I have a 3 month old pullet who seems to be stretching out her neck long and upwards and appears to be yawning? She doesn't make any gurgling sounds or shows any signs of distress while doing it. She is still very lively and affectionate, and is eating and drinking as normal. She doesn't do it often, but does it enough to make me wonder if there is a problem. I have one other hen besides her and she doesn't display the same behavior as far as I've noticed and I spend quite some time with them every day. They still live in their brooder on the back porch ( well a very large rubbermaid storage bin while the coop is being finished). They go outside every day for a few hours unless its raining, and when I'm working in the kitchen they hang out with me inside ( Yes, they are very spoiled lucky chickens). She doesn't seem to be displaying any other signs of gapeworm beside the "gaping" part. What could this be? Any suggestions to ease my mind? 1) What type of bird , age and weight. Breed unknown she was bought from the red pullet bin at Tractor Supply. 3 months old. 1 1/2 pounds. 2) What is the behavior, exactly. Stretches her neck upwards and appears to be yawning. 3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? 2 weeks. 4) Are other birds exhibiting the same symptoms? No. 5) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. No. 6) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. None that I'm aware of. 7) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. Chick feed and plenty of fresh water. 8) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. Some solid some watery and clear. 9) What has been the treatment you have administered so far?None. 10 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? Treat myself. 11) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. None. 12) Describe the housing/bedding in use. They live in their brooder with pine shavings. Its cleaned every other day without fail. They are primarily inside, but free range outside everyday for a few hours supervised.
If she has gapeworm I think you should be able to see the worms in her mouth or throat -- might need a flashlight.
I doubt seriously if she has gapeworm. They would clog her trachea to the point where she wouldnt be able to swallow feed, much less breathe....especially if it's been going on for 2 weeks as you stated. You can do a check for gapeworm, it may require 2 people. Get a Q-tip and stick it 1 inch down her throat, gently swab her throat and remove the Q-tip. If you see a red in color "Y" shaped worm on the Q-tip, you'll have your answer. If you see the red worm, you'll need one of the following wormers to kill it: Valbazen, Safeguard liquid goat wormer, Safeguard equine paste or Ivermectin pour on. Good luck.
Thank you so much for the informative replies! I will keep an eye on her and see if anymore symptoms come up. More so it's probably me being paranoid. Thanks so much you guys!
I've had chickens who do that occasionally and they don't have gapeworm. They seem to do it alot after going to roost.........like they're yawning.
Yep. I will catch a chick doing it a few times in a row, then I'll see another do it and think I've got an epidemic... But low and behold, I think they're just stretching their mouths and trying to move food downward. I've watched this behavior many times; that and little sneezes, and am sure it's normal.
