On the mend, but still questions: UPDATE, 20 week old banty wormy as heck,

[aoxa]

Update on Mrs. Murphy:
She's been separated in the kennel for a week. Her comb is pinking a bit, and yesterday she actually was awake at 7 pm, previously by then she would have moved to the dark back corner of the kennel and tucked her head under her wing. And this morning, in predawn light, she was pecking at food, so her appetite is back.

Still all skin bones and feathers, no flesh on her. She is going back to the flock today on a trial basis. Has to go back before it gets much colder as i don't want her in a 60 degree house and then going out to a 20 degree coop.

I think I will need to continue to supplement her feeding with hand feeding, as she has been refusing the feed the chickens are on ( a mash) .

Wow your house is cold! Brr!

Rooting for her!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Hope I'm not "hijacking" here... if so, send me back to the other thread!

Yesterday I was outside and sat down a bit in the run. I noticed one of the 8 wk olds gaping and shaking it's head. Did it for maybe less than 2 minutes total, but I have never seen any such behavior. Of course I thought gape worm.

The other part of the story is that I had just put out a pumpkin and they had been slurping down the stringy stuff from around the seeds which she may have just been trying to get down.

This is the largest kiddo of the 3 that age.


So...
I will sit out there and observe some later today when home to see if it is still happening.

Have we determined what can be used for gape worm? I'm really hoping that it was the pumpkin strings bothering her/him. But I also don't want to let it go long if it may be gape worm. And all the info states that if they're getting it it would be around this age.

I called a vet this morning to ask if they had any info about gape worm and what might be effective. They will return my call later.

 

[lalaland]

thanks Justine, but putting her out with the flock was a total failure.
There wasn't any agression towards her, I had her in the run before letting everyone out. Its just that she kept trying to move away from everyone, and would lose her balance and fall over using her wings like crutches. Heartbreaking.

I brought her out to the yard and let her graze a bit, she did eat a tiny bit of clover and grass. When she started just standing there,
I brought her back to her kennel. She didn't even take any steps, just stayed where I put her, tucked her head under her wing, and has been in that position for an hour.

Clearly too weak yet. I don't know if I can bring her back to normal. So skinny. I would like to see her crop bulging, but that hasn't happened. She likes oat groats or seedy looking things, not so interested in the stuff that she needs, like egg/catfood/yogurt etc.

Last night took the cat food, rubbed the groats in it with a few drops of vitamins and she ate ok, so maybe I'll try that with eggs - so she goes for the groats but gets a little egg at the same time.

I hope I don't have to end up culling her.

It is hard to get her much time to move about for exercise. Its a big dog kennel, but the straw makes it difficult for her to move much. She does like to walk around the house, but it requires supervisor to get to the droppings before the cats do - I don't want them to get worms.

Dang it, I am very discouraged.

 

[aoxa]

Hope I'm not "hijacking" here... if so, send me back to the other thread!

Yesterday I was outside and sat down a bit in the run. I noticed one of the 8 wk olds gaping and shaking it's head. Did it for maybe less than 2 minutes total, but I have never seen any such behavior. Of course I thought gape worm.

The other part of the story is that I had just put out a pumpkin and they had been slurping down the stringy stuff from around the seeds which she may have just been trying to get down.

This is the largest kiddo of the 3 that age.


So...
I will sit out there and observe some later today when home to see if it is still happening.

Have we determined what can be used for gape worm? I'm really hoping that it was the pumpkin strings bothering her/him. But I also don't want to let it go long if it may be gape worm. And all the info states that if they're getting it it would be around this age.

I called a vet this morning to ask if they had any info about gape worm and what might be effective. They will return my call later.

Occasional Gaping is normal so long as it isn't frequent. They do it when they have a piece of grass caught in their throat or something to that extent. If she was doing it often, and for an extended period gape worm may be a possibility, but don't worry yourself just yet.

 

[aoxa]

thanks Justine, but putting her out with the flock was a total failure.
There wasn't any agression towards her, I had her in the run before letting everyone out. Its just that she kept trying to move away from everyone, and would lose her balance and fall over using her wings like crutches. Heartbreaking.

I brought her out to the yard and let her graze a bit, she did eat a tiny bit of clover and grass. When she started just standing there,
I brought her back to her kennel. She didn't even take any steps, just stayed where I put her, tucked her head under her wing, and has been in that position for an hour.

Clearly too weak yet. I don't know if I can bring her back to normal. So skinny. I would like to see her crop bulging, but that hasn't happened. She likes oat groats or seedy looking things, not so interested in the stuff that she needs, like egg/catfood/yogurt etc.

Last night took the cat food, rubbed the groats in it with a few drops of vitamins and she ate ok, so maybe I'll try that with eggs - so she goes for the groats but gets a little egg at the same time.

I hope I don't have to end up culling her.

It is hard to get her much time to move about for exercise. Its a big dog kennel, but the straw makes it difficult for her to move much. She does like to walk around the house, but it requires supervisor to get to the droppings before the cats do - I don't want them to get worms.

Dang it, I am very discouraged.

Have you given her raw meat yet? Liver?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Thanks, Aoxa. I was hoping that is the case. There doesn't seem to be any depression or other symptoms, but I haven't observed them at length for quite some tome.

I think I'll have time to just observe later today.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Dang it, I am very discouraged.

Quote: Aoxa

If she'd eat it some red meat would likely help with anemia that I would guess would be part of parasites and their expulsion.

 

[aoxa]

Thanks, Aoxa. I was hoping that is the case. There doesn't seem to be any depression or other symptoms, but I haven't observed them at length for quite some tome.

I think I'll have time to just observe later today.

For Gapeworm, they gape to try to be able to breath. They will breath with an open mouth and definitely look sick.

Quote:

 

[aoxa]

If she'd eat it some red meat would likely help with anemia that I would guess would be part of parasites and their expulsion.

Yes I think the meat will help her get some energy back.

If she won't eat it whole, try blending it into a liquid and dip her beak into it.

Have you offered electrolytes? That will help perk her up as well. It's important to get nutrients into her.

 

[lalaland]

Sue, I agree with Justine that it probably isn't gapeworm - especially with the pumpkin eating just prior. Am hoping you don't see it on a repetitiv basis, because then I would get worried.

I did try Mrs Murphy with liver and heart from the butchered roos, no dice.
I'm thinking I will take some beef liver and put it in the blender with a little water, and take away her water and see if she will drink the watery liver soup as a substitute.

Hard to know what is really happening here. Weakened and not eating and then worm overload? In which case I haven't dealt with whatever the underlying problem is. If I can't get her to eat more, she is not going to make it and culling would be a kindness.

Her droppings are starting to go to more bright green, a sign that she isn't getting nutrients?

Her instincts are all that are making her eat. She will eat a tiny bit if it falls on the floor, or is scattered.

At least I am home today and can get her to eat a teeny tiny bit every 15 minutes!