Gapeworm

[mama23]

What has been the dosage of the wormers you have used? Fenbendazole works for gapeworms if you give 0.25 ml per pound of weight for 5 consecutive days. It sounds like a nightmare. Have you lost a bird, and opened up the trachea to see if there are the typical Y-shaped red worms?

No I’ve only lost the duck and then that one rooster. I didn’t know the rooster had it. Figured it out weeks later when the other one in that group got it. I knew the duck had it bc I had ran a sample and she was full of eggs. I blocked her in her house and when I came back out she was dead. Her head was trapped under a cage door somehow so I just wanted to clean the area up and bury her fast. I can’t swab a duck so it’s just as well that she died quickly.

I got my dosages from here. I think it was 1.5cc x five days. I did it on weight. It worked at first. It worked great. Then just didn’t anymore. Same with the valbazen and ivermectin. Got all dosages here. I look for Casport pony dosages since she is the dosage queen and I trust her amounts that it won’t be too much etc. Ivermectin was working great. I would swab on first round. Then for the follow up I would do the ivermectin. But then I thought well I’ll just do the ivermectin first round too. The swabbing is so hard. It didn’t work. The only other thing I did different was treat at noon instead of first thing in the morning. Whatever it was it broke through it.

I have decided to try to treat this one hen and then quarantine them and move them to the barn. I’ve had enough and this thread helped me finally say you know what I can have peace if I move them. Thanks for this encouragement! I don’t ever want to deal with this again. I love chickens but it’s enough to make me give up.

This is my little moulting white Cochin cutie who has the gapeworm right now. She’s inside waiting for me to sample her soon. She’s such a good girl. The worm doesn’t seem to bother her.

 

[mama23]

No I’ve only lost the duck and then that one rooster. I didn’t know the rooster had it. Figured it out weeks later when the other one in that group got it. I knew the duck had it bc I had ran a sample and she was full of eggs. I blocked her in her house and when I came back out she was dead. Her head was trapped under a cage door somehow so I just wanted to clean the area up and bury her fast. I can’t swab a duck so it’s just as well that she died quickly.

I got my dosages from here. I think it was 1.5cc x five days. I did it on weight. It worked at first. It worked great. Then just didn’t anymore. Same with the valbazen and ivermectin. Got all dosages here. I look for Casport pony dosages since she is the dosage queen and I trust her amounts that it won’t be too much etc. Ivermectin was working great. I would swab on first round. Then for the follow up I would do the ivermectin. But then I thought well I’ll just do the ivermectin first round too. The swabbing is so hard. It didn’t work. The only other thing I did different was treat at noon instead of first thing in the morning. Whatever it was it broke through it.

I have decided to try to treat this one hen and then quarantine them and move them to the barn. I’ve had enough and this thread helped me finally say you know what I can have peace if I move them. Thanks for this encouragement! I don’t ever want to deal with this again. I love chickens but it’s enough to make me give up.

This is my little moulting white Cochin cutie who has the gapeworm right now. She’s inside waiting for me to sample her soon. She’s such a good girl. The worm doesn’t seem to bother her.

Unfortunately out of the five hens in this flock three including this hen have also tested positive (and a fourth has symptoms) so for now I’m just going to watch them. I’ve never tried this approach before.

 

[dawg53]

Unfortunately out of the five hens in this flock three including this hen have also tested positive (and a fourth has symptoms) so for now I’m just going to watch them. I’ve never tried this approach before.

If you have one that dies, please do a necropsy especially slicing open the trachea and show everyone the gapeworms.

 

[mama23]

If you have one that dies, please do a necropsy especially slicing open the trachea and show everyone the gapeworms.

I’ll swab them before I let that happen. As soon as I get a plan in order I plan to treat and move them. Assuming I can kill them in my one girl that’s been a challenge. They’re deeper. It’s a big undertaking bc I have to figure out where to move them in the interim and sanitize their house and then they themselves are infected. As in taking dirt baths and on feet etc. I have ducks in a separate area so if they die I’ll do that. I can’t treat them so if they get it they’ll have to be put down. Usually the only time I lose one is if it’s unexpected that they have it (they’re in a clean area) and they have an underlying condition. They usually live with it just fine just annoying to them bc they yawn and shake heads and have hoarse voices. I noticed one of the hens voices off on 7-1 but she usually does this before eggs ever show up so I thought I had more time. I didn’t realize she was already shedding eggs. Bc this has been going on for possibly a week I’m afraid of cross contamination. I have shoes specific to each yard so I don’t track but I pick them up and their feet could have contaminated my clothes. I just had no idea. This could get really bad. I am going to watch the barn girls carefully and keep their poop picked up. The barn is where all my kids animals are too so lots of feet going in and out that don’t switch shoes like I do.

 

[dawg53]

I’ll swab them before I let that happen. As soon as I get a plan in order I plan to treat and move them. Assuming I can kill them in my one girl that’s been a challenge. They’re deeper. It’s a big undertaking bc I have to figure out where to move them in the interim and sanitize their house and then they themselves are infected. As in taking dirt baths and on feet etc. I have ducks in a separate area so if they die I’ll do that. I can’t treat them so if they get it they’ll have to be put down. Usually the only time I lose one is if it’s unexpected that they have it (they’re in a clean area) and they have an underlying condition. They usually live with it just fine just annoying to them bc they yawn and shake heads and have hoarse voices. I noticed one of the hens voices off on 7-1 but she usually does this before eggs ever show up so I thought I had more time. I didn’t realize she was already shedding eggs. Bc this has been going on for possibly a week I’m afraid of cross contamination. I have shoes specific to each yard so I don’t track but I pick them up and their feet could have contaminated my clothes. I just had no idea. This could get really bad. I am going to watch the barn girls carefully and keep their poop picked up. The barn is where all my kids animals are too so lots of feet going in and out that don’t switch shoes like I do.

After you swab, show us a photo of the swab. It would be interesting to see what it looks like after the swab. Like show and tell.

 

[mama23]

After you swab, show us a photo of the swab. It would be interesting to see what it looks like after the swab. Like show and tell.

There’s nothing on the swab. I just dislodge them and the girls cough them up. I have never seen one in all these years in person. I’ve read on here that you can see them down the throat but you can’t. Maybe if one was right at the top of the airway but it’s never been my experience.

 

[dawg53]

There’s nothing on the swab. I just dislodge them and the girls cough them up. I have never seen one in all these years in person. I’ve read on here that you can see them down the throat but you can’t. Maybe if one was right at the top of the airway but it’s never been my experience.

You cant see them down the trachea where they are lodged. That's misinformation if anyone says you can see them down in the trachea..
If the hens cough them up after swabbing, you should be able to see them inside the mouth, then swab them out of the mouth and show pics here; it would be very informative for everyone to see and learn.

 

[mama23]

They cough immediately after I swab. I think the swab tickles them. I’ve watched but never seen anything fly out. They hold their beaks open bc the medicine on the swab is strong. They will cough periodically for a few hours sometimes. If I ever see one I’ll be sure to post here.

You cant see them down the trachea where they are lodged. That's misinformation if anyone says you can see them down in the trachea..
If the hens cough them up after swabbing, you should be able to see them inside the mouth, then swab them out of the mouth and show pics here; it would be very informative for everyone to see and learn.

 

[dawg53]

What is the medicine on the swab?
Why cant ducks be treated for gapeworms? I've never owned ducks.

 

[mama23]

What is the medicine on the swab?
Why cant ducks be treated for gapeworms? I've never owned ducks.

Similar to what farmers used pre-wormers. It’s a eucalyptus blend.