Rotate Deworming Medication/Repeat Tapeworm Problem

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BeccaSmith

BeccaSmith

Songster
8 Years
Apr 9, 2011
518
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133
Meridian, ID
Hi everyone,

I just saw tapeworm segments in some fresh chicken poop last night (after I cleaned and put down fresh bedding in the coop...grrr). This is not the first time they have had tapeworm since my hens free range so I expect them to always have worms, I would just like to help keep them worm population down in them. My dilemma is that all I have ever used to worm my hens is Valbazen (probably on a total of 3 or 4 different occasions) and I have read to rotate worming medication, but I am not sure what else to use that will kill tapeworm. A lot of the threads on here seem to have conflicting information on what will and will not kill tapeworm, such as Safeguard for goats. I'm not sure what my other options are really. I contacted my local poultry vet, but they said with 15 chickens all needing to be treated it would cost around $75 if they gave me Drontal pills for my chickens and I just can't afford that for just one dosing, especially since that price doesnt' inlcude the required fecal test! So what are my other options or should I just keep sticking with the Valbazen?
 
Paziquantel, Levimisol, Albendazole are all effective in the removal of tapeworms. Zimectrin Gold is preferred by some people in rotation with Albendazole wormers like Valbazen. I've used it and it works. Zimectrin Gold is a paste form, so it requires a pea sized amount for large fowl and a bb sized amount for Bantams. It is commonly sold in most feed stores. You dose once, then again 10 days later.

How have you been dosing your birds with Valbazen?
 
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I use a syringe since it is a liquid and just give the proper dosage to them directly in their mouth, wait 10 days, and then repeat. I really do not like using liquids because of the risk of the liquid going down the wrong pipe I guess you could say. But I don't want anything that is water soluble because there is no sure way of knowing how much each individual hen is getting.
 
BeccaSmith said:
I use a syringe since it is a liquid and just give the proper dosage to them directly in their mouth, wait 10 days, and then repeat. I really do not like using liquids because of the risk of the liquid going down the wrong pipe I guess you could say. But I don't want anything that is water soluble because there is no sure way of knowing how much each individual hen is getting.
Click to expand...

That dose of Valbazen should work if it is .5 cc for large fowl, or .25 cc for Bantams. The length of time between worming determines much also as to whether your birds become infected again. I prefer capsules/pills or orally via syringe opposed to water treatments/feed mixtures as well.

Keeping the grass short and keeping the environment dry (if possible) to prevent the habitat for known vectors of intestinal worms helps reduce problems as well.
 
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I'm not saying that Michael's dosing method is wrong,
big_smile.png
, I just want to share with those that are really anal (like me) about weighing and dosing that the most effective Valbazen (albendazole) dose is .2ml per 2.2 pounds of body weight (~20mg/kg)... Any less might not get some types of worms. Give orally and repeat in ten days.

-Kathy
 
I just dewormed them with the Valbazen this last spring and I do believe that was the dosage I used. I wonder if I could fit a 1/2cc in a capsule, I buy capsules for my cat's medication but they are pretty small, I think like a number 3. Should I just stick with the Valbazen or should I rotate to something else?

Thanks for the environmental tips, unfortunately we our hens on a 1/2 acre pasture that gets watered by flood irrigation for several days about every other week during the warm months of the year and it tends to stay pretty moist that way. My husband mows it on a regular basis during the warm months as well. We also have a lot of wild birds in the area such as quail and I'm sure that doesn't help either. I'd rather they free range though and have to deworm them then for them be locked up in a coop.
 
BeccaSmith said:
Hi everyone,

I just saw tapeworm segments in some fresh chicken poop last night (after I cleaned and put down fresh bedding in the coop...grrr). This is not the first time they have had tapeworm since my hens free range so I expect them to always have worms, I would just like to help keep them worm population down in them. My dilemma is that all I have ever used to worm my hens is Valbazen (probably on a total of 3 or 4 different occasions) and I have read to rotate worming medication, but I am not sure what else to use that will kill tapeworm. A lot of the threads on here seem to have conflicting information on what will and will not kill tapeworm, such as Safeguard for goats. I'm not sure what my other options are really. I contacted my local poultry vet, but they said with 15 chickens all needing to be treated it would cost around $75 if they gave me Drontal pills for my chickens and I just can't afford that for just one dosing, especially since that price doesnt' inlcude the required fecal test! So what are my other options or should I just keep sticking with the Valbazen?
Click to expand...

