Chicken sticking neck out and opening mouth wide

[MIChicken]

Yes it does look like a silent crow and she does it several times in a row.

I got her from a small local farm and she wasn't vaccinated. I am feeding her a medicated feed.

I just checked on her and she is awake, poor thing.

I did get some piperazine-17 at the feed store and was thinking about worming them with it tomorrow. Should I go through with that or hold off?

 

[Peeplperson]

If she's still doing it, I'm guessing that a handful of feed won't cut it - sorry. Hope you find an answer. We could all learn.

Good thoughts coming your way

 

[JewellFarm]

Could be nothing, but if you think it's having a hard time breathing it could be gapeworm. Fenbendazole is recommended for that. The worm blocks the trachea.

 

[California Ducken]

Ok do a search on BYC for gapeworm. I found this info. for you maby it will help a little.
Gapeworms
The gapeworm (Syngamus trachea) is a round red worm that attach to the trachea (windpipe) of birds and causes the disease referred to as "gapes". The term describes the open-mouth breathing characteristic of gapeworm-infected birds. Heavily infected birds usually emit a grunting sound because of the difficulty in breathing and many die from suffocation. The worms can easily block the trachea, so they are particularly harmful to young birds.

The gapeworm is sometimes designated as the "red-worm"; or "forked-worm" because of its red color and because the male and female are joined in permanent copulation. They appear like the letter Y. The female is the larger of the two and is one-fourth to one inch in length. The male gapeworm may attain a length of one-fourth inch. Both sexes attach to the lining of the trachea with their mouthparts. Sufficient numbers may accumulate in the trachea to hinder air passage.

The life cycle of the gapeworm is similar to that of the cecal worm; the parasite can be transmitted when birds eat embryonated worm eggs or earthworms containing the gapeworm larvae. The female worm lays eggs in the trachea, the eggs are coughed up, swallowed, and pass out in the droppings. Within eight to fourteen days the eggs embryonate and are infective when eaten by birds or earthworms. The earthworm, snails and slugs serve as primary intermediate hosts for the gapeworm. Gapeworms in infected earthworms remain viable for four and a half years while those in snails and slugs remain infective for one year. After being consumed by the bird, gapeworm larvae hatch in the intestine and migrate from the intestine to the trachea and lungs.

Gapeworms infect chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, pheasants, chukar partridge, and probably other birds. Young birds reared on soil of infected range pens are at high risk (pen-raised game birds). Some control or reduction in infection density (worms/bird) is achieved by alternating the use of range pens every other year and/or using a pen for only one brood each year. Tilling the soil in the pens at the end of the growing season helps to reduce the residual infection. Treating the soil to eliminate earthworms, snails and slugs is possible but the cost is usually prohibitive.

G

There are many threads on BYC . In some they described your same symptoms. Good Luck!

 

[ZepChick]

I think that when chicks get too hot they will do that. mine did when they were that age. Make sure they aren't too warm and have plenty of water. Good luck

 

[California Ducken]

Ooooooh ZepChick I love your Avatar. Very nice looking chickie!

 

[firedove]

I have an 11-week-old chick that did that for one day. She had eaten too much and slightly impacted her crop. While I was still looking up what to do she must have cleared whatever was the obstruction because she stopped doing it and by the next day her crop had gone down by half.

 

[TammyTX]

Quote:
I was thinking the same thing. It's been near 100 here with high humidity and my 11/12 week olds are breathing w/their mouths open and they carry their wings lower.

But also, I would give my younger chicks parakeet grit which you can buy at Walmart. They loved it and would have eaten the whole box so I had to limit how much they could have. Now, even though they have a large chicken yard, I still sprinkle pebbely sand around with their scratch treat.

 

[Dazlin]

My rooster was doing that, to me it looked like he was gagging.
He had wet pox, and I'm sure he was trying to clear his throat as they get the pox in there. He was also shaking his head, as though he needed to dislodge something. Keep an eye out for watery eyes, and runny nasal pasages. I also agree to give apple cidar vinegar. I buy the regular one.

 

[valentinebaby]

Check a post I made early in my chick newbie days:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=151192

I believe my breeder was right and it just got packed on the bottom of the pile. She's fine and dandy now and since I held her so much in the early days, loves to be cuddled now! You may have a completely different problem, so follow the good advice above. Good luck!

Gail