Head Shaking-Help!

[JayDe]

I've been searching and found a couple of possible issues, but I want to treat them the right way.

I have 5 young chicks (oct 5-Oct 14th hatch dates) and all of them are shaking their heads. I first had two Orpingtons which were ok (had a bout with Cocci, but it cleared up). They didn't shake their heads until recently.

I then bought 3 silkies from Bobbi Porto and they had a head shake. When I asked her about it she said all her silkies do that..so I didn't question her. Lately, the Orpingtons are also head shaking. It seems pretty constant when they are relaxing. I don't see it as often when they are out of the brooder and running around. If we hold them and they start to fall asleep, it wakes them up. It's almost like a twitch.

I searched for head shaking and found info on Gape worm. I don't notice any other symptoms. Their crops seem to fill when they eat and empty normally. They are not frequently "yawning". Their poop seems normal most of the time and when its not "normal" it seems consistent with the "other normal" poops they have once in a while.

Every once in a while one of them sneezes, but there's no mucus.

They all free range for an hour a day on most days.

They are on medicated feed and have been since our bout with cocci.

I am frustrated with the lack of information on head shaking without other symptoms. Has anyone had a whole flock with a headshake and no other symptoms..or maybe other symptoms I'm not noticing.

Thanks!

 

[pips&peeps]

MS - head twitching and random sneezing

 

[JayDe]

MS? I can't find anything that mentions head shaking as a symptom of MS. I rarely hear a sneeze and there are no other symptoms. Is there anything else it can be? Should I deworm in case it's gape? Our feed store only had one wormer for chickens-Wazine. Will that work for Gape?

We're heading out for the holidays with someone watering/feeding once a day and now I'm scared to leave.

 

[crystalchik]

What does "MS" stand for? Im sorry, im interested!

 

[Pine Grove]

MS- Mycoplasma Synoviae...Synovitis form- Lameness,stilted gait, breast blisters and swollen joints..Respiratory form- Same as with MG-Mycoplasma Gallisepticum(CRD)

 

[JayDe]

So, does MS make sense for headshaking? Any other ideas? I'll post a video of the action in a bit.

 

[pips&peeps]

Respiratory form- Same as with MG-Mycoplasma Gallisepticum(CRD)​

 

[JayDe]

I watched them closely today and caught a few "gape worm" yawns, so I started a wormer in their water. Hopefully the Wazine will get them. If not next week I'll give the ivomec as I've read is best in other posts.

 

[JayDe]

I am pretty thoroughly confused by all the different wormer treatments and doses. I'd like advice from someone who has dealt with and cured gape worm before, is there anyone out there?

I gave them wazine in the water, but they are "gaping" still and someone told me it was not effective on gapeworm and I had to use Ivermectin. Web searches on gapeworm and ivermectin have turned up a bunch of opposing ideas-even on this site:

Which Ivermectin do you use? 1% or 1.87% ---I've seen recommendations for both. oil based? injectible? for cattle, horses, or swine?

Do you mix it with a small amount of water and dose each bird down their throat or mix with a gallon of water OR spot on treat?

How young can the chickens be? My youngest is 9 weeks.

Do you do the treatment once? Twice two weeks apart?

See original post for the symptoms... but someone, please help me decipher this stuff! Thanks!



Also, does anyone think I'm heading in the wrong direction? The only symptoms are shaking heads and gaping...No other symptoms except for the occasional sneeze. Most are eating and acting fine...one seems a bit sleepy lately, but not overly so.

 

[BCbirder]

I am not sure I can help but I had a hen with what I was pretty sure was gape worm. She had it for a few months before I figured out what it was. I fed warm mash in the morning and I mistakenly thought that the gaping was because she was sensitive to the warm food. She sure ate well.

I separated her and gave her every kind of wormer known, ivermectin, the paste that they give to horses and Piperzine. I started with the recommended dose and without seeing any change. She gaped more in the evening but otherwise had an amazing spirt. I gave her the whole tube of horse wormer over a few days. She felt almost hollow she had lost so much weight. She was so bothered while she ate that she didn't eat much. The only thing she went crazy for, was worms!

I was desperate to get her better and one day I let her come in the garden with me and she must of eaten at least 30 worms. I never saw her so eager.

I wrote about her on another posting last year. I think she was recovering. I made warm mash from a high protein chicken food. She started to eat a lot one night and I think I overfed her and she choked. I did open her up partly because I didn't want to bury a chicken that had live gape worm. I also wanted to see if I could see any gape worms. I didn't see any not even in the lungs so I do think that the wormer worked.

I am intersted in the head shaking as well. I have some old English Game chicks that are doing the same thing. They also do it in the evening. I don't notice it in the day and I don't notice any gaping. Their grandmother also did it. She died from what I think was an internal egg.

I will be interested in anything you find out!