gapeworm? worming advise needed.

[fiver]

I've been following the posts about gapeworm and I am worried. My silkie seems always to be panting and throwing her head back. I thought that perhaps she had something wrong genetically. However, many of you suggested a chicken with gapeworm would die soon after contracting the disease. I have never wormed my two silkie hens- now about 8 months old- and they are my first chickens. I am looking at the randall burkey website at wormers but am a bit confused. Are there general guidelines for worming? Which wormer should I use? Has anyone used the BRECO ENZUM WORMER 2 OZ (A broad spectrum wormer.)
Are there other disorders that might cause these symptoms (head shaking- I just thought that was a chicken thing) Is worming mandatory? and finally, If I worm, when is it safe to eat the eggs produced by the hems?
thank you all so much!
this is my first post but the forum is my home page
fiver

 

[silkiechicken]

Thrwoing their head back... like how? Could it be normal in trying to get their head crests out of their faces? My silkies sometimes shake their heads and rub them on their backs.

Gape worm if I remember right involves the birds actually standing and gaping like something was stuck in their throats.

As for worming, not all worms are treated by the same womer. If you suspect worms, of the standard intestinal kind, you can take a fecal sample to any vet and they can run a fecal float test. This test will tel you the type of woms they have if they have any, and you can get the right wormer to do the job. There is no one cure all wormer.

If you do worm, don't eat the eggs for at least a few weeks so it can get out of their systems. Often they don't have a known time for withdrawl, as they just don't know.

As for if you have to worm. Nope, you don't have to. I've not wormed in all the years I've had birds, and it's not required. Just do it if a fecal foat test comes back positive and treat for the types that show up.

WELCOME!!!

 

[fiver]

she pants and throws her head up so her beak is in the air but sometimes she just pants. I thought maybe chickens were like dogs and she was just cooling down...
She doesn't seem as healthy as my other silkie- scrawnier and less of an appetite.
I'm in downtown los angeles so finding a vet for a chicken seems a long shot. I guess I'm still unclear about worming. Is it standard practice? Must I worm my chickens?
thanks so much for getting back to me!

 

[silkiechicken]

Worming is a personal preference.

I don't do it and many don't. Unless I get a diagnosis of worms in a fecal sample, I never will worm them.

You don't need a chicken vet to run a fecal sample. Just ask any dog and cat vet if they can do a fecal float test for you and they should be able to.

If you can answer these q's in the sticky of this section, maybe more ideas of what is happening can be given:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=3569

You say she pants, is she too hot? They do open their beaks and spread wings a bit when overheating.

Diet, age, bedding, feed, changes to enviornment, history... might help in figuring out what is wrong, if there is anything wrong.