Have a question on orange to red colored excrement

[Bertie-Merle]

It could just be something related to the food or their regular intestinal sloughing. I give my chickens tomatoes when it’s hot and I don’t notice any change in their droppings from that, though. I’m glad you haven’t noticed anything further amiss — that’s a good sign.

My understanding is that ivermectin has a disputed efficacy for worms but is good for biting insects — mites and certain kind of lice.

I wouldn’t worm monthly unless you lived in a tropical wet warm humid place and had noticeable ongoing issues with worms. My practice is to worm my flock for the common intestinal worms on the spring and autumn equinox and alternate worming products so a resistance doesn’t form. I will also worm them ad hoc if I see symptoms or evidence of worms. Some people don’t worm their chickens at all unless there is evidence it is required. It depends on your philosophy and experience.

Depending on which product you get will determine the method of administration. I’m in Australia and the most commonly available wormer for chickens is levimasole which goes in their water. I also got fenbenzadole which is a powder that mixes into their food. When my girls got tapeworm I used praziquantel cat worming tablets because it isn’t approved for chickens here.

Garlic and pumpkin seeds and papaya seeds are all good things to help chickens keep a manageable worm load too.

Great information, Lillith. I'm going to ask to talk to one of the family owners at the local feed store that's been here since the 1920's and see what regiment they suggest also, as the Texas Gulf Coast area is certainly at least subtropical and very humid and hot. I've checked for mites and lice and haven't seen any so far but definitely do not want those getting a hold on them! The info on the natural garlic and pumpkin and papaya seeds is very welcome also!

 

[Bertie-Merle]

I'm not much help, I'm afraid, but just wanted to say that I don't think ACV helps with anything very much.
I have tried using it, and tried not using it, and have not seen any difference in the health of my chickens, young and old.
If anything, I may have seen more problems when feeding it rather than not, but that may just have been a coincidence.

Thanks for that input, Sussex19 ... I haven't seen a difference either, even in keeping the open stainless steel water bowls that I leave around and refill with clean water on a regular basis, for which ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) is supposed to keep them from growing algae. It doesn't work here on in the subtropics of SE Texas .. except that it makes the stainless steel bowls get pitting in them. Arrrrgh!

 

[Bertie-Merle]

It could just be something related to the food or their regular intestinal sloughing. I give my chickens tomatoes when it’s hot and I don’t notice any change in their droppings from that, though. I’m glad you haven’t noticed anything further amiss — that’s a good sign.

My understanding is that ivermectin has a disputed efficacy for worms but is good for biting insects — mites and certain kind of lice.

I wouldn’t worm monthly unless you lived in a tropical wet warm humid place and had noticeable ongoing issues with worms. My practice is to worm my flock for the common intestinal worms on the spring and autumn equinox and alternate worming products so a resistance doesn’t form. I will also worm them ad hoc if I see symptoms or evidence of worms. Some people don’t worm their chickens at all unless there is evidence it is required. It depends on your philosophy and experience.

Depending on which product you get will determine the method of administration. I’m in Australia and the most commonly available wormer for chickens is levimasole which goes in their water. I also got fenbenzadole which is a powder that mixes into their food. When my girls got tapeworm I used praziquantel cat worming tablets because it isn’t approved for chickens here.

Garlic and pumpkin seeds and papaya seeds are all good things to help chickens keep a manageable worm load too.

Lillith37,

Your advice has proven to be impeccable so far, and even agreed to by my vet's vet tech, and considering I live in a small town with one of the best Vet Tech colleges in Texas .... wow, that's a big Kudo in these days of "pharma RULES", if you know what I mean.

I did a LOT of reading, both here and at many other sites, including Texas A&M and Brazoria County Texas AG Extension Agent discussions. I settled on administering "SafeGuard" pellets with the flock's food, which is is what you referred to and known here in the U.S. as Fenbendazole. The challenge is that it's difficult to figure out the dose for a flock with mixed ages and sizes, but the good thing is that it's not particularly dangerous, and within accepted parameters, doesn't recommend not using the flocks eggs. I ended up going with an average of a small handful of pellets to 5 lbs/chicken feed and mixed it in the general shared feeder. (Fortunately, I had just switched from a separate PVC tube feeder system that wasn't working well in humid sub-tropic conditions.)

Long story short, all of my flock seems to be more healthy and laying maximum eggs, (but that's also likely to the change in daylight and warmer temps), but I've had ZERO orange-red poop balls in my shavings scoops so far after a week of that feed and "SafeGuard" mix. Now I'm moving them back to just normal feed.

The gist of it is that my girls are going great right now and appear to be really healthy ...... (IRISH KNOCK ON WOOD!!!)

