Found a worm, help!

[confusedturtle]

It has been very cold here lately, so I have been keeping my chickens cooped up in a dog crate in the garage where I can keep a heater going to keep them warm. The high for the day has barely been above freezing for 2 of the days so on those days I didnt let them out to range at all. I saw this coming so I cleaned the crate the night before we got the coldest temps and put fresh hay (usually use pine shaving but this was all i had) on the bottom of it. It was warmer today (and lows above freezing for atleast a week) so I put the girls back out into their coop/run. One of my girls pooped on me and it was very runny. After getting all of my girls into the coop one had pooped on the poop board and it had a long white worm in it, it was also very runny. I think I also saw some smaller probably baby worms in the same stool. I didnt have my camera with me so by the time I got back out there to take a picture the worm was gone (ewwwwwwww!).

I had been checking their poop regularly, but for atleast a week I have not but when I cleaned off their poop board (every other day until they moved into the garage 2 days ago) I have never seen any signs of worms or runny stools. Yesterday I got 1 egg (normally 5) but I assumed it was because they were stressed being in such close quarters.
Now for the barrage of questions (appologies in advance), what is the best dewormer to use to get rid of the worms? Could the runny poops be from stress or do you think they are sick, coccidosis? None have lost weight, they are very alert & bawcky and seem to have good appetites. They all seem normal and were more than excited to be "free" again, normal poops until today. How do I treat the coop, run & dog crate? I plan to treat all of the chickens because Im not 100% sure which one poop'ed the worm and I want to protect them all. I usually use DE but ran out a month or so ago

Some off topic questions, I will put them in coop management too, how can I keep them in their coop/run but still keep them warm when the weather gets so cold? They seem to hate any bedding I put in their coop, they have kicked out hay & pine shavings it never lasts more than a day. They do leave the bedding in the nest boxes but not in the rest of the coop, Im wondering if they are dumping out their food and scratching everything out to find it? Should I try using sand, they can't be comfortable in there with no bedding

Oh forgot to add they are just over 8 months old. They are 2 red sex links, 1 gold sex link, 1 black sex link & a Wyandotte/Buff Orp mix. The BSL & GSL are 3 weeks younger than the rest. I dont know if that is needed info but just incase I wanted to add it

Thank you for the help & advice, it is as always, much appreciated

***edited*** also forgot to add the worm was round not flat, I have been reading up to find out which kind it was and have checked the poop post as well.

 

[mothernaturesdaughter]

If the worm was round like spaghetti and pointy at the ends its a round worm. No biggie, easy to get rid of lots of products out there. Round worm eggs live in the dirt. If you have dogs or cats you may want to worm them also. Cocci is not a worm it is one of the smallest parasites visible under the microscope it is round and presents itself as blood in the droppings. I use heat lamps in my coops and depending on the weather to what kind of bulb I use. Chickens can endure some pretty rough weather, but they really appreciate and probably need the lamps.

 

[teach1rusl]

Let me start with this - I am not opposed to adding heat to a coop (I do it myself on nights that drop into the mid 20s and below). However, I still give my chickens the option to go outside each morning, and they choose to do so. They do spend a lot more time indoors, but they also like getting out. So if you bring them into your garage at night, I'd still put them in the coop/run during the day, even on days below freezing. You can add tarps or clear vinyl (sold in fabric stores) to your run for wind breaks (chickens do not like cold breezes). The clear stuff is nice, because it lets the sun in, like a green house.
That being said, did you do a search on round worms? That seems to be one of the most common worms found with chickens. I just treated my girls' water this morning with a 2nd dose of Wazine (add to their water based on dosage- repeat about 10 days later). But it just treats roundworms. If you think you have another type of worm, or are simply unsure, the you'll probably want to go with Safe Guard or something like that. I think the wazine is easier on their systems, but the safe guard addresses a lot more.
You need a board (maybe 4-6 inches wide) across your pop door opening to keep the bedding from being kicked out. That's why many folks build their pop doors in about 6-12 inches off the floor.

