Gapeworm? Open mouth in roost.

[Naliez]

My 10 week old Speckled Sussex has been panting in her roost at night. She's in a coop with 5 of her brooder mates, none of which are doing the same thing. It's in the mid 70's, so not too hot or too cold. They've only been outside for about 3 weeks and not exposed to any other chickens. She's eating, drinking, pooping & playing just fine in the day. There's no sneezing, or discharge from eyes or nose. We tried to look in her mouth, but didn't see anything unusual. What else should we look for? What could be going on? The coop is very clean and dry, they get fresh water and chick starter every day. TIA!

 

[Eggcessive]

Gapeworm is fairly rare, usually in tropical areas, and the chicks cannot usually eat or drink due to their constant gaping and gasping. Treatment for gapeworm is fenbendazole (SafeGuard lisquid goat wormer or equine paste) 1/4 ml per pound for 5 days given orally to each chicken. Most chickens will gape when they are hot, or sometimes when they are adjusting their crop.

 

[Naliez]

Thank you for your reply. We're still fairly new to chickens and learning that a quick google search on common chicken behaviors, like WebMD for the anxiety ridden, can quickly convince you that your chickens yawn COULD be just that, a yawn, OR... impending doom and major losses due to a multitude of exotic, fatal diseases. Lol Oh, well. Live and learn.