[lukasmum]

One of my young bantam wyandottes is walking around caw-ing then stretching her neck upwards with her mouth open. I've never seen any of my chooks do this before, has anyone had any similar experiences?

She isn't as lively as the others, and wasn't  in the scrum for their evening treats.
A little worried... she isn't old enough to lay yet, bless...

Any advice appreciated
Thanks
Lukasmum

[joyfull]

Has she been wormed recently?
It could be gape worm, for this you will need flubenvet (some organic wormers do not treat this).
Have you had a look in her throat to see if she has something stuck in there or gape worm.
Please check asap.

[lukasmum]

Shes sat on my lap as I type.
Her crop is empty. Had a good look in her mouth and throat, as she has her mouth open a lot. Cant see anything. I'm sure she's dehydrated too, but don't want to force her to take  stuff unless I have to. I have flubenvet - how can I get her to take it?
thanks - really  worried now

[lukasmum]

I've syringed a little water down her throat, she seems raspy.
Can't see or feel anything abnormal.
My flubenvet it granular to add to feed - can I disolve some to give to her?
Thanks for such a quick response. None of my 10 others are showing any signs of illness.

[lukasmum]

Well,  I did a little research on Gapeworm, and saw a picture of a chicken with its mouth open just like my little bantie.
...so I'm not sure whether what I've done is right - but I figured I had to take action rather than let her suffocate to death.
I mixed a little flubenvet with water and have syringed it in her mouth. I have no idea whether the dose was correct (as its supposed to be added to food).

All I can do now is wait to see whether she's still with us in the morning, and I'll worm the rest of my flock with flubenvet too. I normally just give verm-x.
poor girlie

Thank you Joyfull for your eagled eyed diagnosis, I hope I got there in time

[joyfull]

unfortunately verm-x doesn't treat gapeworm. Weigh out their feed and mix in the Flubenvet according to the pack and then feed for the recommended days to all of the hens (if you have a lot you may have to weigh out some more feed. If you wish you could also add a drop of oil just to help it stick. Gape worms can be picked up by free ranging birds that eat slugs and snails 

[lukasmum]

Just tip-toed out to their run to check on her. I could hear her gasping for air without even opening the house. Very distressing..

Have you any idea how long the flubenvet takes to work? Poor girlie, I hate to see her suffer, but don't want her PTS if she's likely to pull thru.

Thanks for the oil hint...I'll be worming my flock starting tomorrow.

They have an enormous run...and I periodically turn the soil over to allow them to scratch about for grubs and worms....maybe I shouldn't...or maybe I just need to worm them very regularly.
Thanks again for the advice. I hope she's still with us in the morning.

[joyfull]

If she is still the same in the morning I would take her to the vets just incase it's something else.
I worm my girls twice a year April and October, others do theirs at different times and sometimes 3 times a year, it is to be done over 7 days. Keep turning the soil it is good for the birds to scratch and eat bugs.
Another thing that can make them gasp and gape is vent gleet which is basically thrush and can be from their throat and all the way through their innards down to their vent. One of the treatments for this is nystatin - which is a human medicine and the vets can prescribe this but you will have to sign for it as it isn't tested on poultry.
Some respiritory infections may also make them sound raspy.
So basically without seeing your girl I can only make suggestions I just hope that it is something that is easily treatable 

[dizzylizzie]

Hi, im really sorry about your hen, gape is a very distressing illness, both for the hen and the owner.Gape can be picked up from things like snails, grubs and worms, who are also hosts to the parasite. You cant stop your chickens from scratching and eating grubs....its chickens favorite activity! Periodically treat them with flubenvet. Its very simple to use, even simpler if you keep them in a run. At the start of treatment  weigh 2kg of food, and mix 1 scoop (6g) of flubenvet into it, giving it a really good stir.Keep the medicated food in an air tight container, and only give them this food during the 7 days you need to worm them .Mix more food as needed, and offer it ad-lib like you would normally. If you want to give a very small amount of corn, only do so late in the day as you can be more sure that they have had plenty of medicated food. The larger hens generally eat more than the smaller ones, therefor getting the right amount for their weight. There is no egg withdrawel with flubenvet, so at least you can carry on eating the eggs. Some people recommed doubling the dose of wormer for gape also! It also may be worth looking at getting some disinfectant like stalosan F to sprinkle on the ground helping to keep things like worms under control. If your hen is no better tomorrow, take her to the vets as they can give an injection(ivemectin i think?) to get the flubenvet off to a good start!. Good luck with her and keep us informed.

[lukasmum]

I was out at 6am this morning to catch this girlie before she came out of her coop. I gave her some water thru a syringe and then a couple of squirts of olive oil, and massaged her throat - just incase she did have something stuck. I still can't see of feel anything.

I've been to check on her now, and I don't think she seems quite as distressed as yesterday. I've given her more flubenvet (again mixed with water) and some more olive oil.
She did eat some of the little sunflower seeds I was giving as a bedtime treat - so that is a better sign by itself.

I'll give her til tomorrow morning, and if she isn't making improvements in leaps and bounds - it'll be the vets for her!!, just incase it is vent gleet.

Thank you SO SO much for the advice. If it is gapeworm / vent gleet - how awful??? and the feeling of helplessness is even worse. I spent much of the night dreaming up my water and lubrication plan for this morning!!

The rest of the flock has been Flubenvetted (day 1) today.  Fingers crossed 

[joyfull]

be carefull with the oil as it can be bad for their kidneys.
gape worm are common in all sorts of animals including hedgehogs who eat lots of snails.

[lukasmum]

I've just been out to tuck them in for the night - and no rasping.....
Peeked into the coop - no gaping....she seemed quite settled on her perch.

Will not count my chickens..(no pun intended) but will be out first thing to see if the improvement has continued overnight.

Thanks for the Olive oil warning Joyfull - I have been careful, and won't overload her. I thought a little might lubricate her throat if there was something stuck.

Will sleep easier tonight :happy:

[beulah59]

It does sound like the flub is working ... perhaps just give her in the feed like the others now?

 

[CattinJ]

Hi Lukasmum,
any update today - how is she doing?

[lukasmum]

Well, its late - just back from the vets. She was still gaping this morning, so it was the
only decent thing to do!

Vet couldn't find any obstruction in her throat either, and as she's so small (14 week bantam) couldn't see if there were gapeworms.

The best he could do was a broad spectrum anti biotic and he's given her a dose of very strong 'Stronghold' type liquid on her neck, which should kill any parasites quicker than Flubenvet.  Her crop was empty again - so she isn't eating much. I did see her pecking at the food this morning tho, so I fed her a little probiotic yoghurt before she went to bed.

Have popped her back in with her sisters for the night, and will check on her first thing.
She's feisty - so I hope she pulls thru
thanks for asking about her, and for the support and advice...these feathered critters really get to you don't they!!