I've dealt with tapeworms many times, they are difficult to get rid of. Purchase Zimectrin Gold equine paste wormer. The praziquantel in z-gold will kill tapes, it's the same as drontal/droncit. Give your birds a "pea" size amount orally to each chicken. They will wipe their beaks on the ground afterwards which is normal. Repeat dosing in 10 days.
There are only 4 wormers I know of that will kill tapeworms in chickens: Valbazen at double doses, zimectrin gold, equimax, and quest plus. The last 3 are equine wormers. I dont recommend quest plus because it requires exact measurement for dosing, there is little room for error. The zimectrin gold is the safest equine wormer of the three. I've used it without any problems.
If you wish to use valbazen, let me know...it has to be administered differently to be effective rather than redosing just one more time in 10 days.
http://www.jefferspet.com/zimecterin-gold/camid/EQU/cp/M0-Z2/
FYI: Insects are the intermediate host carrying infective tapeworm eggs. Chickens eat infected insects, chicken gets infected.
 
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dawg53 said:
I've dealt with tapeworms many times, they are difficult to get rid of. Purchase Zimectrin Gold equine paste wormer. The praziquantel in z-gold will kill tapes, it's the same as drontal/droncit. Give your birds a "pea" size amount orally to each chicken. They will wipe their beaks on the ground afterwards which is normal. Repeat dosing in 10 days.
There are only 4 wormers I know of that will kill tapeworms in chickens: Valbazen at double doses, zimectrin gold, equimax, and quest plus. The last 3 are equine wormers. I dont recommend quest plus because it requires exact measurement for dosing, there is little room for error. The zimectrin gold is the safest equine wormer of the three. I've used it without any problems.
If you wish to use valbazen, let me know...it has to be administered differently to be effective rather than redosing just one more time in 10 days.
http://www.jefferspet.com/zimecterin-gold/camid/EQU/cp/M0-Z2/
FYI: Insects are the intermediate host carrying infective tapeworm eggs. Chickens eat infected insects, chicken gets infected.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Dawg! I have been using Valbazen in the past, I used it just this last spring, and in the spring and fall of 2012. I was wondering what else was out there if I should be rotating dewormers or if I should stick with the Valbazen, which would be easiest since I already have a huge bottle of it.
 
BeccaSmith said:
I just dewormed them with the Valbazen this last spring and I do believe that was the dosage I used. I wonder if I could fit a 1/2cc in a capsule, I buy capsules for my cat's medication but they are pretty small, I think like a number 3. Should I just stick with the Valbazen or should I rotate to something else?

Thanks for the environmental tips, unfortunately we our hens on a 1/2 acre pasture that gets watered by flood irrigation for several days about every other week during the warm months of the year and it tends to stay pretty moist that way. My husband mows it on a regular basis during the warm months as well. We also have a lot of wild birds in the area such as quail and I'm sure that doesn't help either. I'd rather they free range though and have to deworm them then for them be locked up in a coop.
Click to expand...

Your environment described is much the same as mine. Lots of pasture, quail, other wild birds, though my pasture dries out during the warmer months. I mow also and make sure drainage is good during the rainy season. Dawg53's suggestions were right on. You can try Kathy's good suggestion on dosage and see if you notice a difference. The dosages I've used are common and have worked well. I'm trying a different form of Albendazole this year known as Trifen Avicola, a wormer labeled for poultry in Central and South America. It is a 70 mg tablet dosed 3 days in a row according to the label. There are a few options out there if tapes are the problem.

Here's some information on Albendazole if you are interested:
http://japr.fass.org/content/16/3/392.full.pdf
 
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Michael Apple said:
Your environment described is much the same as mine. Lots of pasture, quail, other wild birds, though my pasture dries out during the warmer months. I mow also and make sure drainage is good during the rainy season. Dawg53's suggestions were right on. You can try Kathy's good suggestion on dosage and see if you notice a difference. The dosages I've used are common and have worked well. I'm trying a different form of Albendazole this year known as Trifen Avicola, a wormer labeled for poultry in Central and South America. It is a 70 mg tablet dosed 3 days in a row according to the label. There are a few options out there if tapes are the problem.

Here's some information on Albendazole if you are interested:
http://japr.fass.org/content/16/3/392.full.pdf
Click to expand...
Can you provide a link to where you purchase your tablets of Trifen Avicola?
 

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