One of my Ameraucauna pullets is making a meowing sound. It is pretty constant and apparently involuntary. Could it be gapeworms? Has anyone had experience with treating for them?
Gapeworms
Are there any other symptoms? Runny nose, shaking the head, bubbly eyes, anything else? I had a hen make that sound, but she was really sick.. I gave her antibiotics in her water, and she was fine.. So it couldn't have been worms.. Just wondering?
I copied that info for dosing..
Wazine will not help. All I know is ivermectin injectable (given orally). That should kill them in one treatment. Not sure if eprinex pour on is the same, I know it is made by the same company. Maybe someone else will know.
Ivomec Injectable (ivermectin)
Ivomec injectable is used for treatment of worms in your fowl, and can be used to help keep external parasites, like Red Mites, down too.
Dosage
You will need a syringe to get ivomec out of the bottle, and you can use it to apply the dosage listed below by holding the birds mouth open, and dripping it into the back of its throat. Another method is to apply the correct dosage to a piece of bread, then feed it to the bird you are treating.
* 5 to 7 drops orally for adult size birds.
* 3 to 5 drops orally for bantam size birds.
It is recommended to worm your fowl on a regular basis, and this method will need to be repeated every 2 to 3 months to keep worms under control. In severe cases, you may want to retreat the bird 10 days after the initial treatment, to make sure you take care of the problem.
Ivomec can be purchased at most farm supply stores in the cattle section.
Warning
Take care not to eat the eggs after treating with Ivomec until the treated fowl has laid at least five to seven eggs.
She seems quite well except for the constant "meowing". I will look in her mouth tomorrow. The Ivomec sounds easy. And , no, the pour-ons are not the same.
Shoot, sounds like she ate the cat...
- Not missing any cats... She's still meowing, but was quiet on the roost last night, so perhaps it is a voluntary sound? Nothing visible in her throat either. She seems fine otherwise.
Do you all keep your chickens on a deworking program? At what age do you start deworming? Is Ivomec safe for chicks? I was thinking about worms... if mine happen to have them if I deworm before they're moved to the coop maybe the area won't start out being infected. Gape worms, yuck, even the name sounds bad!
I have never dewormed my chickens before. Since it seemed likely that this pullet had Gapeworms though, I did treat her. If you treat laying hens, you have to dispose of the eggs afterward for varying periods of time depending upon what chemical you use.
I've used DE for worming.. but I know it's no good for gapeworms. I know it worked cause the poo was clear and healthy after about a week. I've only had one hen ever show a worm infestation.. so I am with you Porkpal.. I haven't had to worm them..
Well my meowing pullet is fine today so perhaps she did have gapeworms. I treated her with 0.6cc of a Piperizine liquid I had for the pigs as the Merck manual claimed it was effective for gapeworm and fairly safe. So either that cured her or she was going to get better anyway, but problem solved!
I think pillbugs (sowbugs) vector gapeworms....pity.
Merck manual mentioned earthworms among others. I don't think prevention is a viable option.