Prevention / Cures for Tapeworm or any worms really

[NewbeeDoo]

Good Morning!

I'm feeling just a little discouraged about keeping chickens...wondering if maybe south Florida is not the best place to keep chickens. Winter seemed fine, 1 hen, no problems! As soon as the puddles in our yard came, and we got 13 more(2 months ago), we've lost 1 chicken to immune depression after she had Foul Pox, Coccidiosis, Lice, and then started with the symptoms of Cocci again on top of never getting back up to weight. Then lost our Turkey to Bufo Marinus paralyzation.

Our new problem as of yesterday was a long thinker spaghetti like/color 7 in. long worm in a poop! I'm assuming it's tapeworm, but please correct me if I'm wrong! I'm looking to try a natural remedy as the meds we gave them for the Cocci and Lice just seemed to knock them down and I'm wondering if it damaged their immune systems a bit . Don't get me wrong, I'll try the drugs if that's what I need to do, I'd just really like to try natural as a preference. Yesterday after I found the little beasty, I crushed a head of garlic and put 2t. Cayenne powder and 1t. cinnamon in their food dish (with a little feed) and didn't feed them the rest of the day.

Q #1: What do I give them now? Natural or not, no fights please! Just your opinion!
Q #2: I've heard that Liming your yard can help, but a)Will this kill the grass?, b)How often does this need done? & c) Does this work??
Q #3: Can we catch the worms from the chickens? I'm pregnant and wondering if this is a great idea...
Q #4: Our chickens free range most of the day, should I not do this during rainy season?

Thank anyone for any help!!! I'm really at a loss for words...

 

[Judy]

Albendazole (Valbazen) is the only thing that will kill tapeworms, at least in the US, as far as I know. "Natural" wormers may or may not reduce their numbers but they will not remove them. The meds you gave for cocci or lice will not affect the worms. Even if you gave ivermectin for the lice, it does not get tapeworms, and has become largely ineffective against other worms due to overuse. It would be a good idea to give some buttermilk now, though, to help them recover frm other meds and from the cocci. Agricultirual lime helps grass grow; I have no idea whether it kills worms, but I would guess it has no effect on the oocysts from which they grow inside the animal. They get worms from eating things off the ground, so you should be fine. Bear in mind it is always a good idea to wash your hands after you handle chickens or their equipment. I don't know of any unique danger that chickens present to a pregnant woman, but your doctor is always the best source for this information.

The dose for Valbazen in large fowl is 0.5 ml by mouth per chicken, to be repeated in 10 days. You can squirt it in their mouth or put it on a bit of bread. It can't be added to their water. Withdrawal is 24 days. Bantam dose is 0.25 ml.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...r-crd-parasites-are-rampant/0_20#post_7474271

http://healthybirds.umd.edu/Disease/Deworming Birds.pdf (includes pic of tapeworm)

 

[Eggcessive]

What you are describing is probably a round worm, which is one of the few chicken worms one can see with the naked eye. All chickens get and have worms. The problem arises when they get an overload and start looking sick. The garlic and cayenne may help, and pumpkin seed supposedly help. Pumpkin, zucchini and other squash contain curcurbita which is thought to be a natural wormer. My chickens won't eat the pumpkin seeds unless I grind them and put them in something else like wet feed. However they do like to eat zucchini that is split down the middle. Flockwatcher is correct that Valbazen gets all chicken worms, and that is what many people use. Safeguard liquid goat wormer is another favorite, but doesn't get the tapeworms which are tiny white specks.

