Gapeworm?

[DellaMyDarling]

When it rains it pours.
Here's my top Roo, threatening to die.
More than one pullet has been gaping, but I shrugged it off as cold water in their bucket.

 

[Eggcessive]

That gasping and gaping can be a sign of a respiratory disease as well as gapeworms. Gapeworms are one of the more rare found worms in chickens. If you can take a few fresh poops in to a local vet, they can perform a fecal float to look for any worm larvae and coccidiosis.

In your other post about respiratory diseases, you did say that you had seen symptoms such as bubbles in eyes, sinus infection, sneezing, and congestion. You had added new birds to your flock at times which may have brought in diseases. I am not saying that your chicken doesn’t have gapeworm, but a respiratory disease could look like the way she is in the video. You can treat gapeworm with fenbendazole (SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer) 1/4 ml (0.25 ml) per pound of weight for 5 consecutive days. But the fecal float would save you from doing that if gapes are not the problem.

If you should lose a sick bird, you can get a necropsy by your state poultry lab to get a diagnosis. There can be more than one disease present. Infectious bronchitis may appear with MG. Coryza and ILT are other common resp diseases. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics, but bacterial diseases need to be treated with the right antibiotic. Tylan (tylosin,) LA 200 (oxytetracycline,) and denagard are ones that are used to treat symptoms of MG.

 

[Kiki]

This looks like he is having trouble breathing...not Gapeworm.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

That gasping and gaping can be a sign of a respiratory disease as well as gapeworms. Gapeworms are one of the more rare found worms in chickens. If you can take a few fresh poops in to a local vet, they can perform a fecal float to look for any worm larvae and coccidiosis.

In your other post about respiratory diseases, you did say that you had seen symptoms such as bubbles in eyes, sinus infection, sneezing, and congestion. You had added new birds to your flock at times which may have brought in diseases. I am not saying that your chicken doesn’t have gapeworm, but a respiratory disease could look like the way she is in the video. You can treat gapeworm with fenbendazole (SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer) 1/4 ml (0.25 ml) per pound of weight for 5 consecutive days. But the fecal float would save you from doing that if gapes are not the problem.

If you should lose a sick bird, you can get a necropsy by your state poultry lab to get a diagnosis. There can be more than one disease present. Infectious bronchitis may appear with MG. Coryza and ILT are other common resp diseases. Viruses do not respond to antibiotics, but bacterial diseases need to be treated with the right antibiotic. Tylan (tylosin,) LA 200 (oxytetracycline,) and denagard are ones that are used to treat symptoms of MG.

So essentially I should cull a bird in order to identify what's going on long term here?
Would a random cull give an accurate picture? Because in theory, the entire flock would be carriers of things regardless of symtoms?
I'm really annoyed the random death the other day wasn't preserved. We didn't have time to fridge the body before another emergency, so it was frozen outside. I think I found the state labs phone number.

Presuming Jacque is still alive when I head out, is there a damn thing I can do for him?

 

[Eggcessive]

Have you treated with any Tylan or oxytetracycline? You can try to get either of those or order denagard online. You also can go ahead and treat for possible gapes with SafeGuard at the dosage posted. If he has a virus, those may not help. That is the problem adding new birds from other flocks—we never know if they have been exposed to a disease and carrying it. Many chickens do not get sick until times of stress, such as molting or in very cold weather. Have you seen any other symptoms in him?

 

[DellaMyDarling]

Have you treated with any Tylan or oxytetracycline? You can try to get either of those or order denagard online. You also can go ahead and treat for possible gapes with SafeGuard at the dosage posted. If he has a virus, those may not help. That is the problem adding new birds from other flocks—we never know if they have been exposed to a disease and carrying it. Many chickens do not get sick until times of stress, such as molting or in very cold weather. Have you seen any other symptoms in him?

No other symptoms for him.
The night before was our coldest yet, about -10 wind chill. No wind in the barn, but quite cold nonetheless. Killed the batteries in the thermometer so I cannot say for sure what temp barn has been. Noticeably warmer than outside at least.
I have not yet tried medications. Looks like Tractor Supply carries Tylan? Treat entire flock and method of delivery since we've had widespread symptoms?

Read somewhere a qtip throat swab could pull some gapeworms, which would either eliminate or confirm that issue. As you said though, my flock has had long term symptoms, so more likely bird germs.

I appreciate your help. It must get tiring dealing with idiots like me lol.

 

[Eggcessive]

Tylan is hard to get anymore—it seems to be off shelves. You can still buy LA200 oxytetracycline in the refrigerated medicines along with a syringe and needle at farm stores at this time, and Tylan (tylosin) powder for treatment in the water here:
https://www.jedds.com/shop/tylan-soluble-100-g/

LA 200 can be given orally or by injection. I would not treat any birds who are not sick. Meds will not prevent them from getting sick, so only treat birds with symptoms. You cannot see gapeworms on a QTip placed in the throat. You can get a fecal float to look for gapeworm eggs, or you can do a necropsy on a sick bird, and open up the trachea or airway to look for gapes in there after death. I don’t get tired of helping others, but am glad to help others learn about chicken diseases. I learn a lot myself from the posters.

 

[DellaMyDarling]

I need a few groceries and rabbit kit bottle (because literally, when it rains it pours here), so I'll go see what TS has and get back to this thread.
Injecting a chicken sounds awful. I guess if I can inject a goat though...i can inject a bird.


A side note. My Molly's Herbals order for the goats should be here at any time. Website says appropriate for poultry as well, but not how. I don't envision chickens gulping up powdered herbs efficiently.
Is this worth my time trying to herbal up the birds?

 

[Kiki]

I need a few groceries and rabbit kit bottle (because literally, when it rains it pours here), so I'll go see what TS has and get back to this thread.
Injecting a chicken sounds awful. I guess if I can inject a goat though...i can inject a bird.


A side note. My Molly's Herbals order for the goats should be here at any time. Website says appropriate for poultry as well, but not how. I don't envision chickens gulping up powdered herbs efficiently.
Is this worth my time trying to herbal up the birds?

Herbs will most likely not do a thing.

 

[Eggcessive]

The LA 200 is sometimes given orally by those that prefer not to inject it. Each ml equals 200 mg, so give 0.5ml or 100 mg per day fora 5 pound chicken. I might also give half in the morning and half in the evening. You would need one syringe and needle to get it out of the vial.

If the disease you are seeing is caused by a virus, antibiotics still will not do anything. Those treat MG. Infectious bronchitis and ILT are the 2 respiratory viruses that are common. You can read about those here:
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044