Deworming medicine?

[kaela_has_chickens]

I have a sick girl. I thought it was coccidia, but just got back from the vet, and he is pretty sure it’s a parasite. He gave me panacur and an antibiotic. He said I could bring a fecal sample from a few of my other hens, and they could test if the whole flock needed to be dewormed. So, I’m wondering - is the fecal test necessary, or can I just get something to deworm them all? And if deworming all is the best option, what would be the best medicine to use? Thanks everyone!

 

[Eggcessive]

Coccidia is a parasite. Did he do a fecal test on the chicken you brought in? How old is she and what have been her symptoms? Does she lay eggs? Does her crop feel full and hard or puffy, and does it empty by the next morning? Coccidiosis is usually more common in young chickens under 10 weeks old. It can affect older chickens when they are having problems with immunity. For deworming most chickens, Valbazen is very good. Safeguard Liquid Goat Wormer is also good. I can give dosages. Corid dosage is 10 ml of the liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water for 5-7 days.

 

[kaela_has_chickens]

Coccidia is a parasite. Did he do a fecal test on the chicken you brought in? How old is she and what have been her symptoms? Does she lay eggs? Does her crop feel full and hard or puffy, and does it empty by the next morning? Coccidiosis is usually more common in young chickens under 10 weeks old. It can affect older chickens when they are having problems with immunity. For deworming most chickens, Valbazen is very good. Safeguard Liquid Goat Wormer is also good. I can give dosages. Corid dosage is 10 ml of the liquid or 1.5 tsp of the powder per gallon of water for 5-7 days.

He did not do a fecal test on her, but he was confident after examining her that parasites were the problem. Yesterday was day 3 of 5 on the medicine, and I’m happy to report that she seems MUCH better!!! Tail is up, no more lethargy, and she’s making noise, eating, and drinking again!!

So, if I’ve kept her separate from the others and on the 2 meds the vet gave me, and the water in the coop and run has had corid in it, do you think I should still get one of the other deworming medications you mentioned? Or should the corid keep the other 8 chickens from getting sick? Also, is there a deworming medicine that I can give to them individually as opposed to putting it in the water? Just so I know everyone is getting the amount they need!

Thanks for the info. Even though I’ve had chickens for 3 years now, I guess I haven’t had to deal with deworming meds yet! I appreciate the help!

 

[Eggcessive]

I don’t know why the vet would not have done a fecal float. They do them on dogs and cats with most visits. Have you been giving the Panacur? That is the same as SafeGuard, and it is given orally, not in the water. The dosage is the same for SafeGuard 0.25 ml per pound of weight given orally for 5 days to treat all worms except tapeworms. If it is given once and again in 10 days, that will only treat for roundworms. Valbazen is also just given orally, not in water.

 

[coach723]

Both the Valbazen and the Safeguard mentioned above are directly dosed to each bird. Some parasites tend to be more birds specific, like tapeworm, and for some you would generally treat the whole flock, like roundworm. Roundworm is pretty common and very easily picked up in the environment as they scratch and peck in the soil. Safeguard and Valbazen, correctly dosed, will treat most of the common parasites (except tapeworm and coccidia). I use them both regularly. For roundworm in particular, you may need to worm regularly to keep the birds healthy, reinfection is common, the eggs live for a very long time in the environment. Some people can worm once or twice a year, some may need to do it more often. Corid only treats coccidia. If getting a fecal (a mixed sample from your flock gives you a good overall picture) is an option, then you will know for certain what parasite you are dealing with. It's usually not terribly expensive if you have a vet that will do it for you.

 

[kaela_has_chickens]

I don’t know why the vet would not have done a fecal float. They do them on dogs and cats with most visits. Have you been giving the Panacur? That is the same as SafeGuard, and it is given orally, not in the water. The dosage is the same for SafeGuard 0.25 ml per pound of weight given orally for 5 days to treat all worms except tapeworms. If it is given once and again in 10 days, that will only treat for roundworms. Valbazen is also just given orally, not in water.

A fecal wasn’t really an option because I was there for about 30 minutes, and she didn’t go the the bathroom at all. She was pretty sick and really not eating or drinking. He even put her down on the floor to see how she acted, and she just crouched down and didn’t move for probably 10 minutes until I picked her up. No poop in the kennel she traveled in, either.

 

[kaela_has_chickens]

I can’t seem to find valbazen on Amazon - is that something I’ll need to get from a farm store? I found the safeguard, so I can probably just get that, but I was reading something that said I should rotate different dewormers so they don’t build up immunity to them - use A in the spring, B in the fall, C the next spring, and then back to A the following fall - good idea, or not necessary?

Oh, and I keep forgetting to ask about an egg withdrawal period while the flock is being treated! Is there one?