Best treatment for gapeworm?

[lilypad]

Hi there.

I'm sure two girls in my flock have gape worm, they're gaping, "snaking" their heads, rattle when they breath etc. It's been going on for weeks (although one hasn't had it that long, and has been quite poorly today).

They've been treated with flubenvet 3 (or maybe 4) times in the past 3 months. The last dose started last Saturday and was due to stop on Friday but I'm still continuing it as there's not been any improvement.

Can anyone help at all? My Orp has been quite poorly today, as if she was choking, and has barely eaten for a few days.

What else can I do?

Thank you x

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi @Crazytexanchickenlady Welcome To BYC

If you have photos of your chicken or a video of her actions, that would be good
(for video, upload to youtube, then provide us a link)
How old is she?
What type of food/treats do you feed?
Do your chickens have access to a source of grit (crushed granite)?
If your chicken is of laying age, when was the last time she laid an egg?

Stretching the neck, swallowing - and you being able to massage it to "fix it" for a couple of days sounds like she has a crop problem instead of Gapeworm. With Gapeworm your chicken would be "gaping" all the time, coughing and possibly be fretful in her actions because of difficulty breathing.

Feel her crop first thing in the morning before she eats/drinks and let us know what that feels like - hard, soft, full, empty, doughy, sour smelling, etc.
While you are examining her take a look inside her beak for any plaques, canker, yellow or white cheesy looking material.

Here's a couple of good articles about crop issues. Look forward to more information, your report on her crop and your photos/video.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

Okay so I felt her crop and it feels normal and her beak is clean.

She's just a baby
I would re-check the crop first thing in the morning before she has had anything to eat/drink.

Stretching the neck can be adjusting the crop. Make sure the chicks have access to grit, them helps them process food and whatever else they eat

 

[Wyandottes7]

I've read that Valbazen is the best dewormer if your birds have gapeworms. I believe that Safeguard can also work if you give it in a strong enough dosage twice.

I'm not so sure that your chickens have gapeworm. Gapeworm is relatively rare. You can tell for sure if they have gapeworm by swabbing their throats with a cotton swab (the worms will appear as thin red strings).

A respiratory infection might be the real cause. Respiratory diseases can cause rattling, head shaking, gurgling, sneezing, and coughing. Depending on the strain/severity of the disease, you might notice only a few symptoms, or lots of them. Just keep in mind that gapeworm is not the only problem that can cause the symptoms your birds are exhibiting.

Hope I've helped!

 

[mithious]

http://www.archive.org/stream/gapewormoffowlss00walkrich/gapewormoffowlss00walkrich_djvu.txt

If you are a reader like me, and really want info on the gapes...as it was formally known...now known as gapeworm...the above article is long but awesome read! It gives you a full study and backs up all they say with actual results...you will have to scroll down quite a bit to get to the actual article, but it sure is chocker block full of interesting and really useful info!

It was neat to read why we salted our "runs" back in the day..my Daddy never told me why, just to go do it

...now I know!

If there is anything you want to know about the gapes...the above link will provide it! Happy reading

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My chicken is stretching her neck when she swallows and I massage her neck and it goes down but it comes back after a couple of days I don’t know what’s wrong with her if she’s got Gapeworm or if it’s just food.

Hi @Crazytexanchickenlady Welcome To BYC

If you have photos of your chicken or a video of her actions, that would be good
(for video, upload to youtube, then provide us a link)
How old is she?
What type of food/treats do you feed?
Do your chickens have access to a source of grit (crushed granite)?
If your chicken is of laying age, when was the last time she laid an egg?

Stretching the neck, swallowing - and you being able to massage it to "fix it" for a couple of days sounds like she has a crop problem instead of Gapeworm. With Gapeworm your chicken would be "gaping" all the time, coughing and possibly be fretful in her actions because of difficulty breathing.

Feel her crop first thing in the morning before she eats/drinks and let us know what that feels like - hard, soft, full, empty, doughy, sour smelling, etc.
While you are examining her take a look inside her beak for any plaques, canker, yellow or white cheesy looking material.

Here's a couple of good articles about crop issues. Look forward to more information, your report on her crop and your photos/video.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/
http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/impacted-slow-and-sour-crops-prevention-and-treatments

 

[casportpony]

A study shows that fenbendazole given at 20mg/kg 3 days in a row is effective against gapes, but I've never seen any info on the efficacy of albendazole (Valbazen) and gapes.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

X3. Probably respiratory, not gapes.

-Kathy

 

[mithious]

Oh forgot, safeguard liquid, for goats, wormer...3 ml per gallon of water, for 2 days, repeat in 10 days. I would suggest repeating 3-4 times if necessary at ten day increments. That is, if you really think this is the gapes. Hope you get to the bottom of this! The point of retreating is to kill the eggs...the eggs don't even stay in fowl, just the worms and come from infested earthworms...maybe some other pests now, but earthworms were the primary vector.

In colder climates, if you treat a run with salt, according to the directions on the link, by spring, no more gapes! If you free range and have a gapes problem area, well, you might just have to treat on a regular basis, when you see the gapes starting up. That is, if you really think this is what it is. Nasty little buggers if you ask me...yuckkkk!!!

 

[casportpony]

I use Kaytee Exaxt Baby Bird Food because it's soooooo much easier to get through the tube than crumbles. As for amount, a safe amount to give seems to be about 30ml per kg, but I do have one hen that weighs about 1kg and she can tolerate 120ml twice a day. When in doubt, start with 5 or 10ml, make sure it clears the crop, then give more. Never overfill as vomiting and aspiration from vomiting can occur!

Important notes:

• Always correct hydration first if they haven't been drinking, which is usually the case.
• Check crop before giving fluids/food. If full of food, just give fluids until crop is clear.

Two great threads on how to tube feed:

• https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...cken-and-give-subcutaneous-fluid#post_9910754

• https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...-for-visuals-very-detailed-post#post_11652991

-Kathy

 

[lilypad]

The vet was great, so glad we went there and will definitely use them again for any more chicken problems.
The consultation lasted about half an hour, did a really good, thorough examination and swabbed her throat to check for any parasites or anything and all was clear. He said it's a respiratory infection and could possibly be mycoplasma. He gave her an injection of tylan and I have another to give her orally tonight. Have to go back tomorrow and get some tylan for their water (they are ordering it in for me). Charlotte was chatty and doesn't seem to have gotten any worse which is good.

Now just hope for the best!

Thank you everyone for all your help x