Possible Gape Worm

[RuBee]

I acquired three, two year old Sexlink hens in September. Two of them died. One from unknown reasons. The other was egg bound. The third and lone survivor yawns quite often and shakes her head. I suspect that she has gape worm. She has never laid an egg for me, but does sit on the nest. Can gape worm affect egg production?
I recently added four more hens to my flock. Should I treat all of them for gape worm?

 

[getaclue]

Listen to it breathe. Check it over for mites/lice, especially the ears. Does it sound congested? Check to make sure something isn't caught in it's mouth. Check the crop in the afternoon, then again in the morning. The crop should be empty in the morning, before it eats. It would not hurt to worm them. Valbazen is good. Get a dosage syringe. Weigh the birds. It's 1/2 mm/cc for the average 6 lb. chicken. Repeat in 10 days. Do you know how to give oral medication to the chickens?

 

[RuBee]

I haven't noticed any breathing problems or congestion. What would be the connection with mites/lice? I am not familiar with oral medication. My Sexlink is somewhat tame. The new ones are still very skittish.

 

[getaclue]

Yawning, and shaking the head, can be an indication of mites/lice. When they get mites/lice around their ears, or in their ears, they will shake their heads. Mites/lice feed on blood, so they also become anemic, causing them to tire more easily, thus the yawning. Mites are very tiny, but close examination around the feather shafts will reveal eggs, and usually movement, if there are any. A magnifying glass is very helpful, just be careful not to burn the chicken with it.

 

[007Sean]

If you suspect gapeworms, you can use a q-tip and swab its throat. If you see red 'thread like' structures on the q-tip, its gapeworm.

 

[RuBee]

Thank you. I will try this tomorrow.

 

[RuBee]

Yawning, and shaking the head, can be an indication of mites/lice. When they get mites/lice around their ears, or in their ears, they will shake their heads. Mites/lice feed on blood, so they also become anemic, causing them to tire more easily, thus the yawning. Mites are very tiny, but close examination around the feather shafts will reveal eggs, and usually movement, if there are any. A magnifying glass is very helpful, just be careful not to burn the chicken with it.

Thank you. This is very helpful. Don't think I'll have to worry about burning the chicken. Not a lot of sun in our weather forecast.

 

[ejtrout31]

Here is some info https://poultrykeeper.com/respiratory-problems/gapeworm/

Lice and mites https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8162.pdf

 

[getaclue]

This is an easy way to administer the wormer. While the dosage I use is the standard one for kids, and won't fit that far into the chicken's mouth, you still aim for the cheek on the left side, facing the chicken. Hold the head back some, open the mouth, give about half, lower it's head, so it can swallow, then repeat with the rest of the dose. Yes, they will resist, shake their heads, etc., so you may not get the full dose into them the first time. If you lose half the dose, give them just a little more. If you just lose a little, don't worry about it, since you will be a pro by the time you do the follow-up dose.

This shows the inside of the chicken's mouth. The hole in the center, is an airway. You don't want to get the wormer in there.

Facing the chicken, aim the end of the dosage syringe to it's left.

 

[getaclue]

Again, I use a larger dosage syringe, so I don't put it nearly as far in the mouth. Just be careful not to get it in the air passage.