Hen Gasping For Air

[hautehenshatchery79]

I have a chicken who is gasping for air. I read about gape-worms. I got Poultry Dewormer 5x but it is a capsule with powder. I put some on her food but she is not eating. I read not to put in water because A. should choke if she is blocked and B. not to put it in there. I am sure this one will pass by morning We lost 2 weeks ago same thing. The day she died we gutted the house and run dug up all the dirt and put fresh sand down and we put diatomaceous earth down to. This now chicken was completely fine yesterday. They have a large house with 2 separate runs for at night. We free range them ALL DAY. I am just at a loss. I want to treat the whole flock but not sure how to make sure they all get the treatment & what is best to use for a larger flock. Any assistance or recommendations is greatly appreciated.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Have you considered getting a necropsy done to KNOW what is affecting your chickens?
Refrigerate/double bag the carcas/body and see it your Dept of Ag or a Vet will do the necropsy for you.

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Gape worm is quite rare and doesn't seem like it fits your situation exactly. There are a lot of other things that can cause gasping from respiratory infections to environmental mold or poison to crop impaction. https://www.birdhealth.com.au/open-mouth-breathing

Also be careful with the diatomaceous earth. I know a lot of people swear by it for parasite control, but it can cause breathing problems if inhaled and given how much chickens scratch and dust themselves I think they must breathe in some of it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have a chicken who is gasping for air. I read about gape-worms. I got Poultry Dewormer 5x but it is a capsule with powder. I put some on her food but she is not eating. I read not to put in water because A. should choke if she is blocked and B. not to put it in there. I am sure this one will pass by morning We lost 2 weeks ago same thing. The day she died we gutted the house and run dug up all the dirt and put fresh sand down and we put diatomaceous earth down to. This now chicken was completely fine yesterday. They have a large house with 2 separate runs for at night. We free range them ALL DAY. I am just at a loss. I want to treat the whole flock but not sure how to make sure they all get the treatment & what is best to use for a larger flock. Any assistance or recommendations is greatly appreciated.

Welcome To BYC

Can you please post photos of their housing and of her?
A video of her actions may be helpful. Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

How much ventilation is in your coop?
What do you feed?
How old is she?
What is her crop like?
How long have you had her?
Have you added any new birds recently?
Where are you located in the world?

Gapeworm is not that common, but if you want to treat your flock, then would suggest that you get some Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole) and treat all of them.

Safeguard liquid goat dewomer can be found at most feed stores. Dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row. This will treat most worms that poultry have including Gapeworm, but excluding Tapeworm.

Valbazen can be ordered online or you might find it at a feed store. Dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight, given orally once, then repeated in 10 days. This will treat most worms that poultry have including Gapeworm, but excluding Tapeworm.

And yes, I do understand you have Poultry Dewormer 5X capsules. There's other threads about it, but if you are wanting to give the correct dosing, you will have to give your birds more than just 1 capsule.
Posts 6, 9, 12 or just read the whole thing to see how to dose with the Poultry Dewormer 5x.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/are-these-normal-poops.1553393/#post-26276852