Sick serama hen

[Rebornartist]

Henny Penny is a tad over five years old. I hatched her as a tiny chick and she has been healthy and active for years until a couple weeks ago. I noticed that she has been panting or gasping for air. Her poop is pasty. I am pretty sure that she does not have a respiratory disease but I am a little suspicious of congestive heart failure and hope to be wrong. When I brought her inside, she seemed to do well. She was eating and drinking and even the gasping for air with her beak open seemed to diminish. I allowed her to go back with her group and it lasted only an hour, must have been too much for her and she was gasping again. I am just keeping her inside and keeping her in a dry warm climate in the house. She has a large cage that she seems to do well in and I also bring her in a small cage into the living room to be around us and not be lonely. I do bring in her other serama sister for a visit. I am sure she does not have anything that is catching. She gets a tad upset when I wash her bummy area with warm water to get the sticky poop off, but, she is getting used to it and realizes that I am giving her a service. She is eating pretty good and drinking water. I just don't know why she would be gasping for air unless it is her time to go maybe and she is having congestive heart failure. I had a large Americauna that had this and I kept her alive for two months which I hear is a record. This little hen though, does not seem to have a lot of water in her lungs. I have not allowed her to stay outside long enough in the damp and cold for her lungs to fill. All I can do right now is if she is on her way out, provide a warm dry place which is comfortable. I don't like the idea of putting her outside to die in the cold.

 

[Eggcessive]

Can you get a few fresh droppings checked by a vet for worms? Some worms can affect the breathing. Dust or wet moldy conditions, or poor air circulation can cause breathing issues. Aspergillosis from mold is fairly common and can cause pockets of fungus throughout the air sacs and body. Excessive heat can also cause breathing problems and panting. Unfortunately with chickens, many times we may not recognize what is wrong until it is too late. Since she is eating a drinking pretty well right now, that is a good sign.

 

[Rebornartist]

Thanks so much. We live in a very very wet area of the Pacific Northwest. So, it is impossible to keep the coop completely dry. I do clean all the time and do the best I can that way. I am going to give her something for worms, just in case. Thanks so much again.

 

[Eggcessive]

SafeGuard and Valbazen are wormers that I would recommend if you can get them or order online. Dosage of Valbazen for a tiny chicken like seramas, would be 1/4 ml and repeated in 10 days. SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or the Equine Paste is 1/4 ml per pound given 5 days in a row. Both will kill most hard to get worms.

 

[Rebornartist]

I do have safeguard wonmer for puppies. Would a few tiny grains mixed in food work?

 

[Eggcessive]

SafeGuard 10% (fenbendazole) goat wormer or equine paste is the easiest to give a correct dosage. Is yours the 22% granules? I am not good enough in math to tell you if that is safe or not. But you could try to follow the weight chart on the label. Do you have a kitchen or postal scale that weighs in grams? It would probably be a fraction of a packet, but I don't feel comfortable telling you that. Casportpony is a good expert on wormers and dosages, so she may know.

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* Non-prescription fenbendazole - same active ingredient as the prescription canine dewormer
* Dog dewormer eliminates roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and Taenia tapeworms
* FDA-approved, do-it-yourself safe!
Control and remove roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and Taenia tapeworms. Active ingredient is 22.2% fenbendazole, an FDA-approved wormer for dogs. Fenbendazole kills the parasite by disrupting its energy metabolism. Each treatment requires wormer be given once daily for 3 consecutive days according to specified weight. Each package contains 3 packets, enough for 3 daily treatments. Simply mix granules with food. Please combine doses for dogs up to 30 lbs. or over 40 lbs. Safe for puppies 6 weeks or older and pregnant dogs.
Packet size is the daily dose. The dog must be treated with this dose for 3 days in a row.
Weigh your dog to make sure you are using the right size and number of packets. If your dog's weight is in between the suggested dosing sizes, it is safe to use the next higher size. For example, an 11-pound dog should be treated with the 2-gram packet.
Dosing Table
Dog Weight (lbs) Packet Size
Up to 10 1 gram
11-20 2 gram
21-30* 1 gram + 2 gram
31-40 4 gram
41-50* 1 gram + 4 gram
51-60* 2 gram + 4 gram
61-80* Two 4 gram
Over 80* *Combine pouches to obtain recommended daily dosage

 

[tracysbantams]

SafeGuard and Valbazen are wormers that I would recommend if you can get them or order online. Dosage of Valbazen for a tiny chicken like seramas, would be 1/4 ml and repeated in 10 days. SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or the Equine Paste is 1/4 ml per pound given 5 days in a row. Both will kill most hard to get worms.

Is 1/4 ml the same as 1/4 cc? I am going to be worming my little Seramas and don't want to give them too much. Thank you in advance.

 

[Eggcessive]

Is 1/4 ml the same as 1/4 cc? I am going to be worming my little Seramas and don't want to give them too much. Thank you in advance.

Yes they are the same 1/4 ml equals 1/4 cc.

 

[tracysbantams]

Yes they are the same 1/4 ml equals 1/4 cc.

Thank you so much! One more question. How do you give it to them? Is it just the dewormer...or it with water? I saw on another site about adding water to the syringe. Also do you drop it down the throat or just put it in the bottom of her beak? I don't want to do it wrong. Thank you again for helping me with this.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can give it orally, one drop at a time, giving her time to swallow.