 

[confusedturtle]

Thank you so much. Hubby said he wants to build a new coop when he gets home (deployed) and I cant wait. He wouldn't listen to any of my ideas when we built the coop he said he had a picture in his mind of what he wanted to build so he did. I felt it was too small, needed to be taller and the door is level with the floor which I didnt know at the time was a bad idea, but it is. I wasn't sure how much cold the chickens could tolerate, I guess Im being over protective. I wouldn't leave my dogs out there so I wanted to give the chickens the same treatment, but not allowing them to get out during the day was not right either. It was so cold that before I put them in the garage they would stay in their coop most of the day, they would come out occasionally but seemed to prefer the coop. I was afraid their water would freeze also, the outdoor waterer did but the one in the garage did not. It was very windy though so that could explain why they stay in the coop so much. I will go buy some of the plastic sheeting, I know exactly what it is I actually used some around the coop but ran out.

The worm was a round worm, I have been looking at pics of them to make sure but Im positive that is what it was. I read that they can get into the eggs, should I toss our eggs from the past few days or maybe longer? I know once I treat them I cannot use their eggs for 2 weeks (I thought thats what I read) after the last dose is given. Since the worms are in the soil is there a way to treat the soil? I didn't think of treating my pets, we do have dogs & cats so I will pick up some dewormer for them too. Thank you so much, I appreciate the help.

 

[teach1rusl]

I think it's rare that the worms would get into the eggs, and you would see it if it did, so I wouldn't toss the eggs myself. And some folks even eat the eggs after worming, although a withdraw period is advised. For you outside waterer, you might try the heavy rubberized black bowls found at places like Tractor Supply, and set it out of the wind. Water will stay liquid a lot longer in dead air spaces.
Are you guys out of Norfolk/Suffolk/Va. Beach area (You mentioned deployment, and so I always think of the Naval Base when I think of Va. and the military)? Nothing like a good Honey Do list when you get back from a deployment...lol.

 

[confusedturtle]

Yes we are in that area. I tossed the eggs from the past week

now I wish I would have read this first. I found a place that had Wazine so i treated the chickens today. Should I wait 2 weeks before eating the eggs or is less time ok? Im pregnant and my kids would be eating them, I want to be safe but we do love their eggs

The place I went to had so much farm stuff, it was like Toys R Us for chicken lovers, I was in heaven! I found a hanging feeder and bought that for them and they also had preassembled nest boxes which were much nicer than the ones we made so I bought some of those too. They had pine shavings in 3 different sizes & thickness and so much stuff I had to leave to keep from buying everything

The only bad news (for hubby lol) they had was that at Easter they start getting their chick shipments. If hubby builds a bigger coop I guess we'd have room for a couple more

A pretty good day afterall! I added a small piece of wood to the door area and it seems to be keeping the pine shavings in, but it is also keeping the chickens out. They are terrified of it and wouldn't go into their coop. I ended up chasing them inside and one was so stubborn I had to place her inside 3 times because she would jump over it to get out but not back in LoL! Im going back out tomorrow to pick up the plastic sheeting stuff for the run, we are supposed to be warmer for a week so it can wait until tomorrow. My coop thermometer is reading 42 degrees so I think they'll be ok. Thanks again for the help, otherwise I would be confused as to how to treat them...and I never would have discovered my new favorite store hahaha! Thanks again

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
You can feed the eggs to your dog(s) if you wish. Wazine residue in the eggs doesnt affect them. No dog(s), toss them in the garbage for 2 weeks. Wazine only treats large roundworms. Chickens can get many types of different worms. Here's what I recommend, you use the wazine, then follow up 10 days later with a broad spectrum wormer such as safeguard liquid goat wormer or valbazen cattle/sheep wormer. The safeguard kills most types of worms and the valbazen kills all known worms that chickens can get. There will be a 14 day withdrawal after the last use of either wormer.

 

[confusedturtle]

I will check that out, they recommended the wazine but I didn't know you could use goat wormer too. I guess that means I will have to go back to my new favorite store

oh darn

Thank you

 

[teach1rusl]

Quote:
Yeah - you'll find that chickens are terrified of change...just about ANY change...they're very suspicious. It takes them a day or two (or more sometimes) to get used to new things. Wait till you get a new coop! They will be horrified and unappreciative of your effort for a while...lol...may actually stop laying for a bit when you switch them over.