 

[NewbeeDoo]

Thank you both for your responses!! Thanks for the link to Dawg's comment, he must live down south too! The Corid and Permethryn I gave just seemed to run them down for a while, not that I expected it to deworm them, thanks for the buttermilk tip! I have some too!
I was under the impression that round worms were smaller, would 7 inches still be considered a round worm? That would be great! But as I was inspecting yard poops I was finding white flecks in a few of them! I have granilar PDZ under their roost so when I've cleaned the poos in the past, I just thought the flecks were PDZ...could it be food? I may try the pumpkin seeds, I really want to just pretend I didn't see it!
The chooks are acting fine! No one is really acting sick at all, my only concern is that my RIR is much smaller than the other birds, however, the guy who gave them to us didn't know her age so I just thought that the reason for her smaller size, but now they're all about 6 months old and she's more behind now than she was initially!
Thanks for dosages and help! Looks like I have some decisions to make today! Thanks too for the liming tip! I'm totally new to this all!

 

[NewbeeDoo]

Ps, I also noticed some mahogany colored pees over the last couple days, completely see through. Any thoughts?

 

[Judy]

Ps, I also noticed some mahogany colored pees over the last couple days, completely see through. Any thoughts?

This could be a lot of things, including intestinal lining (it is normal for them to shed some) or a food, maybe beets? If they had cocci, some strains do cause bleeding; maybe after or during treatment you could see a little blood. Just guesses, though I do know some foods will color the poop.

Here's another link for you, with (graphic) pics of normal and abnormal poops:

http://chat.allotment.org/index.php?topic=17568.0

 

[dawg53]

Thank you both for your responses!! Thanks for the link to Dawg's comment, he must live down south too! The Corid and Permethryn I gave just seemed to run them down for a while, not that I expected it to deworm them, thanks for the buttermilk tip! I have some too!
I was under the impression that round worms were smaller, would 7 inches still be considered a round worm? That would be great! But as I was inspecting yard poops I was finding white flecks in a few of them! I have granilar PDZ under their roost so when I've cleaned the poos in the past, I just thought the flecks were PDZ...could it be food? I may try the pumpkin seeds, I really want to just pretend I didn't see it!
The chooks are acting fine! No one is really acting sick at all, my only concern is that my RIR is much smaller than the other birds, however, the guy who gave them to us didn't know her age so I just thought that the reason for her smaller size, but now they're all about 6 months old and she's more behind now than she was initially!
Thanks for dosages and help! Looks like I have some decisions to make today! Thanks too for the liming tip! I'm totally new to this all!

Tapeworms are flat and segmented, a 7 inch tapeworm isnt uncommon for an infested chicken. The "white specs" in the poop are a dead giveaway for tapeworm segments. Natural products wont touch tapeworm infestations. Purchase valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer from Jefferslivestock.com.
Withhold feed from all your chickens for 24 hours. After 24 hours are up, dose each one with valbazen orally undiluted. Since it's tapeworms, an increased dosage is necessary; dosage for standard size birds is 1cc, smaller chickens 1/2cc. Then wait 3 days, withhold feed for 24 hours and repeat dosing all birds with the same dosage. Then repeat this whole procedure a third and final time.
There's a 14 day withdrawal period after the last dosing.
You cannot get worms from ypur chickens, practice normal hygiene after handling any animal. Forget about treating the soil, worm eggs are everywhere. It would be best to start a regularly scheduled worming program. Consider worming all your birds once every 3 months due to your continuous wet soil conditions.
Valbazen dosages for routine worming would be 1/2cc orally undiluted for standards, 1/4cc for smaller birds. Then repeat dosing again in 10 days.

 

[Eggcessive]

As always, Dawg 53 knows his stuff. Some people who are organic farmers absolutely won't use chemical wormers, so it is those who recommend vegetable seeds with curcurbita in them to help in controlling worms. If you have a heavy worm load and are in danger of losing your chicken, it is probably best to use the Valbazen.

 

[lawrencerooney]

Hi, I have heard that apple cider vinegar works. I have only started using it for my chickens so I don't have any feedback on how it works yet

 

[dawg53]

Hi, I have heard that apple cider vinegar works. I have only started using it for my chickens so I don't have any feedback on how it works yet

I dont know where you heard that misinformation, ACV wont do anything against worms. I've used it for years. If their feet touch the ground, they'll get worms.