Deworming concerns

[Ederle]

I dewormed my hens at the end of July with Valbazen. Two doses, ten days apart, and then I waited 14 days to eat eggs again. Now, just a couple months later, I've found a HUGE tapeworm in some chicken poop, and another excrement that had seven roundworms in it. Yes, I counted.

What do I do? Is it possible that they could've gotten worms again so soon after treatment, or do you think that the initial deworming didn't do any good?

Also, is there an effective dewormer that is actually made specifically for poultry, and has a specific egg withdrawal date on it? I don't feel comfortable eating eggs without knowing whether or not they are safe. Thanks.

 

[coach723]

Roundworms are very easy to pick up in the environment, so reinfection is not uncommon. How long it takes depends on the worm load in your particular environment. I worm every 3 months for roundworm because that's what works in my flock.
For tapeworm a medication with praziquantel is most effective. Most commonly people use Equimax horse wormer or Zimectrin Gold. Dosing is here in post #6 for tapeworm:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tapeworms-that-wont-go-away.1130035/
Dosing for the tapeworm with one of those with the praziquantel should get the roundworms at the same time.
Most wormers are used off label for chickens, so most recommend a two week withdrawl for eggs after dose.
The only ones I know of that are specifically for poultry are Wazine, which ONLY treats roundworms, and Safeguard Aquasol, which won't treat tapeworm, and is VERY expensive. A product for birds called Wormout Gel will treat tapeworm, but says not for use in animals used for human consumption, no mention of eggs.

 

[dawg53]

The initial worming with valbazen worked as did the second dosing. The problem is that there are worm eggs in and on your soil. One female large roundworm can deposit thousands of eggs onto your soil each day. Chickens continually peck the soil, they also pick up the worm eggs and are swallowed. Check out the direct lifecycle for worms.

I worm my chickens once a month and use valbazen and other wormers as well. It's the only way to break the worms lifecycle and it takes time. Rotating areas where chickens can forage helps. If they are penned, haul in sand to cover over the egg contaminated existing soil. Sunlight will kill eggs on the surface but not in the soil.

For a chicken to get tapeworms, they must eat an infected insect in order to get infected with tapeworms. This is called the indirect lifecycle. Equimax equine paste wormer will take care of tapeworms, redose in 10 days. Give a pea sized amount orally to the infected chicken.
We eat the eggs after worming and I'm still here typing. However if you suspect that you or someone in your family might have a reaction to the wormer residue in the eggs, toss them in the garbage.

 

[Kiki]

For tapes you need this:

Equimax

• Kiki
• Sep 5, 2018

Equimax

• Kiki
• Sep 5, 2018