Wheezing hen

[tracydicker]

I have 8 hens, and one of them Toffee (unsure of age or breed guessing she is about 4) has been wheezing for a couple of weeks. I have treated all 8 with flubenvet 1% last week, but today she has been breathing really badly, neck stretched out, wheezing, coughing just gasping for air. I tried to look down her throat (for gapeworm) but couldn’t she anything. I’m starting to think it is respiratory her comb is flat and flopped, her tail is low and she is sleepy. However, when I had bread earlier she came alive for 5 minutes before flopping again. I have noticed one of the other hens is starting to show similar signs this evening. I have been searching internet for antibiotic and now I am all confused as to what I should do, should give her/them. Can anyone help please.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Welcome to BYC. Flubenvet kills gapeworm but may require several treatments to completely get rid of them, if in fact it is gapeworm. You can take a Q-tip and stick it one inch down her throat and gently swab her throat. Then remove the Q-tip and if you see a "Y" shaped red in color worm on it...that's gapeworm. Gapeworm clogs the trachea, infected chickens cant swallow feed and there is severe gasping for air. Gapeworm causes death by suffocation. I suspect you're dealing with a chronic respiratory disease (CRD.) Antibiotics will mask the symptoms, but will not cure the disease. Even after treatment, your chickens will be carriers for life. You will have to close your flock; none in, none out, no exceptions. Biosecurity is the key. There are many antibiotics available; tylan 50 injectable or soluable, duramycin 10 are a couple off the top of my head that are readily available at feed stores. Here's a link to chronic respiratory diseases, follwed by a pic of what a few gapeworm look like in a chickens windpipe:
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ps044

 

[tracydicker]

Thank you so much, I have booked and appt with vet. However, its not as hot and she isnt gasping so much now but I will let you know.