Is gapewrom contagious?

Hi everyone, is gapeworm contagious? Will the whole flock need to be treated? I have a hen that seem to be gasping for air, no other chickens are doing this so it isn't the heat. I started searching on the internet for diseases and this is what I have came up with. She has every symptom. I called my farmers coop and they said the medicine would cure a lot of worms and it was safe and no fear of overdosing with this kind of medicine to treat for gapeworm. I'm on my way to get the medicine but I'm unsure if everyone needs a dose. She acts like something is lodged in her throat, we checked and can't see anything. She is eating and drinking but like I said she gasps for air and then makes a horrible noise when she exhales.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.

My turkey had a gape worm... He got it actaully before we got him and by the time we realized what was wrong it wasnt looking good. I had my husband take him to the vet. The Dr. gave him 2 shots (which afterward they informed us never to eat him.. which we weren't planning on anyways). Anywho - he is doing great now.

Doc said if the birds eat the turkey poo then they can get it.. but more likely will get it from eating earth worms..

So now that my turkey is better - I am getting some DE this weekend and the Vet said everyone should be fine...

Well I hope that helps! When my turkey was having issues.. this is the website that helped me figure out what was wrong!! I LOVE this website!!

my chicken has gapeworm i noticed she was not scratching and very listless and breathing with her mouth opened so i took her to the bird vet here in town and she confirmed it was gapeworm...my vet sent me home with a weeks worth of shots of ivermecton, i immediately separated the hen from the 8 other hens, I checked on her and shes still gasping and shes been on the med. for a week. I asked the vet if I should treat the rest of my flock and she said yes so I went to the vet today and got some of the same stuff to put in the water to treat the rest of my flock. the vet said its been a week and my sick hen should be better by now but shes not, ...im worried she wont make it and I thought I caught this in time):

candra009 said:

my chicken has gapeworm i noticed her was not scratching and very listless and breathing with her mouth opened so i took her to the bird vet here in town and she confirmed it was gapeworm...my vet sent me home with a weeks worth of shots of ivermecton, I checked on her and she still gasping and shes been on the med. for a week. I asked the vet if I should treat the rest of my flock and she said yes so I went to the vet today and got some of the same stuff to put in the water to treat the rest of my flock I have 8 other hens. the vet said its been a week and my sick hen should be better by now but shes not, the vet said that's not good she should be better by now...im worried she wont make it and I thought I caught this in time):

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Did a fecal microscopic examination confirm gapeworm eggs on the slide?

yes

Covey Rise Plantation is the expert on gapeworms, he's dealt with them. Here's a link, read posts #13 & #14:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/602699/worming-chickens/10#post_7931599

You could try Safeguard for goats at 0.14ml per *pound* (30mg/kg) for five days. I've only had one with gapes and she recovered when treated with Safeguard as shown below. Talk to your vet.

Pictures:




-Kathy

FYI, I saw a study that showed ivermectin was *not* an effective wormer for gapes.

-Kathy

Iamaqte said:

My turkey had a gape worm... He got it actaully before we got him and by the time we realized what was wrong it wasnt looking good. I had my husband take him to the vet. The Dr. gave him 2 shots (which afterward they informed us never to eat him.. which we weren't planning on anyways). Anywho - he is doing great now.


Doc said if the birds eat the turkey poo then they can get it.. but more likely will get it from eating earth worms..


So now that my turkey is better - I am getting some DE this weekend and the Vet said everyone should be fine...


Well I hope that helps! When my turkey was having issues.. this is the website that helped me figure out what was wrong!! I LOVE this website!!/img/smilies/smile.png

Click to expand...

What is the DE for?

thank you