Showing signs of Gapeworm

[Sweetles]

Hi, I had two chickens until yesterday. Now I have one and I'm beyond desperate to resolve this. My birds have been sick for two years now with respiratory issues. I have had the vet out on multiple occasions. I had suggested Gapeworm at one point and he said it wasn't (without testing, just observing). $2k later, we still don't know. But, here's what I can tell you.

1. The vet dosed them with oxytetracycline 3x. No change. Which tells me they aren't sick with a bacterial illness. Especially for two years.
2. There is nothing coming out of their eyes or nose. But I have seen clear mucus inside their mouths.
3. Very congested and gurgly.
4. Eating, drinking, and energy is very normal. No change.
5. They seemed completely fine except for the thick mucus and gurgling, neck stretching, mouth breathing.
6. Giving them VetRx every day for the past month or so.
7. One girl is a very large, very heavy Red Sex Link. The other was a small, very light Polish Crested.
8. The Polish Crested died yesterday morning (well, during the night). She was having great difficulty getting air in. I treated her as usual, held her, talked to her a lot, and put her to bed. In the morning I found that she had passed.
9. The Red Sex Link is very congested. She has so far proven more robust. But, now she is also dealing with the loss of her friend which could be weakening her.
10. It's very difficulty to find an definitive information on exactly what to use and how. I have found info and medicine in NZ but that doesn't help here in California where I can't get it.
11. I also read where I was supposed to use Ivermectin liquid (the blue stuff) down their throats (injest instead of topical). But I researched that some more and found that doing so would kill the chicken! I'm so glad I didn't do that! See, there's so much bad information out there!
12. But I do see that I could use horse paste by the same company? A pea sized amount down her throat?
13. I've also ordered SafeGuard which won't arrive until tomorrow. Do I put this down Nugget's throat?
14. Water is a, fresh every morning, steeped "tea" of oregano, basil, and thyme. Vet approved. They have been drinking this for about 4 years. Today I put honey in it.
15. Organic everything (feed, snacks)
16. Yesterday I mixed DE into her scratch and she's been thoroughly enjoying it! However, that would get rid of other internal parasites but not sure how it would eradicate the gapeworm in her trachea. I guess it doesn't hurt though.
17. No worms in droppings.
18. Still laying every couple of days.
19. No foul breath and crop is fine.
20. She will sprint across the yard! So no lack of occasional energy except for the few times a day she will stand in one spot, hunker down her neck, and close her eyes like she's really tired. This is a new thing for her. I never used to see her eyes closed during the day.

Please, whatever info you can share. I just want this horribleness to leave them and for her to be healthy again. I don't want her to die like my sweet Sophie. What do I do?! I am at my wits end!

 

[dawg53]

DE wont treat any kind of worms at all. DE is a waste of money. Been there, done that.
You're not dealing with gapeworms, your birds would've been dead long ago if it were gapeworms.
I dont believe you are dealing with a respiratory disease neither.

I agree with you that it's not a bacterial issue and antibiotics are useless.

Clear thick mucus, head shaking, mouth breathing and gurgling suggest a possible yeast or some type of fungal infection.
Stop giving her scratch, stop giving her all the organic stuff including oregano, basil, and thyme. Feed her regular layer feed and only freshwater to drink.

Closely inspect the inside of her mouth and look for very small white splotches or spots at the back of her throat, or anywhere inside her mouth. If you see any, it's a yeast infection. There are other types fungal infections as well.
Fungal infections can not only infect the crop but can also infect the gizzard and stomach and on further down.

I recommend that you start out with an Epsom Salt flush.
You'll need to put a level teaspoon of Epsom Salts into a cup of water, stir well. Give it orally to your hen 3 times a day for 3 days straight using a 3ml syringe without a needle.
You will be giving her the full 3ml solution 3 times a day for a total of 9ml's per day.

A word of caution: Only give her 1/2ml at a time. Cradle the hen in your forearm. Then grab the preloaded syringe with your free hand. With your fingers and thumb on your cradling arm, pull down on her wattles with your fingers and thumb and her mouth will open. Quickly shoot the 1.2ml liquid in her mouth and immediately let go of her wattles at the same time so she can swallow the liquid on her own. If you dont let go of the wattles right away, she can aspirate, then there would be problems.
It would be best to practice this procedure, a dry run without actually administering the liquid. Practice makes perfect.

Hopefully this will work out for your Red Star. The mucus should disappear as well as the other symptoms. If not, you'll most likely have to use Acidified Copper Sulfate (ACS) which will require a longer treatment period.
It might be best to order the ACS. Here's where you can buy it:
https://www.jefferspet.com/acidified-copper-sulfate/p

 

[Sweetles]

DE wont treat any kind of worms at all. DE is a waste of money. Been there, done that.
You're not dealing with gapeworms, your birds would've been dead long ago if it were gapeworms.
I dont believe you are dealing with a respiratory disease neither.

I agree with you that it's not a bacterial issue and antibiotics are useless.

