Gape worm?

[heather27]

Hi. I am fairly new to chickens and could use help. My 10-week old Buff Orpington has been lethargic for a few days, mostly hiding in the shade, eating and drinking little, sleeping standing up. A couple of days ago I noticed her opening her mouth wide without making noise. It has been very hot, but she is not active even when the others are. I was pretty sure she wasn't going to make it.

Today she is quite a bit better, much more active, scratching and eating, making some sweet clucks at me (she is usually quite affectionate), but she is still doing the mouth opening thing. I don't hear any wheezing or gasping, but her clucks are quiet and maybe slightly hoarse.

Could this possibly be gapeworm? Why else might she open her mouth like that? Since she seems better, should I not intervene? I hate to just start throwing medicine at her when I don't know what's wrong.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[RedDrgn]

No, never a good idea to throw medicine at something when you don't know what it is.

Gape worms are visible if you look down an infected bird's throat. Bright red things. Look them up and you'll see what I mean.

Not all chickens are created equal when it comes to the heat and humidity. Some breeds and even individual birds bear it better than others. If she's not wheezing, rattling, gurgling or making any noise when she's breathing with her mouth open (and is otherwise eating, drinking, acting normally) then she's probably just panting to cool off. During the hottest hours of the day, most of our flock will be in the shadiest spot they can find panting away and doing very little, if anything. They'll even hold their wings akimbo to help dump more heat.

So keep an eye on her and if she tends to act the way you describe on hotter days (and shows no other symptoms), then it's probably just the heat. Put out a shallow pan of water that they can stand in, or offer some chilled treats if you can. But if she starts gurgling or acting like she's struggling to draw breath at all, immediately start looking up chronic respiratory disease (CRD) in chickens and narrowing symptoms for likely pathogen and therefore the best treatment options.

 

[heather27]

Thanks for your reply, RedDrgn. I know the heat may be contributing, but yesterday was the hottest yet and she was doing better. I'm pretty sure something else has been going on. And the gaping she is doing doesn't look like panting. That is the main reason I'm concerned.

I will try looking down her throat.

Thanks again!