Found worms in my EE poop!

[NCchicken]

I was sitting on the grass watching my chickens free range when my oldest EE came up and happened to poop next to me. I could see that the poop was moving so I investigated. There were a ton of worms moving around in the poo! Probably about 15 or so I would guess. What do I do? There are currently 8 in my flock all together. Do I need to separate my EE from the others? I would assume it would be wise to treat all the chickens. I have DE, will that work? This particular EE isn't very social so something that I could just add to the food or water would be best. Advice, please!
Thanks
Julie

 

[dawg53]

I recommend you purchase Valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer (albendazole) and dose all your chickens. It kills all types of worms that chickens can get. If your feed store doent carry it, you can order it from Jefferslivestock.com or call them.
It is administered orally using a syringe without needle. Dosage is 1/2cc for standard size chickens and 1/4cc for smaller chickens. Redose again in 10 days to kill larva hatched since the initial worming, effectively breaking the worms lifecycle. DE isnt a wormer.

 

[NCchicken]

So really only needed to do two doses per chicken 10 days apart then right? The EE isn't acting sick or lethargic or anything, ship shape. So do you think I will have time to order it online and treat them? I mean, how fast does a worm take over a chicken? I suppose it depends on the chicken, right? Oh and dumb question probably but does the local walmart sell the syringes or do I have to get those online too?

 

[alaina]

so you don't mix it in the water or feed? I would have trouble giving all my chickens wormer individually as they are not hand friendly.

 

[NCchicken]

Yeah, of course the EE that has the worms is the one that isn't social. I'll have to tackle her down to give her the meds. I was hoping there was something that I could put in the water or feed but hey, I'll do what I have to do to help my chickens

 

[NCchicken]

Oh duh, I bet the local drug stores like CVS or walgreens carries the needless syringes, right?

 

[dawg53]

There are basically 2 problems with chickens drinking medicated water. If they are sick, they wont drink it. Then, if they drink it even if they arnt sick, you dont know how much they drank to be effective in getting rid of worms. The same is true for antibiotics mixed in water. When you dose them individually yourself, you KNOW they got properly wormed and there's no guesswork about it. Understandable if you have a large flock though. You should be able to get syringes at any pharmacy, probably free. If not, perhaps your feed store has them, most do.
I have a few hens that dont like to be handled, much less caught. Once you catch one, cradle her under your arm and clamp down firmly with your elbow. With the same arm you are cradling her, take your thumb and finger and pull down on her wattles. Her mouth will open and then with your free hand get the preloaded syringe and squirt the wormer down her throat and let go of her wattles. She will swallow the liquid on her own. Gotta be quick though. Once you dose her, set her free. Repeat in 10 days. Practice it a couple of times without actually using the syringe so you can get the hang of of it.

 

[greenkjb]

FYI my vet gave me a prescription for a dewormer that was in pill form...it was much easier to feed her the pill. If you have an avian vet you might want to check with him/her. I don't think it was too expensive either.

 

[NCchicken]

My vet only does dogs and cats:/. I have asked already. Thanks dawg for the instructions. Very helpful. Another question. I am an urban chicken dweller with 8 chickens. I have two dogs that I lock up in the house when the chickens freerange. I know that my dogs eat the chicken poop from around the yard. I have a vet appointment anyways for the dogs next week and I wonder if they eat the wormy chicken poop if they will get worms too. I assume so. I will ask the vet. So it looks like I might be deworming all of my animals!

 

[NCchicken]

OK, so my local Farmers Supply didn't carry, and neither did the feed store in the town next door. They all had safeguard, which I read isn't as effective as the Valbazen. So I ordered it online. It will be here in 2-3 days. Do I need to quarentine my EE or does it not really matter since I will treat all of my chickens? She isn't acting sick or anything, still eating and drinking and cluckin' around. Also, can I still eat her eggs up until she gets medicated? I know that you should not eat the eggs when they are being medicated but what about before hand? Thanks!