Need everyones expert advice FAST! PLEASE!!

[lovin my birds]

So I just disovered today that my chickens have them gape (hope I spelled it right) worms. The reason I know this is because I have been reading alot about it on here. I found one of my bantams hens today weezing when she breathes and there where little round things in her poo. I think they might have been larvae. Some others also stretch their necks out like some people descibed with these worms. What should I use to get rid of them? What else should I know about it? Please any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated, I am so worried about my girls. Here are some questions i would like answered.
#1-How do I make 100% sure that it is these worms?
#2-How do you get rid of them?
#3-Will it affect their eggs? Can I still eat them?
#4-Can I still hatch chicks from their eggs? I have two bantys sitting on eggs right now. One of which is the one with the breathing problems.
#5-Do I have to move them to a new area?
#6-How can I wash their coop/run to get rid of any evidence? The run is 20x80 the coop is 9x9.

ETA: I am pretty sure I know how my chickens got them. My aunt and uncle went to an auction and bought me some more chickens. Which I appreciate very very much. But before they told me about it so that I can check on them and make sure they didnt have any desease they threw them in with my others. I always quarentine birds before they go in with the others. I have never had anything happen so this is new for me.

 

[ChestnutRidge]

Hmm. If they're gasping, do you mean gapeworm? ETA: Oh, yup, I see you added that.
If so, I'm afraid I don't know the answer to most of your questions, but I checked my Damerow Chicken Health Handbook and she says to treat with either thiabendazole or levmisole. She also says that, "[Gapeworm] Eggs take up to 2 weeks to embryonate and may survive in soil for as long as 4 1/2 years."

"Symptoms of gapes are yawning, grunting, gasping, sneezing, coughing (sometimes coughing up a detached worm), choking, loss of energy, loss of appetite, weakness, emaciation, closed eyes, head shaking, frequent throwing of head forward with mouth open to gasp for air, and convulsive shaking of the head (to dislodge worms from the windpipe.) Gapeworms multiply eventually sufficating the bird."

Here's info on gapeworm from poultrykeeper.com which suggests Flubenvet http://poultrykeeper.com/diseases-disorders/respiratory-system/gapeworm.html, and here is a thread talking about using Flubenvet: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4152

Good luck.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
If your chickens are eating and drinking, it's not gapeworm...they wouldnt be able to swallow. They would be gasping loudly trying to breathe, like they were being choked. You obviously saw some type of worm in their poop. Were they whitish looking, real skinny like thin spagetti about 1-3 inches long, or looked like rice, or were they about 1/4" long?

 

[chkn]

I'd just start a worming program and treat for external parasites (i.e, sevin or permethrin dip). Wazine once, then in 7-10 Ivermectin (that'll kill most internal and external parasites), then I'd do Valbazen in another 7-10 days (or maybe you skip the Ivermectin this time and go straight to Valbazen). What you're describing in the poo sounds like tapeworms. It takes Valbazen to kill tapes and gapes. It gets just about all internal parasites. Parasites wears a hen down and can make them anemic and malnourished (not to mention organ damaged). Make sure they don't have any maggot infestations going on around the vent or under the wings. Get them something hydrating in the water like a little powdered gatorade and maybe a touch of cherry jello powder to encourage drinking.

 

[chkn]

Actually dawg had an interesting point. He says Valbazen doesn't cause a die off all at once so he suggested to this person to go straight to Valbazen:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=536547

It might not be a bad idea since your chickens have issues now. I do like to have the ivermectin pour on around for external parasites. Kills all but the blood sucking ones.

 

[lovin my birds]

Okay thank you all for the advice. When dawg said there is a 24 day withdraw what does that mean? I have never had a problem with worms before. The things in their poo looked like rice. I read a post that said they could very well be fly maggots or something like that. So I might be freaking out for absolutely no reason. Lol!

 

[klmclain1]

Quote:
The 24 day withdraw means that after giving them that particular medication you can't use their eggs for 24 days. You'll have to dispose of them.

 

[chkn]

Those are probably tapeworm segments in the poo not maggots. Actually, two posters have put their birds down over fly maggots today. It's treatable but it's an emergency situation. Maggots would be something active and visible on the surface of the chicken somewhere.