First Worming

[bcorps]

Well, I've had a couple of my girls (2 out of 9, the rooster also seems fine) walking around panting, craning their necks out, etc. One of them even seems like her noises are a bit off. So naturally, I've been worried about Gapeworm. Yes, it has also been hot, but none of the other birds are panting. Thing is, they are eating, drinking, and even laying just fine. I still average over 7 eggs per day out of 9 hens.

I figured it is Spring, and none of them have ever been wormed, so I decided to do it just in case. Probably couldn't hurt. I got some Levamed (levamisole hydrochloride drench) at the local TSC and placed 1g (1/4 tsp, or a "TAD"...official measurement, look it up) of the powder in the (about) half gallon of water left in their bucket this morning.

How soon should I see results?

For how long do I have to discard the eggs? Or can they be fed back to them (I have a stockpile in the fridge I can eat for a while)?

I am going to have to repeat in 17-21 days again to break the egg cycle, right?

 

[Starburst]

Well, I've had a couple of my girls (2 out of 9, the rooster also seems fine) walking around panting, craning their necks out, etc. One of them even seems like her noises are a bit off. So naturally, I've been worried about Gapeworm. Yes, it has also been hot, but none of the other birds are panting. Thing is, they are eating, drinking, and even laying just fine. I still average over 7 eggs per day out of 9 hens.

I figured it is Spring, and none of them have ever been wormed, so I decided to do it just in case. Probably couldn't hurt. I got some Levamed (levamisole hydrochloride drench) at the local TSC and placed 1g (1/4 tsp, or a "TAD"...official measurement, look it up) of the powder in the (about) half gallon of water left in their bucket this morning.

How soon should I see results?

For how long do I have to discard the eggs? Or can they be fed back to them (I have a stockpile in the fridge I can eat for a while)?

I am going to have to repeat in 17-21 days again to break the egg cycle, right?

Hello! I'm sorry that you're girls aren't doing well! (Hoping that they get better!)
I don't have much experience with using Levamed for deworming chickens...I usually use Valbazen when deworming my chickens, but I haven't needed to deworm because of Gapeworm. That being said, my understanding is that Flubenvet might be a better option for treating your chickens if they have Gapeworm, rather than using Levamed. I could be wrong on this, however.
I'm so sorry that I don't know much about the wormer you're using! With Valbazen, you repeat the deworming after 10 days, but you also administer Valbazen with a syringe, not in water.
(Sorry that I haven't been of much help! Hopefully, some more people will be able to stop by and help soon!)
Some other possibilities of why your chickens are panting/craning necks is that there might be an obstruction from eating/foraging, laryngotracheitis (a respiratory disease), or simply being too hot.
As a general rule of thumb, I would suggest not eating their eggs a week or two after you've given them their last dose of medicine.
I hope your chickens feel better! Best of luck!

​

 

[dawg53]

Actually, Levamisole is a better treatment for gapeworms than Valbazen or Safeguard since it gets into the bloodstream quicker. Flubenvet is not available in the U.S. and not as good as Levamisole, Valbazen, and Safeguard IMO, because Flubenvet is administered in feed.

@bcorps your birds dont have gapeworms if they are eating, drinking and laying eggs.
It's the heat that's causing what you're seeing. Some of my birds honk, mouth's open, heavy breathing, crane their necks and move their wings a short distance away from their bodies when it's hot.
On the other hand, some of my birds handle the heat without any problems at all.

It wont hurt to worm them though. Levamisole used to have a 9 day egg withdrawal period. However, recent testing/studies have bumped up the egg withdrawal period. There's about a 14 day egg withdrawal period after dosing with Levamisole. Dont feed the eggs back to your birds. Here's a link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30958109/
We've eaten the eggs 3 or 4 days after using Levamisole. Still here typing. However if you suspect that you or a family member might have a reaction to the residue in the eggs, toss them in the garbage.

 

[Starburst]

Actually, Levamisole is a better treatment for gapeworms than Valbazen or Safeguard since it gets into the bloodstream quicker. Flubenvet is not available in the U.S. and not as good as Levamisole, Valbazen, and Safeguard IMO, because Flubenvet is administered in feed.

@bcorps your birds dont have gapeworms if they are eating, drinking and laying eggs.
It's the heat that's causing what you're seeing. Some of my birds honk, mouth's open, heavy breathing, crane their necks and move their wings a short distance away from their bodies when it's hot.
On the other hand, some of my birds handle the heat without any problems at all.

It wont hurt to worm them though. Levamisole used to have a 9 day egg withdrawal period. However, recent testing/studies have bumped up the egg withdrawal period. There's about a 14 day egg withdrawal period after dosing with Levamisole. Dont feed the eggs back to your birds. Here's a link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30958109/
We've eaten the eggs 3 or 4 days after using Levamisole. Still here typing. However if you suspect that you or a family member might have a reaction to the residue in the eggs, toss them in the garbage.

Great post! Thank you so much for correcting me...I’m glad I know this now!

I hope your birds get better soon, @bcorps!

 

[bcorps]

Actually, Levamisole is a better treatment for gapeworms than Valbazen or Safeguard since it gets into the bloodstream quicker. Flubenvet is not available in the U.S. and not as good as Levamisole, Valbazen, and Safeguard IMO, because Flubenvet is administered in feed.

@bcorps your birds dont have gapeworms if they are eating, drinking and laying eggs.
It's the heat that's causing what you're seeing. Some of my birds honk, mouth's open, heavy breathing, crane their necks and move their wings a short distance away from their bodies when it's hot.
On the other hand, some of my birds handle the heat without any problems at all.

It wont hurt to worm them though. Levamisole used to have a 9 day egg withdrawal period. However, recent testing/studies have bumped up the egg withdrawal period. There's about a 14 day egg withdrawal period after dosing with Levamisole. Dont feed the eggs back to your birds. Here's a link:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30958109/
We've eaten the eggs 3 or 4 days after using Levamisole. Still here typing. However if you suspect that you or a family member might have a reaction to the residue in the eggs, toss them in the garbage.

Yes, I learned about Levamisole here on BYC, but was missing a bit of information.

I would say that one of my gaspers is definitely my flock fatty. She's a Buff Orpington, but sometimes I think she must be part Cornish Cross. So her getting hot makes sense. However, the other one is a Barred Rock, and doesn't seem like she is overly plump or heavy-feathered.

Either way, thank you for reassuring me that my de-worming is reasonable maintenance regardless.

I am going to feel terrible throwing out all of those eggs for a couple weeks. I take multiple medications, so I'm not going to even chance some bizarre interaction.

 

[dawg53]

I agree with you about the meds you take vs Levamisole or any other wormer. You can always take a look at a Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) and cross reference for contraindications if you wish.

 

[bcorps]

You were probably right (unless the levamisole worked in 8 hours! ). It was much cooler today. When I got home, everyone was running around happily, and no panting. Gonna suck throwing those eggs away.