Help needed! Nasty egg-binding problem!

[GoldenChicken]

I just woke up to feed my hens when I saw one of them, Calico, sitting alone in the corner looking very tired with her tail down. I imediatly put her in a warm water bath and started messaging her abdomen. As soon as I put her in the water, lots of poop statrted swirling around and, I noticed, tiny worms. I haven't seen worms before in my birds and I don't know what to do! She is still soaking but more and more of the nasty little critters keep coming off! Help!

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. First of all I would glove up with lubricant, and insert a finger into the vent to feel for an egg--if no egg you can stop the baths. If there is an egg, give her a Tums or calcium tablet halfed or crushed in food, then repeat the warm bath. Were those for sure worms, or could they have been maggots, which can get inside the vent if there is a wound? Worms can easily be treated with Valbazen or SafeGuard liquid goat wormer in 4 oz bottle--give 1/2 ml once and repeat in 10 days. SafeGuard is cheaper, but doesn't get tapeworms, so make sure they aren't tapeworms. Here is a picture of them: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/752026/worms-in-chickens-poop-help-picture-included

 

[casportpony]

Sounds like it could be maggots... Check *every* square inch of her for an wound.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

But also do like Eggcessive suggested.

-Kathy

 

[GoldenChicken]

Okay, I just checked her rear (she's out of the bath and is sitting in the sun preening), and I see a massive egg working it's way out and, on the lower right, there is a huge skinless area that I think is covered with blood. At first she just sat in a corner clucking every time I attaempted to move her, but she got up and walked away on her own after a few minutes. I did a little research and I believe the worms are cecal worms. Most of them are gone but I can't be sure. She also appears to be working on passing the egg.

 

[casportpony]

Calcium will help her pass the egg. If you dissolve a tums or regular calcium pill in water and syringe it to her she'll probably pass the egg in less than 30 minutes, but only do this if you are comfortable syringing water as aspiration can happen.











The treatment I use for cecal worms is Safeguard liquid or paste, 50mg/kg (.5ml per 2.2 pounds) by mouth and repeat in ten days.

-Kathy

 

[GoldenChicken]

Before I saw this post I gave her a mashed-up hard boiled egg with a tums smashed and stirred into it. She devored it and is looking a little lively. Still no egg. I already gave her one tums, do you think it's safe to give her another in her water? She seems to be doing okay, just resting in a bed of wood shavings right now. Nothing new.

 

[casportpony]

Forgot to say that you don't need to dissolve the tums or pills, you can give them orally, they just won't work as quickly. Just in case this happens again you might want to get yourself a bottle of calcium gluconate from the feedstore (cattle section).

It might look like this:



It's injectable, but can be given orally. There are 230mg of calcium in one ml.

-Kathy

 

[GoldenChicken]

I'll try that out. Thanks!

 

[casportpony]

Another thing that might help would be to fill you bathroom with steam and put her in there until she passes the egg.

-Kathy