Poorly chicken

[Nicola O]

Mavis, one of my ex-bats seemed subdued this morning. She was breathing through her mouth and stretching her head up with every breath. I thought of gapeworm so gave them all a flubenvet dose using the grape method, and will keep doing so through the week.

 

A little later I noticed that she was 'rattling' when she took a breath. I rang my vets who said she knew nothing sbout chickens and didn't seem to want to know, so I rang another in the next town who was REALLY helpful.

 

When I explained Mavis' symptems she said that it did sound more like gapeworm than a chest infecteion (that was my second thought) and said to keep giving the flubenvet but twice a day, not once. She also said that a higher humidity would help her cough up and then swallow the worms so she can pass them, so she is currently in a box in the bathroom with a hot shower running. She has a dish of water with a drop of citricidal and some sweetcorn with some avipro in it.

 

The vet also told me how you can check for gapeworm. To open her beak and shine a torch down her throat and as the trachea opens you can sometimes see them as the worms are bright red. I tried that but couldn't see anything - I wasn't sure how far back to lift her head or to open her beak - but it is useful to know.

 

I need to keep her warm so she will stay inside in the box tonight as we are supposed to have gales overnight and I'll pop her back out with the others before I go to work in the morning. I don't want to keep her seperated too long in case I have trouble when I put her back.

 

Anyway, any other advice from you knowledgable lot will be gratefully received, and I'll let you know how she gets on.

 

Nicola

Edited March 13, 2008 by Guest

[theherd123]

Nicola im sorry to hear Mavis isnt on top form, they are such a worry arent they?

 

I think you have got everything covered in what you have said so as long as you keep her hydrated and she has the chance to eat a little of what she fancies im sure she will be ok.

 

She is in wonderful hands

[Snowy]

Sounds like great advice from your vet! Sounds like they really know what they are talking about!

 

Hope she picks up soon

[chelsea]

You sound like you are doing everything you can, all the right things.

 

Hope she picks up soon.

[Egluntyne]

Flubenvet is definitely the best treatment for gapeworm.

 

Your vet sounds fantastic!

 

There has been a lot of negativity recently about vets....it is good to hear one being praised.

 

You will have to discard any eggs she lays whilst on the Flubenvet though, as you are exceeding the normal dose.

 

Keep us posted about her progress won't you.

 

There does seem to be a lot of gapeworm about at the moment.

[Shelley Cockell]

That''s great advice - Mine still hasn't got over the suspected gape worm either- so maybe I should go for round 3 with the Flubenvet, but double the dose and just the two chickens that are now showing symptoms.

Not sure i'll be giving her the ensuite treatment though!!

[Nicola O]

Your vet sounds fantastic!

 

The funny thing was, this was not my vet. I rang my own surgery first (where the dogs and cat go) but the vet on call there seemed quite uninterested, just saying that they dont deal with exotics !

 

The helpful vet was from a surgery in the next town where I'd heard there was an avian vet - the lady I spoke to was not the avian vet but she still knew her stuff. I was so impressed with her help that this surgery will be my chicken vets from now on.

 

Well, Mavis has spent a long time in her box in the bathroom so I've just brought her downstairs in case she wants a wander and stretch her legs and then she can have another steaming sension. I dissolved a pinch of flubenvet in a small amount of water and squirted some into her as she wouldn't eat her grape for her second dose.

 

If it's not freezing or blowing a gale tomorrow I'll pop her out with the others and just bring her back in over night if there is no improvement.

 

Nicola.

[Nicola O]

Just a quick update.

 

Monday night I put Mavis back with the others, and I think there was a slight improvement by this time. But Tuesday morning she seemed so much better .

 

There was still a slight opening and closing of the beak as she breathed, but that was completely gone by Tuesday night and now she is 100% O.K.

 

I am a very happy chicken mummy .

 

Myrtle is now showing early signs of gapeworm but this time I won't panic as I know what I am doing and how quickly it can be cleared up.

 

Nicola.

[Christian]

Well done Nicola!

 

Glad she is looking better and you has sorted her out

[Egluntyne]

Very good news.

 

A nuisance about Myrtle though.

 

At least you are experienced now!

[Guest]

Nicola, thank you so much for posting this information. I have looked on here today for info about gapeworm and found a method which appears to work!

 

A few of my hens (including the recently recovered Kelly ) are showing signs - shaking heads and jerking necks. I have been worming with Flubenvet this week anyway. Would it be safe to do the double dose a day over a second week? I guess there's not much to lose anyway - I have to get rid of the gapeworm, if that's what it is.

[Nicola O]

Ginette, I think that you would be fine to do two doses a day now but I think you need to dispose of her eggs as she would be consuming more than the recommended dose. I didn't have that worry as Mavis stop laying some time ago.

 

You could try the 'sauna sessions' as well. My vet said that steam and a higher humidity is really helpful in helping the hen clear the worms from their throat. Mavis only spent about 36 hours indoors and had about four steaming sessions before I felt she had improved enough to go back outside. After about four days she seemed 100% better.

 

Hope this is of help, Nicola.

