Worming

We've had our girls about 6 months now and we noticed one of them acting very stand-off'ish and not eating much. So the other day I picked her up and she was about half the weight she had been several weeks ago. After some research and advice we were told it was probably worms. We've yet to see any, but we are not out digging in chicken poo every day either. I've looked at some but I can't see any worms.

They have never been wormed since we got them 6 months ago, ao I went to a local feed store ("Whites" in South Knoxville TN) and they sold me some capsules. Two for each hen. He said to give them one and then repeat in two weeks. For the life of me I can't remember what the name of it is but he told me to not eat the eggs for 10 days after we treated them. So for 5 weeks we can't eat the eggs and will just have to toss them. Since the hens are just coming out of their Molt, and the one being sick, we are only getting one egg a day (out of 4 hens)...so it's not that big of a loss. I just hate the though of buying store eggs and most everyone around here is not getting many eggs this time of year either.

It was not fun trying to get the stronger hens to hold still while shoving a big capsule down it's throat. The weak one was easy but the "new" ruler of the roost put up a good fight spitting it back out several times. Even though they do not have teeth, one of them almost drew blood from me...lol.

Have any of you used the capsule de-worming method? They were just 32 cents each and so far the sick one already seams to be acting better. Today we let them free range about two hours before dark and she was running around stealing food from the others and showing her dominance again. I hope she get back to the top of her pecking order.

I haven't seen capsules for sale here. It would be interesting to know what the medication was. I am glad it seems to be working, whatever it was.

Yes, I'd like to know the name of the capsules too.

Most of the time, you're not going to see any adult worms in the poop unless they have an extremely heavy worm infestation. Live adult worms live in the intestinal tract and they aren't shed in the feces unless the population is too dense or they die. Even when they do die, they aren't huge and depending on where they are in the intestinal tract (different parasites infest different parts of the GI tract) they may even be completely or partially digested so you are very unlikely to see evidence of them in the stools. Normally, only the eggs are shed in the feces and, except for tapeworms, those are too small to see with the naked eye. The best way to know what kind of worms any animal has is to do a fecal float, you take a little bit of poop and mix it with a float solution, then place a microscope cover slip on top and look under the microscope for the worm eggs.

As for what the capsules were, legally there has to be drug information on the container that they sent home with you. It's interesting that they sent home capsules, as the preferred method for medicating birds is liquid. For the next round, you might try investing in a pill popper (they sell them for cats and dogs) to help you get the pill down to the back of the throat with less threat to your own fingers. If they are capsules with granules inside them, you could also pull the capsule apart and mix the granules with water, a small amount of honey, or a vegetable puree (such as pumpkin or even applesauce) and then syringe the medicated mixture into them. If they are gel caps (seems highly unlikely to me, but you didn't give a description other than "capsules") then you can puncture them and mix with a liquid or puree. If they are tablets, you could try crushing them and mixing them with a liquid or puree.

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You can see tapeworm eggs in feces, that's what the segments are...trust me.

CT Williams deworming capsule - this is what they were given. Today we gave them the 2nd capsule and the one looks much better. I'll be glad to be able to start eating eggs again in about 7-10 days.

Hi I want to see we're can I get the CT Williams deworming capsule thank you

We found them at a business called "Whites Hardware" on Chapman hwy in Knoxville Tennessee.
Now that we have a BUNCH of chickens the pills are not viable. We give them Apple Cider vinegar with "mother". Put a table spoon (or two) in with each gallon of water daily. Feed them RAW pumpkin seeds and some yogurt every few weeks. You can also put food grade Diatomaceous Earth in with their feed.

http://www.gardenharvestsupply.com/ProductCart/pc/Diatomaceous-Earth-Food-Grade-5-lb-Bag-p39.htm


http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/nutrition/apple-cider-vinegar


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_pumpkin_seeds_help_prevent_and_de-worm_chickens

PS...don't wait until it's to late. If the comb looses it's bright red colors and lays over and she just mopes around acting all lethargic, you need to get her taken care of quick or she will probably die in a few days. Waiting until they have symptoms.... it can be hard to turn around. Keep them healthy by preventive care, or you are destine for some sad times.

Is there any chance you got the number or web site were you got the CT Williams wormer capsules