How bad is gapeworm?

[rod5591]

Lately I've notice some of my birds yawning and flexing their diaphragm and it looks like gapeworm. Is gapeworm a dangerous threat to life or just an annoyance? Last year I saw the same thing and gave them fenbendazole in their water for a week, but I noticed it settled to the bottom of their water instead of floating in the water. I used safe-guard, which is actually a goat dewormer. Can anyone speak to the effectiveness of this approach or do I need to try something else? Right now my flock is about 26 hens, three roosters, 15 pullets, and 2 chicks, which don't have a good secure chicken coop, they either roost in a tree of in some smaller coops I have that are in a degree of disrepair. They are safe from predators because my dogs generally patrol the perimeter of their chickenyard, which is abut 1500 square feet. Their water access is scattered around in about 6 or seven containers/bowls that I set out so the chicks can easily water when they need it. However when it rains they seem to prefer to drink from puddles. What would be the best approach to deworming my 43 birds?? Thanks for your help.

 

[Shadrach]

Lately I've notice some of my birds yawning and flexing their diaphragm and it looks like gapeworm. Is gapeworm a dangerous threat to life or just an annoyance? Last year I saw the same thing and gave them fenbendazole in their water for a week, but I noticed it settled to the bottom of their water instead of floating in the water. I used safe-guard, which is actually a goat dewormer. Can anyone speak to the effectiveness of this approach or do I need to try something else? Right now my flock is about 26 hens, three roosters, 15 pullets, and 2 chicks, which don't have a good secure chicken coop, they either roost in a tree of in some smaller coops I have that are in a degree of disrepair. They are safe from predators because my dogs generally patrol the perimeter of their chickenyard, which is abut 1500 square feet. Their water access is scattered around in about 6 or seven containers/bowls that I set out so the chicks can easily water when they need it. However when it rains they seem to prefer to drink from puddles. What would be the best approach to deworming my 43 birds?? Thanks for your help.

You should get better results mixing your powdered worming product in with the feed or even better still, administering the correct dose to each chicken individually.
Even if you feed pellets, if you mix the worming powder into the feed while it's dry and then add a small amount of water and mix well again you should end up with a mash which most chickens like. This is imo a more reliable way of worming than adding to water.

Gapeworm is fairly unusual. Chickens will yawn and flex to adjust their crops.
A crop check might be a good idea.

 

[rod5591]

the worming medicine I have is in liquid form, which is why I put it into their water.

My birds are so messy in their eating...half the crumbles I put out for them wind up on the ground.

My birds are not super tame. They will not come to me and allow me to pick them up and check their crops. I would have to net them (I use a fishing net) and that causes so much commotion and squawking that I only use it at a last resort.

Have you treated your chickens for gapeworm?