Question about gapeworm vs respiratory ailments

[phate008]

My 3 girls occasionally have a wheezing sound at night. Not all the time, but I have noticed it more recently. It's almost a whistling kind of sound when they breathe. It doesn't look like they are having much trouble breathing but I just want to help them when they need the help. A few questions...

Does this type of thing happen in cold weather or from natural causes or is it always a symptom of something else like Gapeworm or respiratory issue. In the summer and fall they free range in my yard and find a lot of earthworms underneath leaves.

Another question is what do you do? If it was a respiratory infection what should I use and where do I get it? Same for gapeworm (I have never dewormed them before)

I have VetRX on hand that I will occasionally rub under their wings at night and on there beaks.

I had one of the girls get a sunflower seed caught in her throat over the summer. She was wheezing pretty bad and it was mistaken for a respiratory infection. The vet that saw her stuffed a pill in her beak and it dislodged the seed immediately and stopped the wheezing. I paid for it so I kept the prescription which was Clavamox.

Any suggestions, advice, tips are welcome. Thanks

 

[dawg53]

Most likely it's an environmental issue, neither gapeworms nor respiratory disease. The symptoms for either arnt there.
Ammonia fumes from soiled bedding, improper ventilation, mold or fungus, pesticide use, DE etc...can cause the wheezing/whistling you're hearing.

 

[phate008]

Ok yeah that actually makes sense. I think it may also be that when I see them go up for the night to their roost I typically will offer them some water and feel their crops. If they don't feel full enough I will offer them a bite to eat and a drink. I actually paid attention tonight and I didn't notice it until after they had a sip of water. I have pads below their roosts that catches droppings. Each day I throw out the old pads and add new ones. There are some droppings on the floor, but not a whole lot. I am not sure the ventilation is great. It's like a shed where the are 2 open windows at the top and I leave the doors open a little and close them more when it's cold. I keep an air purifier running 24/7 and a small fan blowing air out through one of the windows at the top.

I have a lot of confusion about ventilation. I see some people say the best set up is 3 open sides with steel cloth around the open sides. I see some people have barn like structures that have some windows or an open door. I read articles that say you need proper ventilation, but that you want to ensure there are not drafts. I am not sure how you can have 3 open sides and say that it is draft free. Does draft imply that a small crack with cold air blowing through it? I am not sure how a chicken can freeze to death from a small draft but a bird that is essentially out in the open weather with open sides is better off. I want to provide them with the best setup for their health, but I also don't want them to be very cold. There are only 3 chickens and all 3 decided to molt in November and December. I ended up purchasing a small heater that I am placing behind their roost while their new feathers come in.

https://www.amazon.com/Cozy-Product...1&sr=1-1-38d0a374-3318-4625-ad92-b6761a63ecf6

 

[Eggcessive]

Where you live it is probably very cold right now. I live in the Ohio Valley where it is the coldest month of the year. My ventilation is overhead from one end of the coop to the other. It does get pretty cold some nights. It can get close to zero in January for 10 days or more, but we have only been in the 20’s so far. I do heat when it gets down below 15.

 

[Myrshine]

Depending on what bedding/litter you’re using as well as how often you clean the coop- this can be the main cause. Not every respiratory symptom means a disease. Gapeworm is also rare, especially in colder climates. All but 2 respiratory diseases remain lifetime carriers of the virus/bacteria infections. All but 1 remain chronic, meaning that it’s incurable, never goes away, will resurface within times of stress and birds can remain carriers for life. If you’re concerned, you could always get your birds tested, especially if you’re using your birds for hatching or breeding to sell to others. 2 respiratory diseases can be spread into the chick thru the egg, making offspring chronic, sick and carriers for life. If you’re in the USA, the most, if not almost all respiratory diseases are to be reported by USDA law- you can check this out of a list of reportable diseases: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/monitoring_surveillance/nlrad-system-standards.pdf

Links where you can have your birds tested as well. Necropsy is the best thing for testing as it is very accurate unlike live sampling. Live sampling is definitely worth it, but it’s sadly not always accurate.
https://www.zoologix.com/avian/index.htm & http://www.vetdna.com

 

[nokusshon]

Feed them Garlic, and put little slice of garlic into their waterer.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Ok yeah that actually makes sense. I think it may also be that when I see them go up for the night to their roost I typically will offer them some water and feel their crops. If they don't feel full enough I will offer them a bite to eat and a drink. I actually paid attention tonight and I didn't notice it until after they had a sip of water.

I have pads below their roosts that catches droppings. Each day I throw out the old pads and add new ones. There are some droppings on the floor, but not a whole lot. I am not sure the ventilation is great. It's like a shed where the are 2 open windows at the top and I leave the doors open a little and close them more when it's cold. I keep an air purifier running 24/7 and a small fan blowing air out through one of the windows at the top.

Do you feed free choice during the day?
If you do, then you should not have to take food/water into the coop at night and offer more water/food while they are roosting. A chicken should be eating enough before roosting time to have a crop fill that will sustain them during the night.
Since you notice the wheeze after you gave water while they were on roost - stop giving food/water while they are roosting and see if that solves your problem.

Now. I have a curious question. You mention you have pads below your roosts and each day you throw them out and replace them. What are you using? Any photos? I'm always interested in what other folks do/how they manage their coop poop

 

[phate008]

I do have 3 feeders filled with a mix of crumble and a seed mix. I have been checking their crops at night, and where I would have felt baseball size bulges 2 months ago they feel nearly empty. I know they need the calories and protein for their molt so I offer it to them when they are relaxed and they seem to eat a lot more. During the day they aren't interested in any food I bring, but at night they will eat whatever I give them. The smallest one is about a 6 weeks into a hard molt. Her feathers are out of the pin stage and she is eating a lot more on her own. The 2 big ones definitely have a decreased appetite and lots of pin feathers in different areas. They don't want to be touched and are aggressive towards each other.

The pads that I use are called chucks I think. They are basically diapers that are made to line a bed. They have absorbancy and keep the coop tidy. Here is a picture from today after I changed them out.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I do have 3 feeders filled with a mix of crumble and a seed mix. I have been checking their crops at night, and where I would have felt baseball size bulges 2 months ago they feel nearly empty. I know they need the calories and protein for their molt so I offer it to them when they are relaxed and they seem to eat a lot more. During the day they aren't interested in any food I bring, but at night they will eat whatever I give them.

Depending on the protein % of the seed mix and the crumble - you may want to provide the crumble free choice all down and just give the see mix as a daily treat.
Sometimes seed mixes, scratch, etc. are fairly low in protein this can dilute the total daily protein intake if they are fed a lot.
For molting birds, they can benefit from extra protein - chick starter or an all flock type feed, eggs, meat or fish are all good ideas for molting birds.

Interesting idea to use chucks under the roosts! Thank you for sharing your photo