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She started out on Sunday being lethargic and acting slower than the other two and had had runny poop for a couple days. I saw the lethargy, "off-ness" and runny poop with one of my other girls a few weeks ago but she pulled through. Anyway, because I had seen these simple symptoms before I isolated her and gave her yogurt. She ate yogurt and pellets Sunday night and then stopped eating.
- Monday, lots of sleeping and no eating.
- Tuesday she started gaping and her whole body would move with each breath. I bought antibiotics that night and gave her some via syringe in her mouth. She fought me on it.
- Yesterday, (Wed) morning she was still gaping her neck, shaking her head and heaving to breath. She acted like she had something stuck in her throat. After research, I bought some piperzine for what I thought was gape worm. The product was recommended by my trusted feed store. I mixed some up for all three birds but administered it to my sick one again by syringe. I checked on her a couple hours later and she had all the same symptoms but was now leaning toward one side - laying down. I decided to make a small batch of antibiotics and gave her some. About three hours later, she died.
I asked about the cat/gape worm relation because all three of my girls dig and dust in two raise garden beds in the backyard. They also dig and dust in their sand filled run. When the run door is open I've caught our cats in the run digging in the sand. We all know what that means so I'm sure they have used the run as a littler box. They've also been in the garden. Long story short, I would be very surprised if the chickens hadn't come across cat pee or poop in either location. All the research I did on gape worm yesterday indicated that it comes from infected earth worms in free ranging chickens. Ah, the dangers of free range.
If there is a chance of transmission from cats, I'm now questioning letting my two remaining girls free range AND contemplating how I'm going to change 200+ lbs of sand in their run. Honestly, there is so much information out there about diseases and sickness in chickens, I was terribly confused. Some reading this will say I shouldn't have treated with Piperzine because it only defeats round worm. Others will say the complete opposite. I'm not sure what to believe anymore. BUT, I know that I'm doing the best I can with the information and birds I've got.
Hopefully someone will now more about the connection if there is one. I hope I've helped. Good luck.
I brought him in the house a few days ago when he was acting fluffed up and droopy wings and sleepy. He was still eating and drinking OK so we gave him antibiotics in his water. Yesterday he seemed a bit better but was shaking his head alot. This morning he was falling over on his side then gasping for air and then died very quickly
