Bulletin #2112, It’s a Sneeze, It’s a Wheeze, It’s … Gapeworms!

By Anne Lichtenwalner, DVM Ph.D., University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Reviewed and updated by Dana Hill, DVM, MS, Ph.D., DACVP, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu.
Find more of our publications and books at extension.umaine.edu/publications/.

Syngamus tracheae, or the “gapeworm,” is one of several worms that can live in your chicken’s respiratory tract. This worm lives in the trachea, and causes coughing, wheezing and open-mouth breathing (“gapes”).

Birds get infected by eating the worm eggs from the feces-contaminated ground, or by eating earthworms, snails, slugs, and/or flies infected by the gapeworm larvae. In either case, the gapeworms mature and migrate within the chicken, ending up in the respiratory tract. They live in the trachea, laying eggs, which are coughed up by the chicken, swallowed, and passed out in the feces. Either another bird or an earthworm eats the eggs; then the cycle starts again.

How can you tell if it is gapeworms are present? A fecal examination at the vet’s office may do it, or you can send a fecal sample to the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Lab for analysis. Alternatively, you could try parting the neck feathers, using a flashlight in a darkened room to transilluminate the trachea and try to visualize these bright red, 1/2-inch to 2-inch long worms through the thin skin of the hen (see the photo of a turkey trachea containing gapeworms below).

Turkey necropsy showing gapeworms — Trachea at necropsy, opened up to show bright red gapeworms (approx. 1/2 inch long).

Similar respiratory symptoms may also be caused by bacteria or viruses, therefore, an examination by your veterinarian is the best course of action. Proper treatment is also provided with the help of your vet. Remember, not all dewormers kill all types of worms. Proper diagnosis will help you find the right product to use. Remember that using medications of any kind in livestock raised for food must be done exactly according to label directions, or following your veterinarian’s instructions.

How can you prevent gapeworm? In short, prevent exposures to wild birds and limit access to dirt:

Consider keeping hens in “biosecure” coops and henyards that keep wild birds out by use of netting and overhead covers.
Using a sand or concrete layer in the henyard can minimize the risk of infection by either contact with contaminated soil or with earthworms, snails, slugs, or flies.
Many interesting coop designs are available on the internet. If you want to use a chicken “tractor” to allow your chickens access to pasture, please be sure to move it frequently enough that they are never on the bare or muddy ground.

Information in this publication is provided purely for educational purposes. No responsibility is assumed for any problems associated with the use of products or services mentioned. No endorsement of products or companies is intended, nor is criticism of unnamed products or companies implied.

Call 800.287.0274 (in Maine), or 207.581.3188, for information on publications and program offerings from University of Maine Cooperative Extension, or visit extension.umaine.edu.

The University of Maine System (the System) is an equal opportunity institution committed to fostering a nondiscriminatory environment and complying with all applicable nondiscrimination laws. Consistent with State and Federal law, the System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability (physical or mental), genetic information, pregnancy, or veteran or military status in any aspect of its education, programs and activities, and employment. The System provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. If you believe you have experienced discrimination or harassment, you are encouraged to contact the System Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Services at 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, Orono, ME 04469-5713, by calling 207.581.1226, or via TTY at 711 (Maine Relay System). For more information about Title IX or to file a complaint, please contact the UMS Title IX Coordinator at www.maine.edu/title-ix/.