pasty butt, worms in dropping and a random hiccough w some labored breathing!

[araceli]

It seems to be coughing and gasping for air. She makes a sort of interruption of a cluck sound that is not voluntarily tonight in the coop where they sleep. Then I see her with her mouth wide open to breath. Almost like they do when it is extreme hot weather. Weather right now is perfect. 70's. Two nights ago we had a short hail storm/rain. The hail fell for 5 minutes and rain for 15 minutes. Most the coop is covered and a small bit above where they sleep has a small opening. Like a seam split. So enough for the one sleeping on that side to get wet, unfortunately. Maybe it was her. I checked all their crops and they are sufficiently full, but hers is significantly less full. I pulled her aside tonight and put her in the small coop I had that is like a little chalet. It's made of wood and metal so I do hope there is enough air for her to breath in. Just figured to separate her to keep the other girls safe too. I do hope this is nothing serious.

 

[Mell62]

go to search and type in gasping chicken. I saw many posts that may be able to help you. I dont have any info, but this is what I did when I had a sick chicken. I was amazed at how much info I found by just typing in a brief statement of the illness. I hope this helps you solve the issue.

 

[zazouse]

Look up gape worm

 

[araceli]

I'm fearing gapeworm because when I picked her up to have a closer look I could hear her labored breathing. Now I am also remembering I had noticed a couple of weeks ago her butt feathers with poop on them. With gape does it first start out that way before the worms actually start clogging the throat? Her butt has been an unusual mess like the consistency was off so it stuck to her. I've been thinking to give her water with diatomaceous earth tomorrow, if I find her alive by morning, so the worms can have their exoskeleton eaten alive and she can just process it like protein.

 

[zazouse]

1/2 cc ivermec down her throat will get rid of them, i would repeat in a week just for good measure.

 

[araceli]

Okay, I have no idea how this gapeworm works. She slept apart from the other girls for safety measures. It was a very long night with worrying. This morning, bright and early, I go to check and let them all out and she is perfectly fine. Eating, drinking, running around and making her happy sounds. Last night I did massage her throat a bit and she seemed relieved by it. Is it still possibly gape or looking more like it was just something stuck? Yesterday early evening she was fine too. This incident of cough/hiccoughing and breathing with mouth open was just at roosting time.

 

[zazouse]

It will not hurt to treat her even if she does not have gape worm i treat my peafowl in the summer months as they are free ranged and are likely to pick up anything out in the fields and woods.

 

[araceli]

So treat all five? And with the eggs, how long do you throw them away for?
Thanks. Mine free range too and I like that. But now I am concerned about what nasty parasites and bugs wild birds, squirrels, and insects are leaving behind, all of which I often see out in the yard while the girls are foraging around. I especially see the birds and squirrels, though I know the insects and worms are out there. I'd like to keep these girls happy and healthy!

 

[zazouse]

It won't hurt them, i don't know what the waiting period is, it should be on the lable, feed the eggs to your dog worst that can happen is that they get wormed to.. just do not give them to collie type breeds like aussies, border collies as some of these dogs do not do well at all with ivermec. me i do not eat eggs that often so i would not worry about it if i had to treat mine.

Folks also use ivermec to take care of lice on their birds by placing the same amount 1/2 cc on the skin behind the neck

 

[araceli]

okay being I've had a jam packed filled schedule this week and my chicken was looking well I put this off and am now ready. Now that I am ready the timing couldn't be better. So the chicken has seemed really well and this happened last week. Though the last two nights she has been coughing again but not as severe as last week. Her crop was empty again last night and is today as well. She is running around, looks like scratching around and eating but probably just not enough. In the day she LOOKs like she is breathing normal. When I examined her closely, though she may have found it a bit stressful, she did start breathing with her mouth a little bit. Enough for me to examine. I took a LONG time to find her tongue, as though it were completely gone. Eventually I found it on the bottom of her beak moving much. The tip looks dry and somewhat dead and dark. I examined her vent because it looks so dirty and it is so dirty and dried up I cannot find her vent. I tried removing it, but it was like cement. Just won't come off. It is pulsating heavily. I have found black tar chicken dropping around but not sure if it is her. Here comes the doozy..... I examined her droppings from last night, she slept apart from the others and it is infested with what I believe is roundworm. So now does it sound like she has both or is it the round causing all these symptoms and if it sounds like both do I give her the wazine 17 first for roundworm or the other one first for gapeworm. I thought gapeworm was more aggresive and would have done more damage to her health by now, and being she is still looking for the most part happy (though probably not) that maybe it's these roundworm doing all the damage. Also the eggs being laid by the other girls...are they edible or will we end up with worms? Thanks for any and all help here!!!!