Urgent help! Advise needed please

[dalsa]

Hi all,

I believe my cockerel has gapeworm as he stretches his neck and makes a yawning action followed by shaking his head. He also has become very lethargic and sits around and naps more often than before. Does this sound like gapeworm? I bought pellets that include flubenvet, he is meant to eat it for 7 days but he barely ever eats and i dont know how i am going to get him to eat it. Any ideas? Many thanks

 

[azygous]

Have you looked down his throat to see if you can see worms?

Have you felt his crop to see if it may be impacted with undigestible material?

How old is he? Does he get grit either from free ranging or from a commercial source?

 

[dalsa]

Have you looked down his throat to see if you can see worms?

Have you felt his crop to see if it may be impacted with undigestible material?

How old is he? Does he get grit either from free ranging or fry

Have you looked down his throat to see if you can see worms?

Have you felt his crop to see if it may be impacted with undigestible material?

How old is he? Does he get grit either from free ranging or from a commercial source?

Yes but we cant see any worms and we cant see down his throat much. No i havent felt his crop but it doesnt seem full. He is 11months old and he gets grit from free ranging

 

[azygous]

Try wetting his medicated feed.

Here's how to tell if he has gapeworm. Pry open his beak wide. Take a Q-tip and swap the hole in his throat just behind the tongue. This may make him gag and cough. It won't harm him. Go as deep as the Q-tip allows. Withdraw the Q-tip and inspect the cotton swab for stringy red worms. They should be wiggling. If you see no worms on the Q-tip, there may be another cause for the gaping, usually a crop that is causing discomfort or even a respiratory issue.

 

[Myrshine]

Gapeworm in chickens are pretty rare, especially if you live in the northern parts of the world. Obviously it’s warmer now, so there IS a chance, but it’s still unlikely.

I suggest doing the Q-tip test like @azygous had mentioned. Other causes to this would be an impaction of the crop, sour crop, obstruction of the trachea or esophagus or even a respiratory infection. Respiratory infections that can cause gaping primarily would be Aspergillosis, Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT) or Infectious Bronchitis (IB). Antibiotics will not work on any of these diseases as one is caused by a fungus and the others are caused by a virus. Another cause would be Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG) or also known as Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD) which is also a respiratory infection of poultry and THE MOST COMMON respiratory disease of all that exist.

What is good about MG is that it is easily treatable with antibiotics as it’s caused by the Mycobacterium bacteria. While it’s treatable, it is not able to be cured meaning that all birds with symptoms and those exposed, will be lifetime infection carriers. I don’t suggest breeding to sell from your flock as MG can be passed down to the offspring via the eggs. Yes, eggs are still safe to eat as long as there is no antibiotic withdrawal.

Unfortunately, if he passes away, I would highly suggest that you send his body off for a necropsy testing so you can know what the cause was and how to keep your other exposed birds safe and healthy. You can get testing done from the links I’ll post below. If you are in the US, you can always call your state of agriculture and ask about getting a necropsy done. Some states offer to do the necropsy for free, while others do not.

Here are some great and highly recommended testing facilities that will test your birds live or by a necropsy:

RAL - http://www.vetdna.com/test-type/avian-bird

Zoologix - http://www.zoologix.com/avian/index.htm

Poultry Health Services - https://www.poultryhealthservices.com/lab/tests/

Some information on the diseases that I mentioned above:

Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG), also known as Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD):
- https://www.maine.gov/dacf/ahw/animal_health/documents/backyardpoultry/Mycoplasma Factsheet.pdf

- https://www.oie.int/doc/ged/D9107.PDF

- https://afarmgirlinthemaking.com/respiratory-conditions-poultry-mycoplasma-in-chickens/

Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILT):

- https://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Animals/AHDServices/licenses-certificates/Certified Poultry Technician License/Documents/Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILT) Facts.pdf

- https://www.oie.int/doc/ged/D9312.PDF

- http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/poultry/facts/ilt.htm

- https://www.tahc.texas.gov/news/brochures/TAHCBrochure_ILT.pdf

Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV):

- http://extension.msstate.edu/publications/infectious-bronchitis-commercial-chickens

Aspergillosis also known as Pneumonia in poultry:

- https://www.freedomrangerhatchery.c...illosis-plus-how-to-prevent-it-in-your-flock/

- https://extension.psu.edu/aspergillosis-in-poultry

I wish your birds well and I hope that the information that I’ve provided will help you. Good luck and I hope your bird gets well as soon as possible!

 

[azygous]