New pullet - might have gapeworm?

Chalyeo · Apr 9, 2013

I picked up a new pullet on Sunday. She's an Ameraucana. I don't know how old she is exactly, but I suspect that she's around 6 and 8 weeks old, based on size. She's completely feathered, but only about half the size of my 27 week old Speckled Sussex.

I've noticed that she's been sneezing a bit, and heavily breathing with her mouth open. Her wings are a bit droopy, and she seems like she has trouble with her footing. The way she walks seems as if she's dizzy, and she'll occasionally trip over her own feet.
When I first brought her home, and fed her, she drank a lot of water and then immediately started eating. She threw up, but it didn't really affect her. Like, some of the water and the food that she'd consumed just kind of slid out of her esophagus, but she just kind of ignored it and kept eating. I just assumed it was because she was eating too fast.

When I brought her home, she was in a milk crate full of hay. I put aspen in her temporary housing, but I put a little hay in there so she'd know to sleep in there. I plan on changing out the aspen sometime tomorrow or the next day, and getting rid of the hay, since it makes me sneeze.

I was told she might just be stressed because she's alone, or it might be gapeworm. I don't know if this is correct, or what to treat it with. If it's not gapeworm, and I treat her for it anyways, it can't hurt her, right?

Thanks

dawg53 · Apr 9, 2013

Gapeworm are rare in chickens. If she had gapes, she wouldnt be eating or drinking and would most likely be dead by now due to suffocation. It's possible she could have an onset of a respiratory disease. Sneezing, mouth open, breathing heavily are some symptoms. Keep her away from your other birds and place her in quarantine. Contact your local extension office and find out if bloodwork can be done to determine what you're dealing with. If in fact it's a respiratory disease, I recommend that you cull her.