It can be a very stressful moment when your chicken suddenly starts gasping for air. The first thing you need to do is identify what is causing your chicken to gasp for air. The treatment depends heavily on what is causing your chicken to gasp for air.

How to help a chicken gasping for air?

There are many ways to help a chicken gasping for air. If your chicken is gasping because of a bacterial infection, you should administer the appropriate antibiotics. It is also important to have your chicken vaccinated in order to protect against dangerous respiratory viruses.

If your chicken is coughing because of parasites, you should administer deworming medication as soon as you can. Lastly, if a dirty environment is causing your chicken to gasp for air, you must clean the coup immediately and give the chicken fresh cold water. 

It important to heal your chick soon, as gasping for air could be a sign that your baby chick is dying.

The main reasons chickens gasp for air or cough?

Parasites

Parasites are a common reason that a chicken will be gasping for air. The most common parasite is called gapeworm, and it usually attaches inside your chicken’s throat. You should examine your chicken’s throat and look for worms if you think this could be the cause. If you find any, then you should give your chicken deworming medicine that is administered in food or water. If you are looking for a way to treat worms in your chicken, I recommend checking out our article on valbazen for chickens.

Bacterial infections

There are also a wide range of bacterial infections that can cause your chicken to gasp for air. It is important to consult a vet immediately to determine which bacterial infection your chicken has contracted. Once that is known, then the vet will prescribe the appropriate antibiotics which should cure your chicken.

Dirty environments

Another common reason chickens cough and gasp for air is because they live in dirty environments. If you have cattle nearby, their poop may be creating a dangerous ammonia gas which is very bad for your chicken’s lungs. Also, your chicken’s coup might have a lot of dust, which is also very bad for your chicken’s breathing. This is because a chicken’s throat is very sensitive, so only a few dust particles can cause a chicken to gasp for air. If this is the cause, you should clean the coup immediately, and give your chicken fresh cold water. 

Viruses

The most common virus that will cause breathing problems for a chicken is bronchitis. This virus is very dangerous because it is highly contagious. It usually kills a chicken, especially if they are younger. The best way to treat bronchitis in chickens is by prevention, which means giving them the vaccine when they are young.