HELP ASAP

[Theladyfarmer]

I feel like I'm having a really hard time with my chickens. Last night I posted about worms in my chickens poop and came to the realization that they have tapeworm. I'm cleaning and disinfecting the coop right now and I was look at two of my chickens. One had extreme water diarrhea and I noticed feathers missing from around the vent. I have equimax coming tomorrow so that I can deworm them. Does anyone know what else I should be doing? I feel very defeated and like a bad chicken owner.

 

[Papaye]

Hi.

(For what it's worth...)

When I noticed a chicken having worms in the past, I just put Apple Cider Vinegar in their water - in a plastic waterer (NOT METAL!!!)...
The worms then always got out during the following night...

But for some years now, I have mixed food grade Diatomaceous Earth in my birds' food... and I never found any worm again.

...Good luck!

 

[ChicNmom]

Worms are one of those things. You don't know they are there until you see some evidence.

You're doing what you can as soon as you saw the problem. No need to feel like a bad chicken owner.

I'd keep a close eye on the other two you mentioned in case they have some other issue going on. Chickens hide it when they feel unwell. We've all missed something at some point.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

No need to feel bad! No way to know your chickens have worms until you see evidence or take a sample to vet for a float test. I did not know mine had roundworms till I posted a pic of a weird-looking poo and someone pointed out a roundworm. I was advised to dose with Valbazen and again ten days later, which I did. Not sure if it treats tapes, though. Let me ask @azygous and @Eggcessive.

 

[AGstudy]

When I got tapeworms for the first time, I felt the same way. You're not alone! I think I brought some onto my property by feeding them dried mealworms, but I also was have trouble with sawtoothed beetles in my feed.

What is most important to know about tapeworms is that they cannot complete their lifecycle inside your chickens. The tapeworms will make eggs and then shed pieces of themselves (asexual reproduction). These pieces come out in their poop and are covered in microscopic eggs. These tapeworm pieces don't survive long outside the body. Their goal is to move alot and get eaten by their invertebrate host. Each type of tapeworm has a specific invertebrate host for their egg and early stages and a specific vertebrate host for their adult stages. If they are eaten by the wrong species of invertebrate or vertebrate host then they die. If you can prevent the tapeworms from entering the right invertebrate host, then you can break their lifecycle.

Their are several types of tapeworms that chickens can get, but the most common type is spread by flies and grain feeding beetles. Keep your coop very dry. I made the mistake of washing out my chicken house with a hose and disinfecting. Moist poop, feed and bedding attracts flies. When poop, feed or bedding stay moist for a few days they become a breeding ground for bacteria. Flies will lay their eggs in these materials and their maggots will eat the bacteria. If they consume tapeworm eggs during this time, the tapeworms will hatch inside of the maggots. Then if the chickens eat the maggots, you will end up with tapeworms in your chickens.

Changes I made:
-Stopped using liquids to wash my chicken house.
-Switched to a scrapping board, instead of bedding.
-Covered run, to prevent moisture from rain.
-Regular poop cleanup in run
-Started using trashcan type feed dispensers (reduced feed contamination from poop or moisture)
-I used a fly eliminator program with arbico organics (released small parasitic wasps that kill maggots)
-I regularly give my chickens pumpkin, cantaloupe and watermelon seeds. I also give them daily access to brassicas. I figure this helps make their bodies less inhabitable.
-I keep changing the type of dewormer that I use for tapeworms in order to reduce the chance of their becoming resistant to any particular product.
-I stopped feeding mealworms to my chickens, and started checking feed that I bring in for bugs and storing in airtight containers.
-I learned how to identify tapeworm eggs under the microscope (You just put a tapeworm segment on a slide with a little water and you can see the eggs attached).
I had to pay for access, but this is the article I use to ID tapeworm eggs. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1587721

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I feel like I'm having a really hard time with my chickens. Last night I posted about worms in my chickens poop and came to the realization that they have tapeworm. I'm cleaning and disinfecting the coop right now and I was look at two of my chickens. One had extreme water diarrhea and I noticed feathers missing from around the vent. I have equimax coming tomorrow so that I can deworm them. Does anyone know what else I should be doing? I feel very defeated and like a bad chicken owner.

Your other thread is found here.

Why would you feel defeated? Tapeworms are acquired when a chicken eats an insect/host like snails, slugs, beetles, earthworms, etc. Not all bugs carry or transmit tapeworms, but chickens eat bugs. There's no way to clean and disinfect all bugs away, nor should you really want to. Chickens eat poop, dirt, bugs, mice, lizards and all kinds of things...
They are like any other livestock, animal - they can get bugs (lice/mites), worms or other illnesses. Address the symptoms or conditions as they arise. Take it easy and don't worry so much.

Treat your birds and monitor their health. You may find that you need to deworm on a regular basis or this may just be a one time thing that you encounter.

Things you should be doing? Provide fresh clean water, fresh food. Keep poop scooped up fairly regularly and keep the coop/run relatively tidy.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Tapeworms can't live in dried mealworms, I don't think. I give my birds dried mealworms every day, a small handful to scratch and peck for. My dogs love them, too. And I've never seen evidence of tapes, neither in the chickens nor in the dogs.

 

[The Coop Crew]

Tapeworms can't live in dried mealworms, I don't think. I give my birds dried mealworms every day, a small handful to scratch and peck for. My dogs love them, too. And I've never seen evidence of tapes, neither in the chickens nor in the dogs.

We also feed our chickens dried mealworms and haven’t had a problem with tapeworm either.