176 Gapes 



GAPES 



{Syngamus Trachealis) 



Gapes may be found in any of the domesticated fowls. Gapes is 

 caused by a reddish blood sucking worm visible to the naked eye. The 

 female is about I/2 ^^ ^^'^^^ long while the male is less than 14 of an 

 inch long. These little worms attach themselves to the walls of the 

 wind pipe obstructing the breathing which causes the chickens to gape. 

 Unless proper steps are taken, the whole flock may be lost. 



SYMPTOMS 



Breathing becomes difficult, the chicken opening its mouth and gasp- 

 ing for breath, or even suffocation may result. It is more severe in 

 smaller fowls because the wind pipe is smaller and easier obstructed. 

 The gapeing is accompanied by a whistling sound. The appetite is good 

 at first but diminishes as the labored breathing becomes intensified. 

 As a result the little fowls become weak, droop the wings, set the head 

 back in the feathers and lose the color of the head. Often gape worms 

 form a mucous dischargs at the point where they attach to the walls of 

 the wind pipe. Gape worms are usually found in pairs adhering to- 

 gether, making them appear as double headed in the shape of a letter Y. 

 The Y appearance is due to the excessive length of the female. 



PREVENTION 



To prevent spreading of the disease in a flock is most important in 

 this disease. If chickens have grown properly, very few will die of 

 gapes after they are eight weeks old. The egg of the gape worm is 

 coughed out of the mouth and passed with the bowel passages of the ef- 

 fected chicks. Hence when healthy baby chicks are feeding, these eggs 

 are picked up and gapes develop. At the first appearance of the disease 

 either kill of isolate the gapey chicks. If the effected flock is over six 



