Am I correctly de-worming my chickens?

[Dragonwolfmastr]

Hello! I wanted to make sure I am using the correct method to deworm my chickens.

One of our birds sadly passed away on Saturday due to worms. We think it was cecal or capillary worms, possibly gapeworms but we didn't think so. There were small, short (1cm?), rounded, light-colored worms completely clogging her vent when I looked at her. Unfortunately I cannot provide pictures (sorry!). A few days before she died I did notice that she was acting strange-- she was just standing around and not foraging, kind of looked like she wanted to take a nap.

After she died, we did a big, thorough cleanout of the coop. We scrubbed/vacuumed everything and replaced the bedding, feed, and water.

We got Safeguard dewormer and started to deworm all the other chickens. (I saw what might have been a few worms in their poop. They were light colored and short as well. It couldn't have been poop from the dead bird since we had just cleaned out the coop.) For 3 days in a row, we gave them about 0.25-0.5 ml orally. All 3 hens seem to be doing fine. I have not seen any strange behavior-- they are at normal energy levels, foraging, even escaping. They are eating and drinking normally. Their poop looks normal, no sign of worms. Does that mean we're doing the treatment right, and should I continue for 2 more days?

Please tell me if you need any more information.

Thank you,
@Dragonwolfmastr

 

[Eggcessive]

Those sound like maggots when a hen gets flystrike. It can happen in warm weather if there is a lot of droppings around the vent, or it there is an injury from pecking. Here is a good article about flystrike:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

SafeGuard 10% goat wormer dosage is 0.25 ml per pound given for 5 days. So a 5 pound hen would get 1.25 ml orally. A 3 day dose would treat roundworms, cecal, and gapeworms, but a 5 day course in necessary for capillary (thread) worms

 

[Dragonwolfmastr]

Those sound like maggots when a hen gets flystrike. It can happen in warm weather if there is a lot of droppings around the vent, or it there is an injury from pecking. Here is a good article about flystrike:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/flystrike-in-backyard-chickens-causes/

SafeGuard 10% goat wormer dosage is 0.25 ml per pound given for 5 days. So a 5 pound hen would get 1.25 ml orally. A 3 day dose would treat roundworms, cecal, and gapeworms, but a 5 day course in necessary for capillary (thread) worms

Thank you for the information. Flystrike would not spread to other hens, right?

I will continue deworming my chickens just in case and adjust the dosage to make sure it's the right amount. Thanks again.

 

[Eggcessive]

Flystrike does not spread, but if any have poopy butts or an open cuts/wounds, flies could lay eggs in those. I would inspect some vents and go from there. A quick wash in warm soapy water or trimming any excess fluff can help. Did you notice any wounds on the deab bird’s vent area or just under it?

 

[Dragonwolfmastr]

Flystrike does not spread, but if any have poopy butts or an open cuts/wounds, flies could lay eggs in those. I would inspect some vents and go from there. A quick wash in warm soapy water or trimming any excess fluff can help. Did you notice any wounds on the deab bird’s vent area or just under it?

I will check the other birds' vents. Thank you. I didn't notice any wounds on the dead bird's vent area, but I did notice a lot of dried poop collected around the vent.

 

[Honey Meadows]

Thank you for the information. Flystrike would not spread to other hens, right?

I will continue deworming my chickens just in case and adjust the dosage to make sure it's the right amount. Thanks again.

It could also be cecal worms. Best way to tell is look up pictures.

 

[chiple22]

Thank you for the information. Flystrike would not spread to other hens, right?

I will continue deworming my chickens just in case and adjust the dosage to make sure it's the right amount. Thanks again.

3cc per gallon of water

 

[Eggcessive]

3cc per gallon of water

Fenbendazole (SafeGuard 10% liquid or horse paste) is given orally, because it settles out in water. The dosage is in post 2 above.

 

[chiple22]

Fenbendazole (SafeGuard 10% liquid or horse paste) is given orally, because it settles out in water. The dosage is in post 2 above.

Not everybody is able to give it to them orally, if that is the case, here is the water dosage.

 

[Eggcessive]

This is an old thread, and probably was maggots, but we never saw pictures. I have wormed 70 birds at one time in the past. It is a pain yes, but there are no present wormers except levamisole that are easily put into water. Using the medication as it is supposed to be given is best. If it settles out in water, they are not given the right dosage. It can be put in food or bread, but each bird should be treated separately.