Clear thick mucus, head shaking, mouth breathing and gurgling suggest a possible yeast or some type of fungal infection.
Stop giving her scratch, stop giving her all the organic stuff including oregano, basil, and thyme. Feed her regular layer feed and only freshwater to drink.

Closely inspect the inside of her mouth and look for very small white splotches or spots at the back of her throat, or anywhere inside her mouth. If you see any, it's a yeast infection. There are other types fungal infections as well.
Fungal infections can not only infect the crop but can also infect the gizzard and stomach and on further down.

I recommend that you start out with an Epsom Salt flush.
You'll need to put a level teaspoon of Epsom Salts into a cup of water, stir well. Give it orally to your hen 3 times a day for 3 days straight using a 3ml syringe without a needle.
You will be giving her the full 3ml solution 3 times a day for a total of 9ml's per day.

A word of caution: Only give her 1/2ml at a time. Cradle the hen in your forearm. Then grab the preloaded syringe with your free hand. With your fingers and thumb on your cradling arm, pull down on her wattles with your fingers and thumb and her mouth will open. Quickly shoot the 1.2ml liquid in her mouth and immediately let go of her wattles at the same time so she can swallow the liquid on her own. If you dont let go of the wattles right away, she can aspirate, then there would be problems.
It would be best to practice this procedure, a dry run without actually administering the liquid. Practice makes perfect.

Hopefully this will work out for your Red Star. The mucus should disappear as well as the other symptoms. If not, you'll most likely have to use Acidified Copper Sulfate (ACS) which will require a longer treatment period.
It might be best to order the ACS. Here's where you can buy it:
https://www.jefferspet.com/acidified-copper-sulfate/p

Thank you SO MUCH for this information!! The yeast infection occurred to me just recently. I haven't heard of the salt cleanse. I know when people get thrush, it helps tremendously to rinse with salt water or eat lemons with salt on them. So it makes sense that it would help them as well. Except that they aren't rinsing and spitting out. They will be swallowing. Ewwww. I also appreciate your detail with the amounts and the timing!

Through all of this I've become quite handy with getting fluids down them. Years ago it was hit and miss and didn't go so well all the time. Made me feel just horrible whenever I messed it up and they aspirated. But that's a rare occasion now. You are right, practice makes perfect. Thank you for writing the step-by-step instructions for those who haven't done it yet. It is so scary when you miss!

Is it possible to die from yeast since my Polish suffocated the other day? I wish I had posted sooner so I could have had another chance at saving her. She was a sweet girl and I feel so horrible that I didn't/couldn't save her.

Your response and detailed information is invaluable. Thank you so much!

 

[Sweetles]

DE wont treat any kind of worms at all. DE is a waste of money. Been there, done that.
You're not dealing with gapeworms, your birds would've been dead long ago if it were gapeworms.
I dont believe you are dealing with a respiratory disease neither.

I agree with you that it's not a bacterial issue and antibiotics are useless.

Clear thick mucus, head shaking, mouth breathing and gurgling suggest a possible yeast or some type of fungal infection.
Stop giving her scratch, stop giving her all the organic stuff including oregano, basil, and thyme. Feed her regular layer feed and only freshwater to drink.

Closely inspect the inside of her mouth and look for very small white splotches or spots at the back of her throat, or anywhere inside her mouth. If you see any, it's a yeast infection. There are other types fungal infections as well.
Fungal infections can not only infect the crop but can also infect the gizzard and stomach and on further down.

I recommend that you start out with an Epsom Salt flush.
You'll need to put a level teaspoon of Epsom Salts into a cup of water, stir well. Give it orally to your hen 3 times a day for 3 days straight using a 3ml syringe without a needle.
You will be giving her the full 3ml solution 3 times a day for a total of 9ml's per day.

A word of caution: Only give her 1/2ml at a time. Cradle the hen in your forearm. Then grab the preloaded syringe with your free hand. With your fingers and thumb on your cradling arm, pull down on her wattles with your fingers and thumb and her mouth will open. Quickly shoot the 1.2ml liquid in her mouth and immediately let go of her wattles at the same time so she can swallow the liquid on her own. If you dont let go of the wattles right away, she can aspirate, then there would be problems.
It would be best to practice this procedure, a dry run without actually administering the liquid. Practice makes perfect.

Hopefully this will work out for your Red Star. The mucus should disappear as well as the other symptoms. If not, you'll most likely have to use Acidified Copper Sulfate (ACS) which will require a longer treatment period.
It might be best to order the ACS. Here's where you can buy it:
https://www.jefferspet.com/acidified-copper-sulfate/p

BTW, they only gets scratch right before bed as a little end of day treat. During the entire day they get organic layer pellets (used to be a grain mixture but too much waste, so I switched to pellets) and fresh water. But about an hour before bed, I will give them the scratch and a few mealworms. Sometimes with some watermelon or fresh corn on the cob but those are rare treats. Their main food is the organic pellets. They are free-range, so they also pick up various bugs and grubs etc throughout the yard.