Necropsy results, is not coryza or CRD--parasites are rampant!!!

See previous posting about my sick flock. I am glad I didn't cull them over suspicions:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=574242

My test results came in today and is proof about why worming them is so important. I had heard a little gurgling and hoarse sounding noises and did wazine a couple of weeks ago, and I plan to do valbazen when it comes in, in a few days. I thought they had respiratory issues and all of that, and it turns out they are grossly infected with parasites. I am sort of swing toward "natural" treatments and I just wanted to add that they had been on DE, garlic, kelp and cayenne daily since I got them. It didn't really help.
I emailed the state and don't know what this may mean if I choose to go thru with NPIP next year. I don't know if anything listed will prevent me from doing it, they made no mention of doing anything other than the listed treatment but didn't say how long to treat or whatever.

Now I don't know if further tests are coming or if these are the final test results. I don't know if they will be "carriers" of anything. I need to ask more questions.

I hadn't planned to worm this flock (4 different sources and ages, none more than 7-9 mos old) until fall, but am doing it asap because they are so symptomatic. The wazine a couple of weeks ago should help too.

RESULTS:

PATHOLOGIC FINDINGS
MORPHOLOGIC DIAGNOSIS:
Emaciation and dehydration associated with profuse fibrinous and superficial mucosal clefting and necrotizing enteritis with pronounced lymphohistiocytic and eosinophilic infiltration

Moderate nematode (Roundworm larvae and adults are noted in small intestines and severe Sarcina sp. [bacteria] present in large intestines).

Some segments of both small and large intestines feature large numbers of Coccobacillary bacterial adherent to the mucosa, possibly E. coli (Salmonella needed to be ruled out)

COMMENTS:
The small intestinal changes are quite severe and are likely due to parasites as well as bacterial infection. The infiltrations for the most part are mononuclear cells and may indicate additional viral involvement such as Rota virus or Reo virus. Adenovirus and herpes inclusions bodies are not recognized.

Monty Banerjee, DVM, MS, Ph.D.
Veterinary Pathologist
9/23/11

BACTERIOLOGY RESULTS:
A white Liver Culture, bacterial, aerobic - A moderate growth of E. coli was isolated.
A white Intestine Culture, bacterial, aerobic - A moderate growth of E. coli was isolated.
A white Intestine Culture, bacterial, Salmonella enrichment - Negative
A white Intestine Microscopic examination - A few Sarcina packets were observed.
Microbial sensitivity results are below.
Mark Hemker, Microbiologist
9/22/11
E. coli

Sulfonamides R
Tetracycline R
Clindamycin R
Ceftiofur I
Erythromycin R
Enrofloxacin I
Sulfisoxazole R
Neomycin S
Penicillin-G R
Spectinomycin R
Trimeth-Sulfa S
Ampicillin R

Interpretation of Results: (R) resistant; (I) intermediate; (S) sensitive; (NA) not applicable

VIROLOGY RESULTS:

A white Trachea FA test, gallid herpesvirus 1 (ILT) - None observed

Very Interesting! At our clinic we see patients all of the time that say they don't deworm because they use all the natural remedies and are always SCHOCKED to find out there chickens/birds are full of worms. Very rarely do you ever see the natural remedies keep the worm population down. I'm glad you had your chicken tested. You have just helped many people/chickens out there, Thank you!

The girls did not really appear to be ill for the past couple of months (I haven't had the flock for too long, earliest purchase was in late may, last in mid july) so they would have had to come to me to be so extensively full of parasites to the point of making them sick.
I was always a natural sort of mama, but will routinely worm this flock from now on.

The two birds I sacrificed for necropsy were a coro sussex pullet and a lavender marans from two different flock purchases. The coro was from may purchase and the marans was from the july purchase. The marans chick had the eye issue I was so concerned with, but nothing was listed on the report, so I guess it was ok.

Your post is proof positive that DE and all the rest of the "organic wormers" wont kill worms, as I've been stating all along in other sections in this forum. As you now know, worms weaken the chickens immune system and opens the door for bacteria and viral diseases to invade their system complicating matters greatly.
If I were you, I'd forget the wazine from now on and just use the valbazen, later on down the road purchase safeguard equine paste wormer or safeguard liquid goat wormer to worm your birds to prevent worm resistance to one particular wormer.
When you get the valbazen, dose them orally 1/2cc for standards and 1/4cc for smaller birds. Redose them again in 10 days to kill larva hatched from eggs. There's a 24 day withdrawal from start to finish.
I highly recommend that you set up a regular worming schedule. Remember, one roundworm can lay thousands of eggs a day to be deposited onto your soil only to be picked up by another one of your chickens to start the worms lifecycle all over again. I worm mine every 3 months due to our warm/moist soil conditions and that is condusive for worms. You might consider worming semi annually or once every 8 months or however you see fit. Good luck.

Forget all the natural remedies you just want those suckers gone!!! I wouldn't do natural remedies on myself if that's what I thought I had. I'd want 'em gonesville!!!

Quote:
so, i have a question - maybe two:

1) how is it possible that there is no natural way to deal with worms? are you suggesting that nature doesn't have a way to deal with this problem? without human superiority, all chickens would die from worms? let me go ahead and say i'm not engaging, or trying to start, a "fight". i'm sincerely curious.

2) how do you justify eating a bird, or an egg, after you've treated them with those chemicals? a horse wormer? you're eating what your chicken eats. i personally find that scary, and am interested in your response. i will openly admit, perhaps i'm not seeing the whole picture.

I was using DE and an occasional Wazine treatment. Then my birds started dying. I also called my state vet and, after necropsy, found that my birds were full of parasites. They recommended rotating Ivermectin and Safeguard in order to rid the birds of parasites and prevent immunity of the meds. Wazine is much too limited to be effective.

eggdd, just like humans, chickens will pass the meds through their systems. Ivermectin is safely used all the time on humans and dogs for deworming. It is also used on most livestock, like pigs and cattle. We have hunted for pigs because they always take over our deer plots unless we kill a few to warn them off. Pigs, in nature, are FULL of parasites. So are rabbits. I would venture to say that there really isn't an effective natural dewormer when you find animals in their natural habitat that are full of parasites.

I try to be "natural" as much as I can, but sometimes you have to step out of that in order to survive. You ask if chickens would die from worms without human intervention? I say, think about how many human lives have been saved through vaccines and antibiotics and modern medicines. Nature kicks our backends constantly. Even the sun, the source of life, can kill us. Its not that hard to believe that a species could die off due to a lack of natural remedy.

Thank you Darwin.... sorry, couldn't resist lol!

I do want to clarify the ages of the birds I purchased. The coros were about 5 or 6 weeks old and the marans and ameraucanas were about a month old. I didn't want anyone to think that these were day old chicks that got infected.
Is tilling the ground several times over the next month and spreading agriculture lime in the runs helpful to decrease parasites or just bring up more worms that may potentially infect the flock?
I