Okay, it started about eight weeks ago with Lily, my 2 year old BLRW. She was gaping when she would lie down in the sand and when she was on the roost. She was not coughing, sneezing, or rattling, but she did have thin mucus that would gather on her wattles and around her mouth. No gape worms, no other worms, no change in chow, and she ate and drank her usual amounts. No poop changes either. No sour smell, no apparent crop issues. Other than being tired from lack of a good night’s sleep, her behavior was normal. After about a month, she seemed much better. We assumed it was something she ate - perhaps the black slime mold on the yard. Then, a few days ago, I noticed her gaping a bit when she was lying on the sand.
Now my 3 year old blue Cochin, Blue, is starting to gape and shake her head. She’s not allowing me to feel her crop, but no gape worms that I can see and no mucus, rattles, or sneezing. Last summer and this, she’s had swollen eyes (like she has “allergy eyes”) and she easily turns red in the face, but yesterday evening, her face was deep red to almost purple while she was gaping. She’s really laid back all the time anyway, but no change in behavior - she still follows me around outside and runs for treats.
The black slime mold is now fenced off and Blue didn’t go into that area before anyway. So far, none of the other birds are gaping, but several of the 4 month old Brahmas have been sneezing once or twice that I’ve seen.
The big girls were wormed with Ivermectin just over four months ago (right before the chicks arrived). We are all sand with a covered run, so everything stays mostly dry. However, we do live in the bottom of a creek valley, so it’s almost a tropical rain forest environment with lots of humidity, loads of bugs, mold, mildew, and pollen, and lots of wildlife. Any ideas for what might be happening and how to treat it? I’m flummoxed…
Now my 3 year old blue Cochin, Blue, is starting to gape and shake her head. She’s not allowing me to feel her crop, but no gape worms that I can see and no mucus, rattles, or sneezing. Last summer and this, she’s had swollen eyes (like she has “allergy eyes”) and she easily turns red in the face, but yesterday evening, her face was deep red to almost purple while she was gaping. She’s really laid back all the time anyway, but no change in behavior - she still follows me around outside and runs for treats.
The black slime mold is now fenced off and Blue didn’t go into that area before anyway. So far, none of the other birds are gaping, but several of the 4 month old Brahmas have been sneezing once or twice that I’ve seen.
The big girls were wormed with Ivermectin just over four months ago (right before the chicks arrived). We are all sand with a covered run, so everything stays mostly dry. However, we do live in the bottom of a creek valley, so it’s almost a tropical rain forest environment with lots of humidity, loads of bugs, mold, mildew, and pollen, and lots of wildlife. Any ideas for what might be happening and how to treat it? I’m flummoxed…