Also, because I want to avoid mites and lice, I've set up a new "dust bath" circle for them with just a small dusting of the "old style" "Seven Dust" with just the natural chrysanthemum extract, (not the "kills 160 types of bugs" stuff), and some organic garden lime at the bottom of my coop after a big spring cleaning with some baking soda and a bit of bleach added to the spray-out after clearing the whole coop ..... letting it dry out ... then putting the organic garden lime, some Seven dust sprinkling, and then the clean shavings back in.

All is going very well right now, so far, Lillith.

Now, I'm hearing from others I still need to dose my girls with Ivermectin on a regular basis. I have no issue with Ivermectin in horses, or humans. But I want someone to explain to me for what reasons I need it for my flock and need to throw their eggs away for a month or so while doing so. I've never found Ivermectrin to be found adverse to consuming ..... but these are different times with some different people.

I can do without my eggs ... but I'm in a somewhat rural area where the Food Bank really appreciates and needs the egg donations I bring them ... that said, I only want to share healthy and safe eggs.

Hmmmm. Maybe you have special ideas you have on that topic.

 

[Bertie-Merle]

Lillith37,

Your advice has proven to be impeccable so far, and even agreed to by my vet's vet tech, and considering I live in a small town with one of the best Vet Tech colleges in Texas .... wow, that's a big Kudo in these days of "pharma RULES", if you know what I mean.

I did a LOT of reading, both here and at many other sites, including Texas A&M and Brazoria County Texas AG Extension Agent discussions. I settled on administering "SafeGuard" pellets with the flock's food, which is is what you referred to and known here in the U.S. as Fenbendazole. The challenge is that it's difficult to figure out the dose for a flock with mixed ages and sizes, but the good thing is that it's not particularly dangerous, and within accepted parameters, doesn't recommend not using the flocks eggs. I ended up going with an average of 5 lbs/chicken feed and mixed it in the general shared feeder. (Fortunately, I had just switched from a separate PVC tube feeder system that wasn't working well in humid sub-tropic conditions.)

Long story short, all of my flock seems to be more healthy and laying maximum eggs, (but that's also likely to the change in daylight and warmer temps), but I've had ZERO orange-red poop balls in my shavings scoops so far after a week of that feed and "SafeGuard" mix. Now I'm moving them back to just normal feed.

The gist of it is that my girls are going great right now and appear to be really healthy ...... (IRISH KNOCK ON WOOD!!!)

Also, because I want to avoid mites and lice, I've set up a new "dust bath" circle for them with just a small dusting of the "old style" "Seven Dust" with just the natural chrysanthemum extract, (not the "kills 160 types of bugs" stuff), and some organic garden lime at the bottom of my coop after a big spring cleaning with some baking soda and a bit of bleach added to the spray-out after clearing the whole coop ..... letting it dry out ... then putting the organic garden lime, some Seven dust sprinkling, and then the clean shavings back in.

All if going very well right now, so far, Lillith.

Now, I'm hearing from others I still need to dose my girls with Ivermectin on a regular basis. I have no issue with Ivermectin in horses, or humans. But I want someone to explain to me for what reasons I need it for my flock and need to throw their eggs away for a month or so while doing so. I've never found Ivermectrin to be found adverse to consuming ..... but these are different times with some different people.

I can do without my eggs ... but I'm in a somewhat rural area where the Food Bank really appreciates and needs the egg donations I bring them ... that said, I only want to share healthy and safe eggs.

Hmmmm. Maybe you have special ideas you have on that topic.

 

[The Brick Coop]

General stress. Adding new birds into the space occupied by previous territory. Others also had great advice re: different strains of Eimeria. They may tolerate the infection now that their flock is stabilizing. Keep an eye on them for picking also but I think you're past that stage of acclimation. Juveniles are most susceptible to symptoms but any stress can cause a bloom of Eimeria. It can kill chicks and juveniles so if you get babies keep a close eye on them during stress (change of coop, new birds, temperature drop).

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

If you do see some alarming looking poop feel free to post pictures here. We aren't squeamish. And when in doubt treating them for coccidiosis with corid doesn't hurt them. Just remember not to feed additional vitamins during treatment. I lost a grown hen to cocci so I take it pretty seriously. She had some preexisting problems but took a markedly noticeable downturn when I added new hens. If I had known then what I know now I would have treated her immediately and would probably still have her and her lovely blue eggs.

 

[Lillith37]

I’m pleased I could be of some assistance! And I’m very happy to hear that your flock is doing well. A lot of unthriftiness can be attributed to worms in my experience.

Although I did make one error which is the powder wormer I have in Australia is not fenbenzadole but flubenzadole — which is very similar. I think Safeguard/fenbenzadole is a very common and proven choice as a wormer in America.
You’re so on top of hygiene which is great and good on you for setting up a lovely dust bathing area for your flock! I sprinkle coarse food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) in the dust bathing areas for my birds. The use of DE is contentious but the coarse stuff is way less dusty and my girls have never had respiratory issues with it. I wear a mask just in case when I’m sprinkling it or raking up that area. It’s not so great when wet but it does dry out and regain its efficacy. It’s also best used in open air settings. Perhaps not the best thing for a wet and humid climate but it’s worked for me as a preventative for lice and mites. For an actual infestation I would resort to chemicals like rotenone dust (which is the most common in Australia) or permethrin spray.

