cocin's bottom filled with worms, help

[kerri]

Hello All,

I have only been a hen owner for a 3 weeks now but I have a buff cochin that was so many worms it is unbelievable. My hens are all about 1-2 years old. I got them from a woman that sold eggs at the farmers market and had over 150 chickens, but she is off to vet school now and had to sell everything. I have just 7 birds. I live in the very dry desert southwest and they free range, they have access to 2 acres but really only use about one.

My cochin, has been very docile, not moving around, staying in one spot all day, not roosting at all. This has gone on for 3 days. When we got a hold of her today, we gentle moved all her feathers on her vent aside and she is covered in fecal matter and 30 to 50 worms just crawling everywhere. They were about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long. They were gray and easy to remove(other than how many there were).

We stopped removing them when my husband brought up contamination. We have put her in her own area and have not checked the other hens as we have been frantically searching the net for what to do now.

How do we help her? Do we clean her all up and try to remove all the worms. Do we just use a product like Wazine 17? Also, we had followed the info on this site about deep littering method for coops. Do we clean it all out, scour it down, what? Also, everyone recommends DE. I have checked both supply stores here and neither one has ever heard of it. Are these worms a risk to my cats and dog or my 7 beautiful children who love to help and have been out with the chickens everyday? Any help you guys can offer will be much appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

 

[Pine Grove]

Sounds like maggots, internal worms can't live outside of the host.

 

[lilchick]

Probably maggots... If they are dirty enough the flies will lay eggs on them.. I would trim off the feathers and fecal matter and remove all the maggots..
Wear plastic gloves if you are concerned.. Just be sure to get any maggots that are inside of her. Without being too graphic here I would use a finger or q-tip and gently remove them. You could also soak her bottom in a pan of warm soapy water and after above cleaning use some antibiotic ointment on her...
Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Quote:
I agree that it's probably maggots and this is how they need to be removed.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

i agree, clean her up. You can soak her bum in some warm water to get the feces and maggots off. You can't just leave them on her or they will surely migrate inside. You can wear rubber gloves (hair color gloves, dishwashing gloves) if you are worried about contamination.

FYI - My vet told me that most things that chickens get, like mites and lice, are species specific, meaning the lice your chicken might get are not the same as the lice your child might pick up from another child in school. So, as long as you wash your hands and are careful to use one special pair of shoes just for inside the coop, you should be okay.

Are you able to post pictures so we can be sure they are maggots?

 

[maymiegirl]

Tell you what...Describe the worms if you can. So you know about Diatomaceous Earth...But that doesn't always take care of all of the parasites. Usually it will take care of the ones you can see though. If it is indeed a maggot there is no worry because a maggot ONLY eats dead flesh, not live flesh. What worries me is the fact that she has a dirtied bottom. That tells me most likely the worms are a type of parasite. The fact that you can actually see the worm narrows it down to possibly a type of roundworm, which means Piperazine should take care of the problem.

Wazine should handle the problem for you. The fact that your hen is listless and groggy tells me to recommend you address her energy level before you try to worm her. Thus, I would recommend possibly some probiotics. Plain Yogurt is a good choice if you do not have a dry form readily available. Give Probiotics and something to boost the red blood cells for at least a week before worming her. I use one tablespoon of Red Cell for horses per 5 gallons of water for all my birds NO MORE. They get it all the time. Poly Vi Sol by Enfamil-- about 3/4 dropper per gallon of water is another substitute until you get some Red Cell. That ought to help you with some suggestions to get you started.

I do agree that she needs to be cleaned up. If there is irritation there and the worms ARE maggots she may need a shot of Blu Kote spray or bag balm.

 

[tiki244]

Awe poor thing. Good Luck and Welcome. Please keep us posted.

 

[ItsSuzzie]

Wow, I have never had worms in or on the vent. I am in the desert as well, but my birds are in coupes to protect them from the wild animals out here. What a mess, I wish you well.

Good luck.

 

[citalk2much]

The product capstar for dogs and cats it is a pill for fleas. If you crush it up add water desolve it and pour it on the maggots you get dead maggots fast we use it a lot with the wildlife that have maggots on wounds works better then anything we have tried

 

[treehouse]

how did it turn out was it worms or maggots ?