Sick goose or gapeworm?

[starrymutt]

My Toulouse hen (4 months old) suddenly has a raspy voice, a kind of wheeze and it sounded like a cough when she tried honking or running. Almost like she swallowed something she shouldn't or has something stuck. No nasal or eye discharge and all of her siblings are fine. They do gape their mouths open but I thought they were just moving their crop, Ella hasn't that I've seen.

But she's not herself and stays away from the flock, she's slow and while she does still eat and drink it's not with the same vigor. A few days ago she had a watery eye but that's better. She's molting like crazy and seems to be losing weight, she's like the runt despite being the oldest.

The only thing different is that they've been in the chicken coop that's dusty and got into some mud from our chickens.

Any ideas? There's no vet near us

 

[Goosebaby]

Is a vet an option?

What feed are they on?

What do you mean by gaping? Are the others doing this all the time or only at certain times?

Is there any mold in the chicken coop or has there ever been mold in there?

A watery eye can be a sign of an upper respiratory illness and with the cough and voice change that a sure sign that’s what’s going on. It could either be viral, bacterial, or fungal. If it’s fungal she’s going to need to be seen by a vet as that’s something that definitely requires veterinary care.

Many bacterial upper respiratory issues can be treated with tylan/ Tylosin. It can be purchased in powder form without a prescription
https://birdpalproducts.com/products/tylosin-powder-for-birds?_pos=1&_sid=fa35b6ee4&_ss=r

You can follow the dosing instructions for mixing it in the water or you can give a crop dosage at 40mg per kg twice a day for 5 days to ensure she actually gets it. It’s very bitter tasting so sometimes they don’t like to drink their water if it’s mixed with it.

 

[starrymutt]

Is a vet an option?

What feed are they on?

What do you mean by gaping? Are the others doing this all the time or only at certain times?

Is there any mold in the chicken coop or has there ever been mold in there?

A watery eye can be a sign of an upper respiratory illness and with the cough and voice change that a sure sign that’s what’s going on. It could either be viral, bacterial, or fungal. If it’s fungal she’s going to need to be seen by a vet as that’s something that definitely requires veterinary care.

Many bacterial upper respiratory issues can be treated with tylan/ Tylosin. It can be purchased in powder form without a prescription
https://birdpalproducts.com/products/tylosin-powder-for-birds?_pos=1&_sid=fa35b6ee4&_ss=r

You can follow the dosing instructions for mixing it in the water or you can give a crop dosage at 40mg per kg twice a day for 5 days to ensure she actually gets it. It’s very bitter tasting so sometimes they don’t like to drink their water if it’s mixed with it.

A vet isn't an option, unfortunately

They're on Dumor Duck All Lifestages pellets

I've seen them open their mouths wide and stretch their necks. It normally happens after/during swimming in their pool but also randomly or after eating. I haven't seen her do it though but she has coughed while eating.

Her eye stopped watering, although it did have a bubble and she kept it closed until I tried washing it out. I think she might've injured it.

I don't believe the coop has mold but I'm not sure as it's wood and it does trap humidity sometimes. We leave the door open during the day but it's still all dust/poop. Are there different symptoms between fungal/viral/bacterial?

She's the only one with these symptoms, overnight, so I'm unsure if it's an infection or if she just ate something she wasn't supposed to.

I'll try getting the Tylan though! Maybe if I put it in a treat she'll eat it? Will it hurt the others if they drink the water too? Is a crop dosage similar to giving it orally?

Also, would this be potentially contagious to humans?

 

[Goosebaby]

A vet isn't an option, unfortunately

They're on Dumor Duck All Lifestages pellets

I've seen them open their mouths wide and stretch their necks. It normally happens after/during swimming in their pool but also randomly or after eating. I haven't seen her do it though but she has coughed while eating.

Her eye stopped watering, although it did have a bubble and she kept it closed until I tried washing it out. I think she might've injured it.

I don't believe the coop has mold but I'm not sure as it's wood and it does trap humidity sometimes. We leave the door open during the day but it's still all dust/poop. Are there different symptoms between fungal/viral/bacterial?

She's the only one with these symptoms, overnight, so I'm unsure if it's an infection or if she just ate something she wasn't supposed to.

I'll try getting the Tylan though! Maybe if I put it in a treat she'll eat it? Will it hurt the others if they drink the water too? Is a crop dosage similar to giving it orally?

Also, would this be potentially contagious to humans?

I can’t say what it is but if it’s mycoplasma it’s MS or MG and neither are contagious to humans, and most of the other possibilities aren’t really either. There are some other possibilities like salmonella or e.coli but unless you’re immune compromised, young, very old, or are planning to eat the goose raw it’s not a big risk, it is always a good idea to wash your hands after handling a sick bird.

She could have aspirated liquid, that will cause her to lose her voice for a few days, but given the fact that she’s been losing weight this sounds more like a worsening infection of some sort.

The antibiotic won’t necessarily harm the others and can be a good idea to treat everyone if you suspect they could also get it, but treating them can negatively affect their gut flora so I don’t recommend it if you don’t see symptoms.
Tylosin is very caustically bitter so I’m not sure if you could put it in anything she’d willingly eat, I give mixed with a little water it via a 6ml or 12ml syringe orally.

When you’re admin Sterling it you want to apply pressure to the corners of the mouth until she loosens her hawk then open her mouth, stick the syringe as far down her throat as you can, aimed to her right side of the throat, then hit the plunger.

 

[starrymutt]

I can’t say what it is but if it’s mycoplasma it’s MS or MG and neither are contagious to humans, and most of the other possibilities aren’t really either. There are some other possibilities like salmonella or e.coli but unless you’re immune compromised, young, very old, or are planning to eat the goose raw it’s not a big risk, it is always a good idea to wash your hands after handling a sick bird.

She could have aspirated liquid, that will cause her to lose her voice for a few days, but given the fact that she’s been losing weight this sounds more like a worsening infection of some sort.

The antibiotic won’t necessarily harm the others and can be a good idea to treat everyone if you suspect they could also get it, but treating them can negatively affect their gut flora so I don’t recommend it if you don’t see symptoms.
Tylosin is very caustically bitter so I’m not sure if you could put it in anything she’d willingly eat, I give mixed with a little water it via a 6ml or 12ml syringe orally.

When you’re admin Sterling it you want to apply pressure to the corners of the mouth until she loosens her hawk then open her mouth, stick the syringe as far down her throat as you can, aimed to her right side of the throat, then hit the plunger.

Thank you!

She, ironically, seems better today? Her voice came back and she's more lively although she has foamy white droppings and she still wanders from the others.

Could it still be a respiratory problem? Would the Tylosin help that?

 

[Goosebaby]

Thank you!

She, ironically, seems better today? Her voice came back and she's more lively although she has foamy white droppings and she still wanders from the others.

Could it still be a respiratory problem? Would the Tylosin help that?

White droppings can mean a lot of different things, it’s excessive urates which can be from kidney problems, respiratory problems, digestive problems, and parasites.
Coccidia is a common cause of white droppings, it doesn’t cause respiratory problems but it can sometimes cause secondary infections that will.
Lower digestive problems can actually cause symptoms that appear to be a respiratory illness’s by inflaming the intestines that can then press on the lower airsacks. Things like clostridium can do this, which Tylosin will also treat.

You could try putting her on a round of corid to treat coccidia. You can put it in everyone’s water for 5 days or just give her a 3 day oral dosage of 0.1 ml per pound.

If she’s completely back to normal by tomorrow i would guess she probably ate something she shouldn’t have, maybe got had the wind knocked out of her by something, or inhaled some water and in that case don’t put her on anything and just see how she does.