Deworming 40 Chickens?

[Clucktown]

Please read posts #2 & #4 in this link, they will help you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/worms-in-chicken-poop.1575508/#post-26765905

For tapeworms, you need to use Equimax or Zimectrin Gold to kill the tapeworms. Only dose the birds that are excreting the segments that you see in feces. It's possible that only one or two birds have tapeworms. The moving segments in feces contain eggs. The segments work their way onto and into the soil where they release the eggs. The eggs are eaten by insects. Chickens eat the infected insect and the chicken becomes infected, not all insects will be tapeworm infected however.

You're not going to see gapeworms in feces since they are attached to the trachea. Their eggs can be detected in feces under a microscope.
I doubt your birds have gapeworm, you'd know it if you saw what they do to chickens.

Since you have alot of chickens, buy Valbazen. It will last you, and you only have to dose each chicken twice. The initial dosing, and another dosing 10-14 days later and you're done. It will eliminate every type of roundworm that a chicken can get.

I recommend setting up a regular worming schedule. I worm monthly due to our warm wet/moist soil most of the time. Perhaps you can worm your birds every 3 or 4 months or however you see fit since there will be worm eggs in the soil waiting to be picked up by your birds. Take a look at the poultry large roundworm lifecycle on the internet and you'll get a good idea how often you should worm your chickens.
We worm our dog monthly per our vet. Same thing, dogs easily pick up worms and need to be wormed as well.

I always thought Valbazen also killed tapeworms? Is this not accurate?

 

[dawg53]

I always thought Valbazen also killed tapeworms? Is this not accurate?

Used to, but not anymore. Equimax or Zimecterin Gold equine paste will kill tapeworms in poultry.

 

[Folly's place]

The fenbendazoles will kill a short list of tapeworm species, definitely not all varieties. It takes praziquantel (sp?) to get all of them.
Mary

 

[Clucktown]

Used to, but not anymore. Equimax or Zimecterin Gold equine paste will kill tapeworms in poultry.

Interesting. For our horses, the vet has us alternate Quest Plus and Equimax every 6 months for tapeworms. Not sure if Quest Plus is also an option for poultry, but just mentioning it. Has moxidectin/praziquantel.

 

[dawg53]

I used Quest Plus once a long time ago. It's a gel and requires exact measurement as you know. It's nearly impossible to dose a chicken with it because it's almost like Jello. Trying to put it on a piece of bread in order to dose a chicken is nearly impossible.
I suspect it's easier to dose horses with it which is a good thing. But for chickens, I prefer Zimecterin Gold or Equimax pastes. Both are easier to administer orally to chickens.

 

[josephinefarmsw]

Are your birds unwell? Are any underweight? Some level of worm burden is okay for many birds, and as long as they are in that environment, they will be reinfected often/ always.
Fenbendazole is the only wormer approved for use in chickens in the USA, and how it's dosed depends on the parasites present. It will kill one type of tapeworm, but not most species.
We have over thirty chickens right now, and daily individual dosing, for five or ten days straight, repeated three weeks later, isn't going to happen here (gapeworm treatment). Our university poultry expert told me that it isn't worth doing for my flock.
Aquasol is the fenbendazole that actually works when added to their drinking water as directed, wonderful! It is expensive, and we haven' bought it yet. Going together with a couple of other local poultry owners would make the price more 'user friendly', which is my plan.
Mary

 

[josephinefarmsw]

Are your birds unwell? Are any underweight? Some level of worm burden is okay for many birds, and as long as they are in that environment, they will be reinfected often/ always.
Fenbendazole is the only wormer approved for use in chickens in the USA, and how it's dosed depends on the parasites present. It will kill one type of tapeworm, but not most species.
We have over thirty chickens right now, and daily individual dosing, for five or ten days straight, repeated three weeks later, isn't going to happen here (gapeworm treatment). Our university poultry expert told me that it isn't worth doing for my flock.
Aquasol is the fenbendazole that actually works when added to their drinking water as directed, wonderful! It is expensive, and we haven' bought it yet. Going together with a couple of other local poultry owners would make the price more 'user friendly', which is my plan.
Mary

I recently saw that smaller doses of Aquasol just became available for purchase - with 40 hens it may end up costing the same amount as the large $275 container -but for people with smaller flocks I thought I would share: https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=82291d87-86b6-4ca3-8b5a-fb9b819fde3c

 

[josephinefarmsw]

Please read posts #2 & #4 in this link, they will help you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/worms-in-chicken-poop.1575508/#post-26765905

For tapeworms, you need to use Equimax or Zimectrin Gold to kill the tapeworms. Only dose the birds that are excreting the segments that you see in feces. It's possible that only one or two birds have tapeworms. The moving segments in feces contain eggs. The segments work their way onto and into the soil where they release the eggs. The eggs are eaten by insects. Chickens eat the infected insect and the chicken becomes infected, not all insects will be tapeworm infected however.

You're not going to see gapeworms in feces since they are attached to the trachea. Their eggs can be detected in feces under a microscope.
I doubt your birds have gapeworm, you'd know it if you saw what they do to chickens.

Since you have alot of chickens, buy Valbazen. It will last you, and you only have to dose each chicken twice. The initial dosing, and another dosing 10-14 days later and you're done. It will eliminate every type of roundworm that a chicken can get.

I recommend setting up a regular worming schedule. I worm monthly due to our warm wet/moist soil most of the time. Perhaps you can worm your birds every 3 or 4 months or however you see fit since there will be worm eggs in the soil waiting to be picked up by your birds. Take a look at the poultry large roundworm lifecycle on the internet and you'll get a good idea how often you should worm your chickens.
We worm our dog monthly per our vet. Same thing, dogs easily pick up worms and need to be wormed as well.

Thank you for this helpful reply. I ended up delaying medication treatment due to financial constraints and trouble figuring out who was actually infected. I decided to treat with natural options and address stress with vitamins in their water - as well as deep cleaning the area more regularly (weekly, rather than 2 times monthly). I haven’t seen signs of worms since. Obviously that doesn’t mean they aren’t present so we are getting ready to do a full treatment with Equimax for tape and Aquasol for round, I need to research if I need to space these two different medications apart and for how long. The birds seem healthy and happy, but I’m very worried about a worm showing up in a egg since I am selling lots of eggs right now (the grocery shelves are empty in our area due to bird flu). We have a roof on our run and they aren’t free ranging until the threat has reduced. Obviously with Equimax at least, I need to remove eggs for a time…I have to time that right for my customers. Aquasol claims no egg removal is necessary, but given I sell I may remove them to play it safe anyway.

There is the other part of me that thinks maybe with no signs of worms I should just let it go. I’m torn