Hens gaping when they bed down for the night - fecal negative

[SilkieNation]

My three Silkies are gaping, a lot, but only when they are in their "nest" going to sleep (they sleep on hay in a big box). They are probably warm as they're piled up and it is summer. I don't see them doing it during the day. One hen has been bending her neck like there is something caught in her beard, or it itches. I had a fecal done because they haven't been laying and not eating well for weeks; it was negative. I wormed only once with valbazen anyway.

Could something other than gape worm cause them to do this? They are doing it many times, not just once or twice, so I don't think it's rearranging food. Could the fecal have missed the worms/eggs? I had also had a fecal done on my rooster who I had to put down a week ago that was negative. He was 9 and had large tumors (did an x-ray). I'm waiting on the lab to see if it visceral Marek's, but this gaping makes me think that the hens' problem may be distinct from my rooster's. They don't really seem sick, except of course, for the fact that they are not laying and not eating much. I've been completely depressed about all of this. I been obsessed with the thought of Marek's. I adore my sweet girls, and my rooster, well he was a dear.

Any ideas out there?

 

[GitaBooks]

Its wise to keep a look out for problems like Mareks, Gapeworm, and Fowl Pox, however, my silkie rooster does that all the time when he goes to sleep, and he's a healthy bird, so I don't think you have to worry too much.

Best of luck!

 

[alibabba]

ditto, possibly just hot. Makre sure nothing else is going on healthwise and give them a fan for the super warm nights.

MY SLW fis a chubby thing and I see her panting sometimes on the roost when locking up, I'll turn the fan on low on the floor their direction. All is well. Fat chicken lives/

 

[SilkieNation]

Its wise to keep a look out for problems like Mareks, Gapeworm, and Fowl Pox, however, my silkie rooster does that all the time when he goes to sleep, and he's a healthy bird, so I don't think you have to worry too much.

Best of luck!

Thank you. Problem is, they haven't been eating much at all and have stopped laying. I wondered if they could just be hot, but I don't think that's it. It's not been that hot here and I do have fans and shade. I am currently in the waiting room of a rather well known vet school clinic...because the more I read about gape worm, the more i freaked out. It's 3:30 AM. Was a long ride. Didn't want to wait through the weekend as my avian vet was not going to be in. I think I may be chicken obsessed right now. I am spending all of my money on three little birds. For some reason these little critters have made their way to my heart and I can't bear the thought of one or more dying. I honestly don't understand my attachment to these fluff balls. It's a bit reckless, at least in terms of my finances...and maybe even a little strange! Oh well.they're probably fine and i'm about to spend a fortune on my piece of mind.

 

[GitaBooks]

I'm chicken obsessed too.

After all, its practically like having a parrot that doesn't scream, right? And people spend thousands of dollars just to buy a parrot!

I hope your birds get better soon.

 

[SilkieNation]

I'm chicken obsessed too.

After all, its practically like having a parrot that doesn't scream, right? And people spend thousands of dollars just to buy a parrot!

I hope your birds get better soon.

Whew!! They didn't charge me. First, my GPS took me over an hour out of the way, then out of the way again, and finally I got there at around 3 AM (that was 3 hours in the car). The exotic vet on call never answered the phone and I could see that the docs really didn't know a lot about chickens. So, we decided, at 4:30 AM, that I could wait until the 'morning' to call my vet. I watched them for a while when we got home and they are not gaping when they are just doing their thing. I think if they had gape worms they would be in distress much of the time. They do it at night and when they are nervous. So I'm waiting. Don't know what got into me. Need to wait to hear what the results are from my roo's tumors and if it's negative for Marek's, then my new theory is that I fed them too many (healthy) treats and threw their nutritional balance off. Got them so used to kale, berries, meal worms, sweet potatoes, etc., that they considered their feed no better than cardboard. I've stopped the treats. I would be very happy if this turns out to be the problem. If that's not it I guess I'll have to have some blood work done.

 

[ryanhodapp]

I didn't know you could do blood work. There is something going on iif they aren't laying. What about watermelon rind or fresh corn. Applesauce with feed or eggs. If they aren't eatting enough that could make them weak.

 

[SilkieNation]

I didn't know you could do blood work. There is something going on iif they aren't laying. What about watermelon rind or fresh corn. Applesauce with feed or eggs. If they aren't eatting enough that could make them weak.

Oh yes, blood work can be done. I have tried everything in terms of food. Right now, I'm trying just their feed, dry and fermented, a little bit of greens and they get to free range a bit. I know they need protein - their feed is grower (with free choice oyster) - so it's higher in protein than layer. I give them a few meal worms too, but I really want them to get off of the plate of goodies I was giving them. Applesauce in their feed might be something to try. They've actually been eating a bit more lately, still not enough. I'm also giving them probiotics, electrolytes, and vitamins. I'm certainly going to continue to work with the vet to figure this out. Something is definitely off. The lab is taking forever on my roo's tumor analysis. I want to hear that it's not Marek's. Spending a fortune here on these little birds.