Poorly Hilda

I have six ex-batts, two remaining from the four I rehomed in 2009 and four new ones that I acquired on April Fools Day.

One of the new ones, Hilda, is a bit off-colour this morning and I wondered if anyone has any advice, please.

She was a bit quiet yesterday and spent a lot of time in the coop, so I did briefly wonder if she had gone broody.  However, yesterday evening she came out and, well, the only way I can describe it is that she looked like she was shouting her head off with the sound turned down.  No sound came out, she just stood with her beak opening and closing and her neck stretched out.  She didn't put herself to bed last night, she huddled under the house, so I popped her in and kept my fingers crossed.

This morning she came out of the house with the others.  She seemed quite bright and interested but refused mealworms so she must be ill!  I've just been out and checked her over - her eyes are bright and clear, wattle and combs bright red, bottom clean, crop feels empty: she looks physically normal and hasn't been sick whilst I have been watching her. No idea about poo.

Might it be respiratory?  I was wondering whether the "silent shouting" might be gasping for air?

I'm going to see if I can get her to the vet this morning but thought I'd ask on her in case anyone had any ideas...

Many thanks x

Thanks for your reply joyfull.

She hasn't been wormed by me at all, she only arrived on April Fools Day. Perhaps I should have wormed them all as soon as they arrived but, being ex-caged birds, I assumed they'd be all medicated up :-(

Just back from the vet.  Two of three vets at the practice I use are very good with chickens, one is an avian expert, the other has kept chickens all her life.  Guess which vet I got today?  Yup, the one who hasn't examined a chicken in "years". I suggested gapeworm and she looked a bit blank but she's taken Hilda in, is going to get some rehydration fluid in her and give her an injectable wormer (?) and a broad spectrum antibiotic and wait for one of the other two vets to see her later this afternoon.

The more I read about gapeworm, the more it looks like you are correct joyfull.  I tried to get the vet to give me some more Flubenvet to treat my other girls (pretty sure the tub I have, which I currently can't find, is out of date anyway) but she wouldn't do it.  Is it easily passed from bird to bird? 

Guess I just have to wait now for one of the vets who know what they are doing to get involved...

Hello Amanda,
I hope she recovers fully.
It's really useful to receive updates as many of us read the posts with interest but might not feel sufficiently experienced to offer advice, so your updates help me to learn more about chickens and their problems.
Thank you.

however with flubenvet you can still eat the eggs whereas with panacur there is probably a period when you will have to discard them (your vet will be able to tell you if it is 7, 12 or 28 days).