Deworming with chicks in the coop

[boyswillbeboys]

I have 21 layers and a roo in my coop with 12 4-week old chicks (have their safe cage but get out and roam the coop. one of my layers presented with wry neck just over a week ago, I treated her with vitamins, and chick starter, she perked up for a few days, and started laying again. then she got worse, way worse, she is now lethargic, and barely eating or drinking.
Another hen starrted showing signs of wry neck as well yesterday. I spent the evening trying to figure it out, and looking at the symptoms of worms, realize my whole flock likely has them, there are some poopy bottoms, dark green poo where they sleep, and weight loss in my leghorns. I'm down from 20 eggs a day to 17 at this point.

I'm going into town when I'm done writing this to pick up a dewormer, I will be dosing with a syringe, as at least the one chicken isn't drinking enough to get a full dose. the chicks have their own water jug in their cage, it's 1 quart, should I dose them in their water (it would be easier) or how much do I give them, compared to the grown hens.

I will post again with what kind of wormer I get, though if anyone has a preference, please post as I will check back while I'm at the store. I have 2 farm shops and Peavy mart to choose from.

 

[Eggcessive]

Try to get SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer or Panacur or SafeGuard Horse Paste--they are all fenbendazole, an excellent wormer that gets most chicken worms. Valbazen is an even better one because it gets tapeworm which most chickens don't have. Dosage is 1/2 ml (get a syringe) or a pea sized dollop of the paste. Repeat in 10 days, and toss eggs for 14 days. Another wormer that I have recently found out about is WormOut Gel, which can be put in the water for 2 days. It gets all worms as well, and Jedds.com sells it. Could you have some sort of virus going around, or is there any fighting where they might get injured?

 

[Eggcessive]

Wry neck or torticollis, opisthonatos, star gazing, encepalomalacia, or crook neck is seen in chickens with brain inflammation from injury, and diseases such as fowl cholera, Mareks, and Newcastles, vitamin deficiency (E.) It also may occur just before death. I would make sure the chickens are getting a good brand of fresh layer or all flock feed of 16-20% protein, and put some poultry vitamins in the water. You also could just does the sick birds with PolyViso without iron vitamins 3 drops by mouth daily.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

Thank you eggscessive.

I will also be picking up some electrolytes today.

Got the paste, I didn't have enough money for the liquid ($110) there have been limited pecking order fights and no visible injuries on the sick birds (one leghorn has a torn wattle, but she's not sick

 

[Eggcessive]

$110 for SafeGuard Liquid??? Were you looking at the cattle size? It is normally around $18 at TSC for goats in the 4 oz size. Here is a link for it online: http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail....ferralID=4ae7a8c7-cbcf-11e3-87fe-001b2166c2c0

HOMEMADE ELECTROLYTE SOLUTION
1/2 teaspoon salt substitute*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 gallon water
*Salt substitute is readily available in most grocery stores in the spice aisle near the salt, but if you do not have it, don't worry, the solution will still have most of the benefits intended to combat heat stress

 

[casportpony]

$110 would be the liter price, and that's cheaper than I got mine for, I think.

-Kathy

 

[boyswillbeboys]

casportpony, I think it was a liter, I was able to get the paste (also 10%) for $16 (25g) I couldnt wait for mail order, the one chicken needed intervention ASAP.

I was able to get a vitamin supplement for $6 which will do 225 Litres of water, it includes vitamin A, I am only providing this to the sickest chicken, as the other still appears to be eating and drinking normally, just with abnormal head movements, and moving a little slower.

Dang rooster was hard to catch, even with all the ones who hadn't got their medicine still in the coop. I was catching medicating and releasing into the run, so I would know who got theirs already.

I'm in Canada but I will check out your link eggcessive, so I will maybe have a place to get supplies when I need them, as I haven't found much locally (not much in the way of chicken keepers around here, it's mostly cattle, with a few horses and sheep.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

doing some more looking on safe-guard trying to get some liquid in case of future need, and it's telling me there is no withholding time for milk or pigs, with a 13 day wait before slaughter for cows. Everywhere it says it's safe for pregnant animals, so it seems like it doesn't get into the reproductive system.

so now I'm questioning the need to withold for eggs as well. I was thinking, if it gets into the eggs, then I could boil tomorrows eggs, and feed them to the 4 week olds, and my sickest hen, but if it can't, then there is no point in witholding for my family at all (won't sell the eggs during the withholding period for quality sake (I know one family I sell to has an Autistic daughter who gets eggs in every meal, so I want the eggs to be 100% best quality when I sell to them.)

 

[cafarmgirl]

doing some more looking on safe-guard trying to get some liquid in case of future need, and it's telling me there is no withholding time for milk or pigs, with a 13 day wait before slaughter for cows. Everywhere it says it's safe for pregnant animals, so it seems like it doesn't get into the reproductive system.

so now I'm questioning the need to withold for eggs as well. I was thinking, if it gets into the eggs, then I could boil tomorrows eggs, and feed them to the 4 week olds, and my sickest hen, but if it can't, then there is no point in witholding for my family at all (won't sell the eggs during the withholding period for quality sake (I know one family I sell to has an Autistic daughter who gets eggs in every meal, so I want the eggs to be 100% best quality when I sell to them.)

There can be trace amounts of the dewormer in the eggs and that is the reason why you don't want to feed those eggs to the chickens or your dogs etc. Those trace levels of dewormer present in the eggs can do a very good job of helping any parasites in the animals who eat the eggs to develop resistance to that dewormer. As far as human consumption of the eggs...personal choice I guess. The same logic applies though most humans in developed countries are probably less likely to have intestinal parasites then animals. The active ingredient in Safeguard (fenbendazole) is the same one used to treat humans who are unlucky enough to contract a case of intestinal parasites. Though if I was selling or giving eggs to others I would abide by the 10 day withdrawal period.

 

[Eggcessive]

Your chickens with wry neck could benefit from the vitamins (B and E) along with selenium. Too bad you are having to pay more in Canada. I think levamisole is used there a lot for worms. SafeGuard is safer. Here is some info on wry neck (scroll down in the first link for vitamin dosages):
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/Crookneck/Crookneck.html
http://oureggbasket.blogspot.com/2013/04/wry-neck-or-crook-neck-understanding-it.html