My Injuries, Diseases, and Cures Information Library

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What is it: A roundworm that infects the trachea of chickens and other birds, wild or domesticated.[2]

Causes: An infected chicken coughs out or poops out the eggs of the gapeworm. Typically those eggs will pass to an intermediate hose, such as a snail, earthworm, or other invertebrate, which gets eaten by another chicken, thus infecting it.[1]

Symptoms:

• Gasping and gaping[1]
• Gurgling[1]
• Trouble breathing[1]
• Head shaking[1]
• Loss of appetite[1]
• Coughing[1]
• Choking[1]
• Neck stretching[1]

Prognosis: If left untreated it will likely result in death. With swift treatment the prognosis is good. Young birds[1] and smaller breeds, like bantams[2], are most hard hit by gapeworm, due to their tracheas being naturally smaller.

Treatment: The only treatment involves giving the chicken an effective dewormer. Below are the dosages for the most popular dewormers used. Note: Most of these dewormers are used off label for chickens. Because of that, there is no instruction for egg or meat withdrawl time. The standard practice is to withdrawl from both for 14 days.

• Valbazen
  • 0.08 mL per pound of body weight for 3 days
• Safeguard 10% liquid
  • 3 mL per gallon of water, for 3 days
  • Repeat every 3 weeks
• Safeguard 10% paste
  • Pea-sized amount directly on the tongue
  • Repeat every 3 weeks
• 1% Ivermectin
  • If given by mouth directly:
    • 0.1 mL per bantam sized breed
    • 1.4 mL per regular sized breed
  • If given in water:
    • 4 mL per gallon water, made fresh daily, for 2 days
• Levamisole
  • 10 mL per gallon of water for 1 day
  • Repeat in 7 days, then repeat for a third time in 7 more days.
  • Note: Very sick chickens should not receive this dewormer because it inhibits the chicken’s ability to fight off infections
• Fenbendazole
  • 20mg per kg of chicken, for 3 days
• Sources:
  • Gapeworm Infection in Chickens (poultrydvm.com)
  • Gapeworm treatment | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens
  • Valbazen (albendazole) Doses for Poultry, Waterfowl, and Game Birds | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens
  • Egg Withdrawl Safeguard ??? | BackYard Chickens - Learn How to Raise Chickens

Prevention:

• Rotate grazing areas[1]
• Treat soil for earthworms, snails, and slugs[2]
• Till soil in pens at the end of each growing season[2]
• Have a regular deworming regimen[1]

Sources:

1. Gapeworm (poultrykeeper.com)
2. Gapeworm Infection in Chickens (poultrydvm.com)