1 round worm found in poop, must I deworm? I try to be organic

I try to raise my 7 hens as natural as possible
Fenceless free range, I live in the tropics.

DE in their grain
ACV in their water daily
Cayenne pepper in their seeds
homemade yogurt regularly

I check their poop regularly and today I found 1, 3 inch long dead round worm in a poop.

One of my hens has been sick lately, I have been treating her for been egg bound.
She has been laying on her side and would take a couple of steps then lay down again. Eating and drinking well, and pooping. Her vent seems to be constantly pulsing like she wants to poop or lay and egg.
she hasn't layed in just two days.

Any how all my girls are 1- 1 1/2 years old and have not been wormed
It is the rainy season now.

So if there is 1 worm in the poop, is it time to worm or is 1 worm acceptable.

Yes, you must unfortunately. If you see a worm, it's likely they're more heavily infested than you think as the worms rarely release. THey spread by shedding eggs and living their lives in the digestive tract. So you have an infestation.

Was the worm flat or round?

One worm, unfortunately, is just a sign of many of them. If they have worms, the worms so irritate their intestines and cecum that they will not have the nutrition to lay normally. This might be one of the problems. MOre on the laying aspect shortly.

If you have an infestation (and finding worms means it's possible) then you must treat the infestation with a lighter wormer first (here in the states it's piperazine 17%) and then follow up in 2-4 weeks with something more broad spectrum (here in the states it's ivermectin or fenbendazole). That way you don't kill all the worms at first, which can shock, clog, or sometimes make a bird seriously ill. Instead you paralyze just the adults so that most of them pass out. The follow up stronger wormer kills the larva so that you don't have to keep worming over and over again. Then you can do it twice a year and use all the natural stuff inbetween.

Don't forget - worms do pass into the eggs.

Some people advocate worming more often. I've long been a fan of "the less chemicals the better" but unfortunately there's a time where you simply must use them. Organic hens aren't much good if they're sick or wormy.

On the laying hen, are you feeding her mostly a laying mash feed that has vitamins and minerals, a minimum of grain (less than 10% of her total ration), and free choice oyster shell? If not, switching to that could help with egg binding as often egg binding starts as a calcium/D3 deficiency where eggs don't pass as well because they're not fully hard. Or they're shell-less. If you're not feeding her that way, I'd start. Also if you can get penicillin, I'd give that to her daily for three days as a shot as if she has an infection because of retained eggs it will help. Let me know what you can get there as far as penicillin goes and we'll work with you on that.

On the wormers, piperazine = the wazine. You can actually order that from Cackle Hatchery and they'll deliver to Guam. But do you have any places there locally that sell wormers, etc? I can't seem to find much online and I'd like to help you find them.

Piperazine will normally be piperazine 17% liquid. It's also for cattle and swine. Fenbendazole is usually a paste for horses or cattle (marketed as SafeGuard in the states). Those two products are usable.

Are there more natural remedies? Like cayenne pepper?

Cayenne Pepper (capsaicin) has been indicated to be helpful in some studies to help the immune system... I have found absolutely no reference whatsoever to even surmise that it MIGHT be helpful in management (much less treatment of active infestation) of worms. (There are some studies showing pumkin seed/"pepitas" might be helpful in MANAGEMENT (not treatment) of worms)

Worms can and do leave irreparable damage behind which can negatively impact the birds ability to deal with disease (immune system dependent upon non-damaged intestines) >see ATTRA publication on worms/ATTRA site for how to best deal with the problem for organic flock.

see info in thread here I posted:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213065&p=3

Thanks Threehorse for you time in writing a informative response.

We have many poultry places here as cock fighting is legal and many people participate.
I am not one of those people.

I have seen piperazine 17% in the store I will look to see if they have ivermectin or fenbendazole.

The worm was a round worm. It was 4 inch long, and dead.

My girls have been laying fantastic. 5 eggs each a week.
Their weight is great
feathers full
happy all round

But 3 days ago Y-Genna was laying on her side and seemed troubled. she is much better today and with the rest of the flock.

I feed them ... here is their menu

They are fenceless free range and I give them free choice

oyster shell
red wheat
sunflower
safflower
pellet
corn (a little)
oat groats
pea
milo white
milo red
rolled oats
falx seed
pumpkin seeds

All this is mixed with DE and cayenne
They have organic ACV in their water daily

And then fruit and plain homemade yogurt regularly

Anyhow I hate to worm them but I shall.
I want my girls to be well.

Thanks again, for you help

Hers a pic of my favorite girl

Quote:
Good on you. Too often those that want to stay away from chemicals do so at the expense of their birds.

I would suggest taking a fecal sample to your vet now and again in six months. It might allow you to stay away from the chemical wormers or it might tell you that you are forced to have them on a program.

Some of us live in areas that there is very little choice in the matter. Its either use the chemicals or lose our birds.

You can try some all-natural soap in their water. Soap, just about any soap, can act as a surfactant and dissolves the protective oil layer on a worm's body...then the digestive juices kill them. It works well for just any animal~even humans.

I'd try this before I went for the meds.

Also, its wise to cull birds that are more susceptible to illness or parasite infestation from the flock so they won't be contributing to your genetic pool.

I've been very satisfied with an organic wormer from Verm-Xusa. It's all natural and does the trick. No egg withdrawal period.

Quote:
Where did you purchase this from? I haven't seen any in the feed stores?

Chris Dohogne
21696 Highway B
Lebanon MO 65536-7695
O: 417.532.4476
C: 417.718.5044
[email protected]
Verm-Xusa.com