sign of illness). Even the dreaded and newsworthy avian influenza can infect a flock without showing any apparent signs of disease in its low-path state.
High-path infections are characterized by an acute (sudden) onset of severe symptoms. Acute infections usually hit hard and fast, where one day the flock seems perfectly healthy and the next, sudden major illness is evident. Keeping with my avian influenza example, high-path avian influenza hits hard and starts killing birds within hours, which is why it makes the news.
At one time, it was common practice for flock owners to self-medicate their flocks. Today the sale, and more specifically, the use of commercially available medications for poultry are more controlled. The Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD) from the FDA requires that flock owners seek a prescription from a veterinarian before administering anything beyond your usual coccidiostat (medicated chick starter) or anti-parasite medications. The main reason the VFD came to be is that people have been misusing medications, and causing medically resistant diseases to form. Just like the improper use of antibiotics created the aggressive MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) infections we see in humans now, improper medicine use in livestock has created harmful pathogens we can’t treat with our usual medications.
Knowing the Difference Between a Chicken Sneezing and a Dangerous Disease
Respiratory infection in chickens is a serious concern, but many new flock owners tend to jump to conclusions every time a chicken sneezes. Keeping your birds healthy should be something you take seriously but knowing the difference between an errant sneeze and an acute onset of a respiratory infection in chickens will ease the nerves a bit.
Chickens sneeze on occasion, just like us. It’s when they show other sick chicken symptoms in conjunction with persistent sneezing that we need to be concerned. Listlessness, lethargy, diarrhea, noisy breathing, cyanosis, and abnormal behaviors should be cause for concern.
Open mouth breathing in chickens ACTUAL CAUSES! | Sez the Vet
FAQ
What do I do if my chicken is gasping for air?
We recommend bringing them indoors, placing them in a dog crate in a quiet area, with a blanket over some of the crate to stop draughts. Ensure they have some light, as this helps them focus on recovery. Offer nutritious, easy-to-digest food like scrambled egg and mashed-up cat or dog food.
What does it mean when a chick looks like it’s gasping for air?
This usually happens when they aspirate water/food 🙁 Not enough oxygen getting to their lungs so it’s gasping. Often leads to pneumonia which they are very unlikely to survive at that age. It just happens sometimes with chicks. They’re not the brightest bulbs, unfortunately.
How do I tell if my chicken has gapeworm?
Gapeworm (Syngamus trachea).
These inhabit the birds’ trachea and lungs, making them short of breath. A gaping beak, neck-stretching and head-shaking are clues that infection may have occurred. The worms are red, and grow to more than ¾ inch in length.
What to do when my chicken is struggling to breathe?
Humidify the Air: If she’s struggling to breathe, increasing the humidity a bit can sometimes ease breathing. You could try placing a warm, moist towel nearby (not too close to her, but close enough to release steam) to add moisture to the air.