Gapeworm symptoms still around despite treatment

[gracieracer]

My poor 5mo chicken is still occasionally stretching out her neck with beak open despite 6 days days of safeguard treatment. She's back from the brink of death and can eat/drink now on her own, takes dust baths and preens. Eats pellets and vegetables. But she's not 100%, sometimes acts like she has some neuro problems, moves slower than she should. I don't know what else to do for her to get her back to perfect health. None of the other hens are sick thankfully so whatever she has isn't contagious.

 

[gracieracer]

One thing I noticed yesterday was that her tail was off to one side. That was a new symptom. Today it looks normal.

 

[nuthatched]

Sounds like crop issues or vitamin deficiency.
What type of pellets? How much vegetable?

 

[gracieracer]

Sounds like crop issues or vitamin deficiency.
What type of pellets? How much vegetable?

Layer pellets, couple of chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers every day, melon chunks and safflower seeds occasionally.

 

[nuthatched]

Layer pellets, couple of chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers every day, melon chunks and safflower seeds occasionally.

I'd cut out the vegetables and give some rooster booster or poultry cell in the water. When did you switch to layer pellets?

 

[gracieracer]

Why no vegetables? So you think she has a nutritional deficiency? Could that cause the stretched neck/open mouth?

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you asked a vet to confirm gapeworms in her droppings. Gapeworms are one of the more rare worms. Chickens with gapeworms are said to be gaping and gasping constantly, and not able to eat or drink. After treating, if they are present, the clumps of worms can still cause problems. Is this the one that is 4.5 months old, and has not been eating much with green droppings? How does her comb feel —empty, full, squishy, doughy or firm? Does she have any bubbles or foam in either eye, or a mucus drainage from her nostrils or beak? How long has she been sick? Have you had any illnesses in the flock before?

 

[gracieracer]

No confirmation, just treated as if. Yes to green droppings when she stopped eating and I had to syringe food and give subq fluids. Normal poop now. No discharge from anything ever, no mites, no fluffed feathers, no respiratory issues, clean vent, no diarrhea. Crop seems to be functioning normally. She just stopped eating and kept opening her beak about a month ago but I was easily able to syringe fluids/nutrition but I wondered if she had something caught in her throat. And now she's eating and drinking. Initially I wondered if she had eaten something toxic somehow because didn't show normal illness symptoms. I've had chickens for 20 years and have never seen anything like this before. It's odd.

 

[nuthatched]

Why no vegetables? So you think she has a nutritional deficiency? Could that cause the stretched neck/open mouth?

It dilutes their nutrition. If she's having impaction from it, it could cause issues