Cecal Worms Confirmed - Now What?

[TheLaboratoryBF]

Got the results back on a fecal float test of all my bird’s droppings and it is positive for cecal worms (no other worms found).

Vet recommended fenbendazole; is Panacur 10% horse paste acceptable?

If I’m reading right, dosage of said horse paste is .23 ml per pound per bird for first dose and same amount 10-14 days later, is that correct?

Not sure if Panacur (or any other fenbendazole product) is labeled for laying hen use, but what is the egg withdrawal period? My vet said EIGHT WEEKS but that seems...excessive.

Thank you!

 

[coach723]

That is the correct dose, here is a thread that has info on using panacur specifically.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/worming-with-panacur.1113827/
Most wormers are used off label for chickens, and most people recommend a two week withdrawl for eggs. This article says 7 days after last treatment: https://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-medication/panacur-used-for-worming/
There is one fenbendazole product that is labeled for chickens, Safeguard Aquasol, but it's VERY expensive. But many people also disregard the withdrawl and still use the eggs. Do what you are comfortable with. There are not any studies to determine what, if any, residue is in the eggs, and many of the same medications are used in humans, so the risk is mostly of having an allergic reaction to the medication. But, again, do what you are comfortable with.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

That is the correct dose, here is a thread that has info on using panacur specifically.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/worming-with-panacur.1113827/
Most wormers are used off label for chickens, and most people recommend a two week withdrawl for eggs. This article says 7 days after last treatment: https://poultrykeeper.com/poultry-medication/panacur-used-for-worming/
There is one fenbendazole product that is labeled for chickens, Safeguard Aquasol, but it's VERY expensive. But many people also disregard the withdrawl and still use the eggs. Do what you are comfortable with. There are not any studies to determine what, if any, residue is in the eggs, and many of the same medications are used in humans, so the risk is mostly of having an allergic reaction to the medication. But, again, do what you are comfortable with.

Thanks for the reply; in the thread you linked above, the dosage is listed as .23ml/per pound/per bird for 5 days rather than once and then 10 days later; is there a reason for the different dosing days such as type of worm targeted?

 

[coach723]

I think she said 5 days in that post because the OP did not know what type of worm they were dealing with. 5 days is usually the dose for capillary worms or gapeworms.
This info:

came from this post, which has lots of good worm and worming info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ic-pictures-and-videos.1090991/#post-16754763

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

I think she said 5 days in that post because the OP did not know what type of worm they were dealing with. 5 days is usually the dose for capillary worms or gapeworms.
This info:
View attachment 1544336
came from this post, which has lots of good worm and worming info:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ic-pictures-and-videos.1090991/#post-16754763

Awesome, thank you for your help! This is my first experience with worms in my handful of years keeping chickens so lots to learn.

This may be answered in the link you just provided (and I plan on reading it as soon as I post), but it is my understanding that fenbendazole products can adversely affect feather growth and since my two older girls are just entering their annual molt (they are both soft molters so it can drag out), should I wait until they're done molting/spring so as not to risk damaged regrowth and/or put added strain on their systems? They are not heavily infected (results were 1-2 ova per LPF, a light load) so I would prefer to worm them when it is most advantageous health-wise, but also don't want to give the worms that are present time to multiply.

 

[coach723]

I have heard that about feather damage. I worm every 3 months and have wormed during molt, and have not personally experienced any feather issues. I usually alternate between fenbendazole and albendazole, I know I've done it during molt since I have so many and they don't all molt at the same time. I would tend to be more concerned about the parasites multiplying and the problems from that. I'm really not sure how high a risk of feather damage there is , or if it's a more rare occurence. I can't recall reading anything from anyone that actually experienced it, but that doesn't mean it never happened.

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

I am going to worm with Safe-Guard liquid goat dewormer as I'm assuming the liquid will be easier to draw up into the syringe than paste for precise dosage.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/merck-animal-health-safe-guard-dewormer-for-goats-125ml

Something else I forgot to mention earlier is that the vet recommended a dosage duration of only three days...could this be because of the light load? I'm still planning on dosing once and then again 10 days later to account for newly hatched worms.

 

[casportpony]

If I’m reading right, dosage of said horse paste is .23 ml per pound per bird for first dose and same amount 10-14 days later, is that correct?

That is what my vet suggested when I had cecal worms.

 

[casportpony]

Something else I forgot to mention earlier is that the vet recommended a dosage duration of only three days...could this be because of the light load? I'm still planning on dosing once and then again 10 days later to account for newly hatched worms.

What exactly did your vet recommend?

 

[TheLaboratoryBF]

He hasn’t given me the dosage amount yet because I haven’t given him updated weights for each of my birds. He simply stated the dosage would be based on weight and administered orally for three days.