found a roundworm in an egg

[dlhunicorn]

Quote:
All the research I've done on DE (and I've done a lot) says it does treat internal worms, like roundworms, etc. They are even thinking it may help with heartworms in dogs.

I got DE to use on my chicks to help prevent roundworms, lice, mites, etc. But I checked into it quite extensively before I tried it. I wanted to be extra-sure it was safe for my chicks.

please do post those research studies showing this

 

[speckledhen]

I have used DE as a preventative. It will kill bugs in the feed, certainly, as well as lice on birds. I love DE. However, DE loses its efficacy/cutting power to some extent when wet, so I have my doubts that it will really do much good on a large infestation internally, where it certainly will be wet. Another natural wormer/preventative/remedy is pumkin seeds and buttermilk. The curcurbit in the pumpkin paralyzes the worms so they can then be expelled. I'm not sure what the buttermilk does, unless it causes them to poop faster or the acidity helps in some way in the gut. I use this as well as DE when I havent run out of DE, that is. If I saw a worm in an egg, you bet your bottom dollar, I'd be reaching for a chemical wormer! I have used Eprinex PourOn for cattle, which has no milk or meat withdrawal times, so to me, that seems to translate to it being safer and no egg withdrawal, if you're okay with that.
Chickens can handle small worm loads with no problem if they are generally healthy. It's when that gets out of control, that you have a problem. They also eat natural wormers themselves if they are allowed to freerange, I'm told.

 

[dlhunicorn]

the ATTRA article below discusses one of the studies that looked at DE (internal application):
http://www.attra.org/attra-pub/livestockipm.html
Integrated Parasite Management For Livestock
(By Ann Wells, DVM
NCAT Agriculture Specialist
Published 1999
ATTRA Publication #IP150)
In the section of this article discussing Alternative dewormers:
""Natural product evaluated for efficiency in deworming sheep" from the Spring 1997 issue of Leopold Letter is a report that showed no statistical difference between the use of DE and the control group."
and in this section it further explains that:
"Conclusion
There is no one thing that can be given or done to replace chemical dewormers. It will take a combination of extremely good management techniques and possibly some alternative therapies. Do not think you can just stop deworming your animals with chemical dewormers. It is something you will need to change gradually, observing and testing animals and soil, in order to monitor your progress."


further helpful relevant excerpts:

......."Management of animals, pastures and any loafing areas is key to reducing the amount of internal parasite problems in livestock. An understanding of the life cycles of the different parasites within the whole soil-plant-animal system will help show the interrelationships between these three components. Managing internal parasites is just like managing fleas in dogs and cats. The major part of the parasite life cycle is outside of the animal. This point will help the producer to choose management strategies that reduce parasite levels on his or her farm and decrease the usage of chemical dewormers. ................Pasture contamination by infective larvae is the primary factor to deal with. If you start with an understanding of the interrelationship between the animal, the plants it eats and the soil on which those plants grow, then it becomes clearer how parasites infect the animal and how they can be managed so as not to cause as many problems. .........

.....It is the young animal whose immune system is not fully mature and the animal whose immune system is compromised by disease, inadequate nutrition, or other stress, that is most adversely affected by worms........
Keep in mind that there are other conditions that can mimic the signs of parasites. It is easy to assume that any unthrifty or thin animal with a rough hair coat or diarrhea is wormy. Internal parasites may be present, but the clinical signs are secondary or a symptom of some other, more insidious disease or condition. Any stressful condition, such as a weather extreme, can cause borderline clinical parasitism to become severe. If animals do not have enough forage or other feed in the fall so that they go into winter in good condition, this lack of condition will cause additional stress on the animal in other ways. This animal will be more apt to show extreme clinical signs of parasitism, including blood loss and death, than an animal which might have some internal parasites but is in good physical condition and is on a high plane of nutrition. In this case, poor nutrition is the cause of the animal's disease and worms are the symptom

 

[Gindee77]

Quote:
I thought we were talking about chickens. I know nothing of sheep.

All (or most) of my research was done at the library and I don't have the books on hand. I've also talked to a lot of people who use DE. But you can google "DE roundworms" and also get a lot of info.

 

[DuckLady]

DE might help as a preventative, but once the infestation is at the point of worms in the eggs, it is too far gone.
By the time DE might work, the worms will have killed the hen at that high of an infestation.

 

[DuckLady]

Forgot to add that I do add DE to the feed and my hens still got worms a couple months ago.

 

[ChookNewbieOfTheDesert]

So I guess the general idea is that DE neither prevents nor cures roundworms in poultry? Dang, well I guess I can mix it with molasses and use it for fly bait in the summer.

I'd still trying to find non-pharmaceutical ways to control the roundworms. I found this:

http://fiascofarm.com/goats/herbalwormer.htm
listed are safe for chickens too, so I guess I could try some of them, especially as preventatives.

I've been doing internet research on different nematode species all day and thankfully, I've found no mention that large roundworms pass to humans. I guess there are over 25 species of nematode, so one has to know one's worms! I wish I'd taken a photo before throwing that egg away. I was just so grossed out.

So now I need to find out if the worm I saw was Ascaridia galli or something else. Anyone recommend a good vet in the Inland Empire region of California?

 

[GoodyChickenShz]

Hiya. I live in the Inland Empire too, specifically the High Desert. Small world. I haven't found a good vet but the feed store near where I live carries Wazine (sp?) and Rooster Booster, both supposed to treat worms. I also just mail ordered Ivomec Eprinex from Jeffers and the smallest bottle is huge. I'd be willing to split the cost with you if you're interested. This is the pour-on type of wormer, de-licer, de-miter meant for cattle but it gets lots of recommendations on this site for chickens. I just used it on my small 9-bird flock for the first time last night so I have no idea how well it works yet. Got my fingers crossed cuz it sure did cost a pretty penny! Let me know if you're interested and if you find a good bird vet in this area.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

What is the average price of the Wazine and the Ivomec Eprinex?

 

[GoodyChickenShz]

I don't know the price of the Wazine but the Eprinex cost me $41.95 total. I guess if you can find it in a store near you, you will save by not having to pay the shipping cost but I couldn't find it here. Without shipping, I'd say average cost would be $35-$45. I checked eBay too and there was none to be had there.