Rooster laboring to breathe

[mcallum3]

I have a flock of Buff Orpingtons. The dominant rooster is 3 1/2 yrs old and about a week ago he started acting odd/different and was making a hen-clucking-like noise every time he would take a breath. As this progressed I could hear him laboring to breathe. Two days ago he started opening his beak really wide (like a yawn) with every breath. Now I can hear him laboring to breath with each breath in and out. He also is staying away from the flock, and the non-dominant rooster had him pinned down to the ground last night with the big rooster not able to defend himself. I separated the non-dominant rooster from the rest of the flock so now he cannot get to the dominant rooster. Anyone have any ideas what is going on, and is there sometrhing I can give him to correct this problem?

 

[Jessie66]

Maybe he has Gapeworm? If you do a search for it and see if it sounds like his symptoms. Gapeworm is treated with Safeguard or Panacur (fenbendazole is the active ingredient).

 

[mcallum3]

Is there a medication that will cover both gapeworm and a respiratory ailment since it is one of the two, just not sure which?

 

[Jessie66]

I would try the dewormer first, Safeguard or Panacur (10% fenbendazole). Dosage for the Safeguard is 1cc for giants, 3/4cc for large fowl, 1/2cc for standards and 1/4cc for smaller birds. Administer orally using a syringe without a needle. Repeat dosing with wormer again in 10 days. There is a 14 day withdrawal period after each dosing. Gapeworm can cause your chicken to suffocate if left untreated.

If there is no improvement after a day or two, I'd try an antibiotic for CRD (chronic respiratory disease)

 

[Lorene97]

Hi.i just searched the forum hoping to find dosing info on safeguard..the liquid form used on goats. Jessie, the dosing you recommend, is for the liquid form and to be squirted directly Into their mouth and not mixed in their water? We have 13 hens...one was acting off..very listless ,had a very messy bottom of green poo..isolated her and had her poo and poo from the hen house tested...the sickly hen showed a high count of capillaria eggs...the samples I took from the hen house showed some capillaria eggs but much less than the sick hen.

Realize we need to deworm all of them..keeping the sick hen isolated..she eats like mad but is very skinny..assuming from the worms..

Was advised to get panacur but have since read the liquid safeguard 10% is the same thing and can be used..just having a hard time finding dosing info for chickens..i already have the safeguard and would like to use that than bother the vet by asking for a prescription .

Any addl info would be greatly appreciated..wil post this as a new topic as well.

Thanks!

 

[Jessie66]

Hi , yes, the dose listed above is given directly into the mouth of the chicken. I think I saw you can put it on a piece or two of bread and give it to them as well. Hope your chickens are doing ok.