Gapeworm Outbreak!!

[steve'n'sal]

Our big fav cock called Oaf has been on the critical list for the past few days First thing we knew of it was a wheezing, we put it down to him having a cold but on Thursday he went downhill rapidly He hunched himself over, staying in the shed all day and eating nothing. His comb turned blue and he breathes it sounds like someone slurping the dreggs out of a glass, he also scratches at his neck. We brought him in on Friday and went to the vets asap where they sold us some Flubenvet for the feeding stock and Panacur for the Cock. The Panacur we have diluted with water and squirt it down his throat when he 'gapes'. It cost us about £15 all together.

TBH we didn't expect him to still be alive, he seams to be a fighter!

[Bramble-Poultry]

gapeworm will be controlled by teh flubenvet, and you must make sure you treat the whole flock if one has been carrying the gapeworm, and the panacur will nuke the heavy infestation on the cock.

have you had this chap long? who did you get it from? might be worth giving them the heads up and letting them know so that they can treat their own flock

[RichmondHens]

Sorry to hear it steve'n'sal. Gapeworm hits pretty fast. I lost one of my partridge chicks to gapeworm. Noticed it gasping in the morning, it was dead by evening. Hope he pulls through. Wasn't he the one you took to the show?

[steve'n'sal]

Thanks for your messages!
Yes, he is the one we took to the show in October and we hatched him ourselves in May this year. We have recently introduced 4 birds from someone else's stock to replace the ones we lost in the dog attack and one of these hens is wheezing a little so good idea to give the past owners a ring (hadn't thought of that). She is not off her food so hopefully the flubenvet mixed with feed will cure her.

Oaf is slightly better today but still don't know if he'll pull through. His breath has started to smell really bad and he still isn't drinking on his own.

[Eco-Chic]

I hope he pulls through and the Flubenvet protects the rest of your flock. You've had quite enough bad luck already.

[Bramble-Poultry]

smelly breath? have you checked his crop? is it impacted? when we had a hen with sour crop it smelled really bad.

Hopefully he will pull through. If he isnt drinking, are you tube feeding him to keep his fluids up?

[steve'n'sal]

Oaf is now making an excellent recovery!!! He is eating loads to make up for a week of starvation and drinking too. He really is a survivor, I think most chickens would have died after going so long without anything to eat or drink (apart from what we managed to get down him painstakingly). He's still a bit wheezy and is living in the house until he is totally better. I put him outside the other day so I could hoover without frightening him but he decided to come and sit on the doorstep, listening to the hoover anyway. Steve and I went down to the plot to see the other chooks, leaving Oaf in the garden and when we came back Oaf had gone back into the house on his own! He's not silly, he knows where it's warm.

[Eco-Chic]

That's good news that he is recovering.

Have you seen the Chicken Gallery on the BHWT web site. Those ex-batts have taken over the rehomers homes

[Nicos]

I'm really releaved for you...things didn't work out for my Lily- glad they have for you..well done!