Gapeworm or Respiratory illness HELP please!

[aleubanks]

I recently acquired an 18 week old frizzle bantam cochin. She is bright and alert, eating and drinking well, poop looks normal.

ABout 3 times an hour or so she sticks her neck out and looks like she is gasping. She had a very small amount of nasal

discharge a few days ago that I cleaned and has not recurred. She also appears pale to me. She is also a bit thin.

So, what should I do? Any ideas what this might be? I have her on chick starter and I supplement with meal worms for a protein

boost. I provide her with electrolytes as well as plain water daily. SHould I worm her? Tylan in case of respiratory infection? I am

very new at keeping chickens and need some experienced advice. Thanks!

 

[BantamLover21]

First of all, let me say that you are doing a good job giving supportive care to your pullet. The only thing that I would change would be to possibly give her some probiotics, as well. I use some called Probios. They will help support her digestive system. If you can't get probiotics, some plain yogurt would be a good substitute.

Now onto the treatment. I think that it is likely that your pullet has some sort of respiratory ailment. If it were me, I would first try treating her with Oxytetracycline, which is also known as Terramycin, and helps treat several respiratory diseases. You can probably find it at a livestock/farm supply or feed store, or you can search for it online. Usually, it costs less than $15. The dosage is 1/8 teaspoon powdered Terramycin per cup of drinking water for 7-14 days. During this time, do not feed any probiotics, but I think that vitamins/electrolytes are okay to use. When using Terramycin, you will usually see improvement within the first 3-4 days.

If the Terramycin doesn't help at all, I would try worming her. The wormer I use is called the Worminator. I get it from here: http://www.twincitypoultrysupplies.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=584 As it says on that web page, it works on all worms, except tapeworms, so it should take care of any gapeworm your bird may have. Other wormers that are often used to get rid of gapeworm include Valbazen and SafeGuard. You can find info on them by searching the Internet or looking on BYC.

If worming doesn't help, and Terramycin only slightly helps, I would put your pullet on Tylan. Tylan is one of the strongest antibiotics used in treating respiratory illnesses. I've only used it once, but at that time, it was the only medication that cured my bantam pullet's disease. The best way to give Tylan is through injections into the breast muscle. The dosage for bantams is .2ccs injected once a day for 3-4 days. Inject it into one side of the breast, but make sure you alternate which side of the breast you inject into because Tylan can make the injection area sore. You can find information on the exact procedure of giving injections on BYC.

So, in conclusion, continue making sure your pullet eats and drinks, keep her warm and clean, and perhaps try some of the treatments I suggested. Good luck!

 

[dawg53]

She is probably adjusting her crop by gaping.

 

[BantamLover21]

She is probably adjusting her crop by gaping.

Yes, that could certainly be it.

The thinness/paleness is a bit concerning, but some birds just don't develop like the others.

 

[aleubanks]

Bantam lover 21. I am currently using the probiotics for her. I added it prior to discovering the issue. Moving is stressful stuff. I already administered her first dose of fenbendazole this afternoon. If I see no improvement or she seems to deteriorate, I will certainly use your advice! Thank you.

Dawg...Adjusting her crop? Do a lot of chickens do this? I only have a few hens and absolutely ZERO prior chicken experience. Is it a bantam or breed specific thing? WHy would she do it so often? Sorry for all the questions! It's definitely not impacted. Now that I am watching her uber closely, I have noticed her shaking her head and scratching the sides of it.