YUCK live squirming micro wiggling worms above vent - what are they?

Date sort Score sort
Eliza

Eliza

Songster
11 Years
Jun 16, 2008
101
0
119
Lisbon, CT
Sorry to be gross, but what are they? The hen has had rampant diarrhea for the last week. I thought she was egg bound as she was quiet and straining, but nothing happend. I can't feel any egg. However, today I noticed these small squirming wiggling 1cm white worms in a mass pile right above the top lip of the vent. At first I thought they were maggots, but they are too small, and there is no wound. I washed the hen with mild soap and water and spayed mite spray and cleaned her cage. Later today I checked her againk, and there were some worms again. Hen ate hard boiled egg and is still with us but very thin. WHAT UP?
 
Last edited:
Do they look like rice grains? When my cat gets tape worms the segments look like squirming white rice grains.

Pic would be great,

Do they appear to be coming out of the vent or oil gland?

Sorry not more help. Good luck.

Imp
 
ohhh, good call. They do look like tapes, but they move, and it does look like some small hole above the vent, and not in the vent.
 
My guess would be that the hole is a wound and that you have a maggot case. I work in a vet clinic and we see a lot of maggots in dogs this time of year. We spray the area with catron spray which kills the maggots. Clean the area well - keep it clean - keep the flies away - treat with antibiotics if you have any. I think with tape worms you would only see a few and no hole above the vent.

Edited to add - maggots can come in many sizes. We just had a cat in that was badly infested with maggots and they were tiny. like 2-3mm long and 1mm or less wide.
 
Last edited:
What deenamr said.

Tapeworm segments would come out of the vent, and fall off or dry out and stick in the feathers around the vent. They also don't seem to squirm for long. Good luck.

Imp
 
Please let us know the outcome. I'm new and have a lot to learn. Thanks and good luck with the treatment. I hope all turns out well.
 
It's maggots. They don't all need a wound - just moisture.

Screwworm wound spray is great stuff to have on hand btw.

Recheck them every few hours as maggots can hatch out in just a few hours and it only takes one fly to decide that's a good place to lay.

Since you don't know what fly laid them, there's still a possibility that they were screw worm larvae which eat living flesh. So it's important to keep them off of her every time you see them.
smile.png
Most of them just eat 'junk' though.

Then after this is done, we should figure out why that happened if there's no wound - maybe some pasty vent?
 

Similar threads

B
HELP - Worms, prolapse, gapeworm, mites?
2 3
Replies
23
Views
503
Eggcessive
Eggcessive
K
    • Like
[Solved - Vent Gleet] -- Diarrhea + Raspy Chicken - Timeline, Symptoms, Observations
Replies
2
Views
452
kaykay7918
K
SheppFamilyFlock
Hen had an egg stuck again today
Replies
8
Views
965
SheppFamilyFlock
SheppFamilyFlock
chickenmomma1108
hen with labored breathing, waddling, worms and mites?!
Replies
2
Views
541
chickenmomma1108
chickenmomma1108
SheppFamilyFlock
Egg bound, prolapsed vent, and yellow diarrhea (graphic photo)
2
Replies
12
Views
2K
SheppFamilyFlock
SheppFamilyFlock

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom