Gapeworms

[sylviethecochin]

That’s ok. So just to confirm gapeworms are seen in stool samples? I was on 10x and seeing 1-2 per field.

yes. Apparently they are.

And I was looking at this site a few months back after seeing a thread by...I think it was Sue Gremlin. This was the best article I found. And it tells how to do a faecal count. Can you do any rough calculations based on the description there?

 

[Sue Gremlin]

According to my fifth edition Veterinary Parasitology reference manual, the egg looked like a capillary worm egg. I know someone who can tell for sure who studies Parasitology.
@Sue Gremlin
Sue could you check the pic in the first post. What do you think?

Yes! You're correct, Dawg (as usual!) That's a capillaria egg.
Gapeworm eggs are similar, they have the polar plugs, but the embryo inside the egg is smaller relative to the shell, which results in empty space.

You'd see gapeworm eggs in the stool, the cough them up and swallow them as part of the life cycle.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

Hi there. I just want to confirm in the image attached that this is a tapeworm egg?
If so what is the easiest way to deworm a flock and what dewormer/dosage?
Also, I had a young silkie pullet that I just got less than a week ago (a little thin upon getting her) go from eating drinking normal, acting normal last night to lethargic and weak this afternoon, then suddenly passed. Had no respiratory symptoms. Checked a decal sample and found a small amount of these suspected gapeworms eggs. Would those have caused her to go downhill in 24 hours or less and die?

Capillaria is a bad one for them to have, it can be a problem even if they only have a few.

 

[dawg53]

Thanks Sue for jumping in!