What Kind of Worm?

[FlyingNunFarm]

HELP!! My FBCM Missy was breathing heavy last night. She seemed a little phlegmy but I thought with the sudden high humidity she could just be hot and moist.
Today she didn’t come down when I let everyone out and I feared the worst. (This is the girl I nursed through 2 wounds in my sugar for wounds thread.)
I went in and she sounds ok but is open mouth breathing and has her tail down. I took her in and tried to look in her throat. (Near impossible) It looked a little phlegmy but I really couldn’t see good. (For not feeling well she sure is strong) I gave her some ACV right down the gullet. Followed by some Colloidal Silver and a few drops of Nutri Drench.
I took her back to the coop and watched. She’s still gaping and generally just standing there. Then—

She sorta coughed and grossness.... I thought it was a string of mucus.

I think it’s a gapeworm! Thoughts anyone? Mind you I picked it off her face. Dropped it 2x then rinsed it in the sink. If it were mucus I would think it would have broken.

I have Valbazen on hand. Will that work or do I need safeguard? Is it gapeworm? I was all excited last week when I picked up a log in the run and found a bunch of worms. I’m sure she ate one. That’s about the time frame for eggs to become adults.

I’m so worried!

I did give her a dose of Valbazen but that worm is way to long to be a gapeworm or a thread worm. It's not the right shape for a tapeworm or a roundworm.

What on earth did my chicken cough up!?!

Next, general rule of thumb is worm everyone. I have 2 week old chicks in the coop. They can't be wormed and I'm worried by treating all the adults I'll be putting more eggs out and about for the tinies to pick up.
(I guess I'm picturing mass worm expulsion at horror film levels)

Thoughts anyone? @casportpony @Wyorp Rock @Eggcessive @dawg53

 

[True Patriot]

Sorry. I have never seen anything like that. I'm as interested as you to see what others think. Hang in there.

 

[Stepnout]

I just did a search on google images for chicken tape worms. it really looks like a tape worm.

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

Usually tapes come out in small sections, and from the other end. It almost looks like a bleached out earth worm, but really skinny.

 

[dawg53]

I've dealt with tapeworms in a flock quite a few times and they are a pain in the neck to get rid of.
It does look like a tapeworm strand, even appears to be flat with very small segments. I've seen them excreted after a high dose of valbazen or when I used zimecterin gold. When excreted some of them almost look like jellyfish tentacles, or kind of wide and flat like a broken up piece of flat macaroni, off white in color.

However I'm skeptical and I'll tell you why: A strand that long would be releasing segments internally and you wouldve seen tapeworm segments in the hens feces, they look like white rice and they slowly move around.
Also, I've never seen nor heard of a tapeworm strand being coughed up and expelled from the mouth. The tapeworms scolex is firmly attached into the intestinal mucus lining. If they were coughed up, they would have to come up through the stomach, then up through the gizzard, then up through the crop, then out the mouth.
I would say it is mucus that came from the trachea or esophagus possibly due to the onset of a respiratory issue.
Unless you've seen segments in feces, it's not tapeworms and definitely not gapeworms.

 

[Eggcessive]

X2, looks like mucus.

 

[Barbs Girls]

Oh bless your heart...I surely hope it’s not worms but darn...you were able to rinse mucus and take pictures!!! Gah! That poor bird!!!

 

[CSAchook]

@FlyingNunFarm can you post the pictures of her mouth and throat?

 

[FlyingNunFarm]

I was thinking worm cause as someone else so eloquently put it--
BTW i do think that was "some kind" of worm, a chicken booger would not hold up to a drop and wash."

To update. I got home from work and did a head count and bed check. She was roosting low and gaping. I got her down and tried looking in her throat again.

I would best describe it as cottage cheese. There were some small clumps but then a rather large glob stuck in the opening of her esophagus.
Her breath is yeasty smelling. I wouldn't say sour. After an hour of struggling with her I got this--

As soon as it was clear she perked up. Got a big drink. I offered her some wet food. (Her crop was pretty empty) She ate, drank some more, and sauntered off.
She still sounds a little off. But way better! No gaping either.

The big question-- What the he!! was that? I'd hate to think Canker. Wet pox does make some sense too. Could it be a sour crop? These are all new to me. I think I'd take worms over any of that other stuff.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

Yuck! You're brave to touch that stuff, whatever it is! I hope it's mucus and not something more serious. Best wishes.