As for the ivermectin, I wouldn’t recommend using it unless you had need to… if you have Safeguard and that works then you don’t need to rely on ivermectin for worms. I would save ivermectin for if you ever have an infestation of biting insects; fleas, mites and some kinds of lice. I’ve read very mixed reviews about efficacy for intestinal worms (apparently it paralyses them) and for feather shaft lice (some say it works, some say it doesn’t). My partner found one article online that analysed ivermectin quantity in eggs each day after the hen’s exposure to the drug. After five days, one would have to eat 10,000 eggs to receive the same amount of ivermectin that is present in a human head lice treatment. Unfortunately there is little incentive for the testing of various useful drugs on chickens and therefore we have little data on the withholding periods for eggs. With ivermectin I’ve heard of people totally ignoring the withholding period, of giving it five days, seven days, one month, three months. Again it’s down to your discretion, values and experience. Ivermectin and praziquantel (for tapeworms) are drugs that are commonly used for other animals and humans though. The lack of data doesn’t suggest it’s dangerous or not dangerous to consume the eggs, only that we don’t KNOW what might be the effect.

 

[Bertie-Merle]

If you do see some alarming looking poop feel free to post pictures here. We aren't squeamish. And when in doubt treating them for coccidiosis with corid doesn't hurt them. Just remember not to feed additional vitamins during treatment. I lost a grown hen to cocci so I take it pretty seriously. She had some preexisting problems but took a markedly noticeable downturn when I added new hens. If I had known then what I know now I would have treated her immediately and would probably still have her and her lovely blue eggs.

Thanks for that advice and the suggestion of Corid. I'd actually never heard of that as an alternative to Ivermectin. I did some online searches and found that it is actually cheaper and more readily available in a water soluble form than the ivermectin. Great tip! Thanks!
: -)

 

[Bertie-Merle]

I’m pleased I could be of some assistance! And I’m very happy to hear that your flock is doing well. A lot of unthriftiness can be attributed to worms in my experience.

Although I did make one error which is the powder wormer I have in Australia is not fenbenzadole but flubenzadole — which is very similar. I think Safeguard/fenbenzadole is a very common and proven choice as a wormer in America.
You’re so on top of hygiene which is great and good on you for setting up a lovely dust bathing area for your flock! I sprinkle coarse food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) in the dust bathing areas for my birds. The use of DE is contentious but the coarse stuff is way less dusty and my girls have never had respiratory issues with it. I wear a mask just in case when I’m sprinkling it or raking up that area. It’s not so great when wet but it does dry out and regain its efficacy. It’s also best used in open air settings. Perhaps not the best thing for a wet and humid climate but it’s worked for me as a preventative for lice and mites. For an actual infestation I would resort to chemicals like rotenone dust (which is the most common in Australia) or permethrin spray.

As for the ivermectin, I wouldn’t recommend using it unless you had need to… if you have Safeguard and that works then you don’t need to rely on ivermectin for worms. I would save ivermectin for if you ever have an infestation of biting insects; fleas, mites and some kinds of lice. I’ve read very mixed reviews about efficacy for intestinal worms (apparently it paralyses them) and for feather shaft lice (some say it works, some say it doesn’t). My partner found one article online that analysed ivermectin quantity in eggs each day after the hen’s exposure to the drug. After five days, one would have to eat 10,000 eggs to receive the same amount of ivermectin that is present in a human head lice treatment. Unfortunately there is little incentive for the testing of various useful drugs on chickens and therefore we have little data on the withholding periods for eggs. With ivermectin I’ve heard of people totally ignoring the withholding period, of giving it five days, seven days, one month, three months. Again it’s down to your discretion, values and experience. Ivermectin and praziquantel (for tapeworms) are drugs that are commonly used for other animals and humans though. The lack of data doesn’t suggest it’s dangerous or not dangerous to consume the eggs, only that we don’t KNOW what might be the effect.

Great information, Lillith. Thanks so much for taking the time to share so much good information ...... I've got this thread bookmarked so I can go back and reference a lot of the info you've shared. It's very helpful and informative!

Have a great day!

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

Thanks for that advice and the suggestion of Corid. I'd actually never heard of that as an alternative to Ivermectin. I did some online searches and found that it is actually cheaper and more readily available in a water soluble form than the ivermectin. Great tip! Thanks!
: -)

Oh no I'm not saying to use the corid for worms. I don't have any experience with worms. Did you find info to that end?