[Guest]

Thank you again Nicola. I'm not sure about doing the steam. I have at least 3 hens exhibiting symptoms. All 8 are being treated, just in case.

 

What might an OD of flubenvet in the eggs do to me? If the eggs are cooked wouldn't they be ok? I can't bear the thought of discarding 50 eggs.

[Nicola O]

Oh gosh, that's a lot of eggs to get rid of. It would be heartbreaking to have to put 50 eggs in the bin

 

With mine, only Mavis had two doses a day, the others that showed no symptoms were just given the normal once a day dose.

 

I don't know if eating eggs from a two dose a day hen would have any affect on you. Perhaps someone else can help us with that - I think it was Egluntine who said the eggs should be discarded.

 

Go on - bring your three into the bathroom - you can have a chat with them every time you nip to the loo .

 

Nicola.

[Egluntyne]

TBH I'm not sure I'd bother....I just wouldn't give them to other people or sell them.

 

Also maybe not give them to children or anyone pregnant.

 

At least you'll know that you haven't got worms.

 

That's just my opinion though.

[Snowy]

You could scramble some and feed them back to the chooks!

[Guest]

Sounds like great advice.Hope she picks up soon

[Guest]

Kelly was quite bad yesterday, but not the day before and not today. I haven't got any experience so I don't know how it should all work. All the hens have got runny poos, so I imagine that's a reaction to the Flubenvet. no sign of worms though. I haven't been brave enough to look down their throats - I don't really want to see a red worm in there, far too gruesome an image!

[Shelley Cockell]

I give up!!

 

I did the two doses a day for seven days using grapes and still they are shaking heads and stretching necks (every now and then). What is it???? I am really starting to think this isn't gape.

 

Maybe mites around their heads? I had a look but really didn't know what I was looking for but emily does have some new feather coming through - do you think this could be irritating her?

 

Also both Emily and Doris's wattles and comb have been getting larger before they came into lay - do you think this may make them itch - and therefore make them shake their heads?

I just don't think this is gape worm anymore.

[Egluntyne]

If you get a torch, Shelley, and open the hens beak and shine it down the throat, if it is gapeworm, you will see it.......red and quite obvious.

 

If your hens seem otherwise well, maybe there is nothing to worry about.

 

However, if you are still concerned, perhaps a trip to the vet might be a good idea.

[Guest]

Shelley, you're worrying me! I dosed normally for a week (routine) and this was when I first noticed the neck shaking etc. I have been double dosing for 5 days now and there doesn't seem to be any improvement in the symptoms, nor has it got worse.

 

I am already thinking I will have to go to the vet next week if Kelly isn't better.

 

Have you brought yours inside for a steam treatment? I haven't, but I am beginning to think I must.

 

We had rats about a week before this outbreak and we have sheep in the field bordering our garden, which we don't usually have. I don't know if either of these things is a contributary factor.

[Shelley Cockell]

I've just tried (single handedly) to shine a torch down one of their throats, but almost impossible as she just kept pulling her head away. Husband thinks I'm mad and hence the single handed attempt!! Maybe I am mad and have chicken hypochondria!! Must admit haven't seen them doing the yawning thing today just the odd shake.

 

Ginette - I've done two normal doses followed by the double dose - hence my doubts that it is gape.

 

Think I'll leave to see if it gets any worse and if so maybe take them to the vets - (although hubby and I agreed when we got them that if they got ill that we would not take them to a vet but put them down )

[Guest]

How is she now Shelley?

 

I spoke to our vet this afternoon, explaining that Kelly still had a lot of problems. We are going to see her in the morning At least she can confirm my diagnosis and advise me what to do next.

[Shelley Cockell]

They are no different.

 

not much gaping and there is no breathing problems either - just the head shaking every now and then.

 

It started with just one doing it about a month and a half ago and then another one. Now I've noticed all four a shaking their heads, but the first one that did it is doing it more often - maybe they are just copying her

 

There are no other problems with them - all seem fine, eating, laying etc.

 

Let me know how you get on at the vets later.

[Guest]

Curious then!

 

Kelly, typically, looked good this morning and I noticed that her neck seemed longer and not swollen or bulging as it had been before. She was definitely stretching her neck around yesterday but today she looks fine.

 

We toddled off to the vet and she could find nothing wrong with her. She looked down her throat and all looks good. She said that sometimes after an infestation the throat could be left sore and inflamed, so maybe this was why Kelly appeared to be stretching still. Kelly was a total star and chatted happily all the way through.

 

She also checked her for lice and mites, saying "Are you the only person whose chickens don't have mites?" I said I'd never had a problem and I think it's down to the hygiene we're all capable of with the eglu.

 

Stalosan F is arriving soon so I will be dosing the run and ground with that to make sure we don't have a recurrence.

 

The vet is going to ring Flubenvet and ask if they make any other kind of application. She had a feeling that they make capsules for pigeons, which might be a more accurate method of dosing - I had told her about brushing a small amount on a grape in a not terribly scientific manner.

 

I'll keep looking, but today I think we might all be recovered.