Gasping peachick (2 weeks old)

[Chicken Keith]

Seems to fight for air, as if it took too big a gulp of water except this behavior seems independent.

Could gapeworm be a problem at such a young age?

The same chick at 3 days old was showing signs of pasty butt, and I treated with 1 tsp of Corid per gallon water, fearing Coccidiosis could set in. My 8 week chicks got wiped out by Cocci last year and I was hoping to cut that off at the pass.

More information: This chick is brooded buy a chicken hen and was hatched by a chicken. It has two other siblings who seem fine, no symptoms. (I know, I know, shouldn't keep peas and chickens together). It is what it is.

Is Corid an acceptable antibiotic if it is Cocci or blackhead? I have Safeguard dewormer which has fenbendazole which addresses blackhead, also, right?

Or should I get an different antibiotic? I don't think a vet will prescribe me flagyl (metronidazole) unless I bring this chick in and I was hoping to avoid doing that step yet.

 

[KsKingBee]

Seems to fight for air, as if it took too big a gulp of water except this behavior seems independent.

Could gapeworm be a problem at such a young age?

The same chick at 3 days old was showing signs of pasty butt, and I treated with 1 tsp of Corid per gallon water, fearing Coccidiosis could set in. My 8 week chicks got wiped out by Cocci last year and I was hoping to cut that off at the pass.

More information: This chick is brooded buy a chicken hen and was hatched by a chicken. It has two other siblings who seem fine, no symptoms. (I know, I know, shouldn't keep peas and chickens together). It is what it is.

Is Corid an acceptable antibiotic if it is Cocci or blackhead? I have Safeguard dewormer which has fenbendazole which addresses blackhead, also, right?

Or should I get an different antibiotic? I don't think a vet will prescribe me flagyl (metronidazole) unless I bring this chick in and I was hoping to avoid doing that step yet.

I did not see where you stated the age of the chick but worms take some time to develop and grow to the point of being a problem, maybe six to eight weeks if not treated.

Corid is pretty much useless in my opinion, a better choice is sulfadimethoxine at one ounce liquid 12% per gallon. We give it for five days every two weeks after the chicks are put on the ground at around six to eight weeks of age. Corid does nothing for blackhead either, as you mentioned use metronidazole for that. You can get either Fish-zole tablets or API powder at the pet store without a prescription.

Safeguard will not kill the blackhead protozoa but it will kill the worms that carry BH. Do not dilute SG in water but give it orally for best results. Valbazen is a better choice and is given in the same amounts and unlike SG it is water soluble. We use 20 to 30 ml per gallon of water for our large grow out pens.

 

[Chicken Keith]

Ok thank you. The chick is 2 weeks old, ---do you think the fish-zole tablets can be found at PetSmart? I suppose that's a pet store and I can try there. Does fish-zole dissolve in water? I'll look for the sulfadimethoxine for sure however. We have a southern states store here as well as a tractor supply. Thanks for the advice. I have some Valbazen, but not sure if is effective on a 2 week chick.

 

[Chicken Keith]

Do I need a vet prescription for Albon?

 

[Chicken Keith]

Chick is gasping for air still this morning, and wings are drooping. I applied 10cc of SafeGuard to drinking water. Scared to administer straight to a chick of such young age (1.5 weeks)--but if I should, does anyone know the dosage? A 40lb goat gets .6cc so can a baby pea overdose?? I had said 2 weeks age but my memory was off--been dealing with some family drama 800 miles away so time has stretched for me. Going to search for fish-zole at PetsMart on my lunch hours as well as picking up some Albon, too. Any advice would be appreciated. Never dealt with gape before. Every breath he takes seems to be a chore, and how much energy does a baby have to fight it?

 

[KsKingBee]

A two week old chick is not going to have worms of any kind yet. Blackhead protozoa is not likely either so I would assume cocci is the problem. To answer your questions on SG or Valbazen dose for a young chick know that both wormers are safe and very difficult to overdose. A very young chick is not likely to need any until it is six to eight weeks of age, at that point a .25 ml would be fine. Six month about one ml, yearlings and mature hens would get 2 ml, and mature cocks three ml all in oral dosing.

 

[casportpony]

I have seen blackhead in young chicks raised by broodies, they get it through "cloacal drinking"
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/another-way-for-peafowl-to-get-blackhead.804186/

I agree, two weeks is too young to have worms, so something like coccidiosis and/or a respiratory infection is more likely.

 

[KsKingBee]

I have seen blackhead in young chicks raised by broodies, they get it through "cloacal drinking"
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/another-way-for-peafowl-to-get-blackhead.804186/

I agree, two weeks is too young to have worms, so something like coccidiosis and/or a respiratory infection is more likely.

If a respiratory infection, he could give one drop of Tylan 200 to the chick orally a couple of times per day for a few days.

 

[Chicken Keith]

Well a trip to the vet just now was worth the $116 it cost me, and the little baby even produced a stool sample for me, so the doc could slide it under the microscope. Ready for this?

Diagnosis: round worm. Inside the intestine of a 2 week old peachick.

Dr. recommended I use a dewormer (approved my Safeguard to use) orally with .10CC dosage per day. Doc never said for how long to do this and I forgot to ask, dang it. He did not prescribe me any Albon, which I was hoping he would. Said my Corid antibiotic is sufficient.

I know we believe that a 2 week chick is too young to get worms but there's more to the story. This chick was hatched by a frizzle chicken, so it's been in contact with Gallus gallus since birth. This frizzle hen is not even mine. I asked a friend (owner of said frizzle) if I could set pea eggs under her. I was going to let the frizzle raise the chicks at her place but my friend got worried about the number of critters that are preying on her birds so she let me borrow mama to brood the babies over at my house since I'm predator safe (chain link fence surrounded by strands of electric fence), and netting on top to protect from hawks. So, sigh, that's the story.

 

[Chicken Keith]

If a respiratory infection, he could give one drop of Tylan 200 to the chick orally a couple of times per day for a few days.

Thanks for that guidance on dosage. I may still apply Tylan (is it better than Corid in your opinion?).