Gapeworm help in 2020

[Imaneggeater]

I’m in the US and have 5 chicks that are approximately 80 days old, one of which is smaller and extending her neck as she gasps for breath. She is eating and drinking but I’m wondering is she has gapeworm. I’ve searched and asked for local help but have had no luck. I am looking for a current source of gapeworm treatment available in the US. Help please!

 

[sourland]

Unless your chicks have had access to and eaten earthworms/slugs/snails they don't have gapeworm. The gapeworm needs an intermediary host as part of its life cycle.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I’m in the US and have 5 chicks that are approximately 80 days old, one of which is smaller and extending her neck as she gasps for breath. She is eating and drinking but I’m wondering is she has gapeworm. I’ve searched and asked for local help but have had no luck. I am looking for a current source of gapeworm treatment available in the US. Help please!

Welcome To BYC

Can you post a video of her actions? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

Have you looked inside her beak for any obstruction, canker/yellow pasty material? Is she gasping all the time or just at certain times like during/after eating/drinking?
Is her crop empty in the morning?
How long have you had her?
Any other symptoms - coughing, sneezing, bubbles or pus in the eyes, mucous, etc.?
What do you feed?

While she is young, Gapeworm is a possibility I suppose if as mentioned previously she had access to eating a host like earthworms, etc. What is your location/climate? Gapeworm is seen more in hotter climates like...FL, but it's still fairly rare.
IF you feel she needs treatment for Gapeworm, you can use Fenbendazole (Safeguard liquid goat wormer) at a dose of 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.

Gaping/gasping and still eating/drinking, I would be looking at respiratory illness, crop issues, possibly canker or similar.

 

[Imaneggeater]

We’ve kept them penned but they’ve been given handfuls of fresh pulled grass, etc. If not gapeworm, what else may cause gasping and reduced sized? Bad heart/lung function? She’s still eating/drinking/ pooping but is half the size of the others. I’ve not checked inside her beak but she’s shown nothing else(buildup of any material, no mucus) I don’t know about checking in her crop, I’ll have to read up a bit. She seems to gasp all the time, even when resting. We’ve had her about six weeks.

 

[dawg53]

We’ve kept them penned but they’ve been given handfuls of fresh pulled grass, etc. If not gapeworm, what else may cause gasping and reduced sized? Bad heart/lung function? She’s still eating/drinking/ pooping but is half the size of the others.

That's the problem, giving them pulled grass to eat. Stop giving it to them and only provide them with chick starter to eat.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We’ve kept them penned but they’ve been given handfuls of fresh pulled grass, etc. If not gapeworm, what else may cause gasping and reduced sized? Bad heart/lung function? She’s still eating/drinking/ pooping but is half the size of the others.

What else may cause gasping...there are plenty of suggestions/questions asked in the previous post (referenced below for your convenience) - can you check inside the beak, check her crop, provide video, are there other symptoms, your feeding grass-are you providing Grit, do you notice the gasping during certain activities?

Welcome To BYC

Can you post a video of her actions? Upload video to youtube and provide a link.

Have you looked inside her beak for any obstruction, canker/yellow pasty material? Is she gasping all the time or just at certain times like during/after eating/drinking?
Is her crop empty in the morning?
How long have you had her?
Any other symptoms - coughing, sneezing, bubbles or pus in the eyes, mucous, etc.?
What do you feed?
Gaping/gasping and still eating/drinking, I would be looking at respiratory illness, crop issues, possibly canker or similar.

 

[Imaneggeater]

While it may’ve been the grass, chick feed has been they’re regular diet and the grass has been only 2 or 3 times. We will definitely cut that out but I believe this issue had been going on prior. I’ll take a video and try to check her crop for an update later today. Thanks for the help thus far.

Edited:
What should I provide as grit?

 

[dawg53]

You can buy grit at Tractor Supply, here's a link:
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-chick-grit-5-lb