Have a garage with 32 five week old cochin chicks and am debating wether or not to cull a hen that started sounding a little gaspy, yesterday. Have no idea what was going on with her then but, she seems fine now. With every quick breath she had kind of a shrilly noise coming from her throat and she often shook her head and opened her beak wide. I massaged her throat and crop while giving her some VET RX and she has been fine since. At present, her droppings are normal, she is eating and drinking well and is perky.

She is our current best show bird and we love her a great deal. I, also, cringe at the thought of any of the chicks getting sick.

What should I do? Is it possible that she only had a blockage in her throat? Should I offer antibiotics....just in case?

I would wait a few days and see how she is before considering culling her.

It sounds like it was just a reaction to dust,or having something caught in her throat. I have a chicken that coughs when ever it breathes in dust, so unless something else happens, i wouldn't worry about it.

Still fine....laid an egg, yesterday. Have her on an antibiotic(so we won't be eating that egg). Thanks for the advise. Kathy~*~