HELP- What type of WORM is this???!!

[Minky]

Have a hen who is not feeling well. 2 weeks ago she was fine. Now- pale comb, holding wings low and open, walking slow, not roosting. She is also self isolating.

Found this in her mush poop.

 

[FluffyButtBabies]

I don't know that particular looking worm, but worm treatments for chickens will kill almost all species of worms. So you don't have to worry about WHAT it is, but rather how to get rid of it. Clean out the entire coop (bedding, feed, water, everything), and then treat ALL of you chickens with dewormer. Worms are very contagious, and even if they aren't showing symptoms, they probably all have them. Hopefully that's all it it!

 

[Eggcessive]

It looks like a maggot (fly larvae.) I would look closely at her vent and for any possible wound that might have maggots on it. If you find any, immediately soak her in warm soapy water and remove them.

 

[Minky]

I don't know that particular looking worm, but worm treatments for chickens will kill almost all species of worms. So you don't have to worry about WHAT it is, but rather how to get rid of it. Clean out the entire coop (bedding, feed, water, everything), and then treat ALL of you chickens with dewormer. Worms are very contagious, and even if they aren't showing symptoms, they probably all have them. Hopefully that's all it it!

I have read the complete opposite- that each worm treatment only kills THAT SPECIFIC WORM species. It is all over every website I read. Can you please tell me where you are getting your information?
Also- I am in canada, and I do not have an avian vet who will be prescribing- just buying at local farm co-op. (like a tractor supply but not).

 

[hayley3]

I have read the complete opposite- that each worm treatment only kills THAT SPECIFIC WORM species. It is all over every website I read. Can you please tell me where you are getting your information?
Also- I am in canada, and I do not have an avian vet who will be prescribing- just buying at local farm co-op. (like a tractor supply but not).

I would heed what Eggcessive said first and look her all over for a wound and also look at her vent for a fly strike. Can you buy Valbazen in Canada?

 

[Minky]

I would heed what Eggcessive said first and look her all over for a wound and also look at her vent for a fly strike. Can you buy Valbazen in Canada?

Ok, just got back from the barn. Her vent looks good- clean, normal. Her feathers below her vent are all separated from the diarrhea she has had, but they weren't dirty or cakes with fecal matter. No lice or mites- she is quite clean... but BOY does she smell like urine. That really full urine smell of a gas station bathroom, or a city alley on a hot July day.
I changed out her bedding (instead of straw I put white paper towel into the cat carrier- and she had 4-6 poops in there, no worms, but also nothing that would fill a teaspoon. all liquid marks with maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of solid looking stuff total.

Her breast bone shocked me- it looked just like the breast bone on a roast chicken carcass as you toss it in the pot for bone broth- protruding and no meat on either side of it! She must weigh less than 1.5 lbs. I picked up one of her sisters to compare the breast bone- the others look flat, and full- but hers is like a bare ridge all the way down.
How could she be laying up until 2 weeks ago? She is so thin. I don't know what to do.

 

[Minky]

I would scramble up some egg and give her some yogurt if it would help.. but I dont think she will eat it. No one wants to eat when they feel like that.
I have left her with some BOSS and pellets and water.

 

[LaFleche]

The worms will have had her deprived of all the nutrients, so better de-worm her immediately.

Maybe you can purchase Flubenole in Canada which will kill all kinds of worms including tapeworms when double dosing.

https://www.drugs.com/international/flubendazole.html#

 

[hayley3]

Ok, just got back from the barn. Her vent looks good- clean, normal. Her feathers below her vent are all separated from the diarrhea she has had, but they weren't dirty or cakes with fecal matter. No lice or mites- she is quite clean... but BOY does she smell like urine. That really full urine smell of a gas station bathroom, or a city alley on a hot July day.
I changed out her bedding (instead of straw I put white paper towel into the cat carrier- and she had 4-6 poops in there, no worms, but also nothing that would fill a teaspoon. all liquid marks with maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of solid looking stuff total.

Her breast bone shocked me- it looked just like the breast bone on a roast chicken carcass as you toss it in the pot for bone broth- protruding and no meat on either side of it! She must weigh less than 1.5 lbs. I picked up one of her sisters to compare the breast bone- the others look flat, and full- but hers is like a bare ridge all the way down.
How could she be laying up until 2 weeks ago? She is so thin. I don't know what to do.

Worming is the first troubleshooting step for diarrhea in my opinion. So start there. It would also account for her being so thin.
But please look under her wings for any wounds...the maggot being there still worries me.

 

[Eggcessive]

How old is she? Unfortunately, cancer can be a disease that can cause weight loss, and it can be common in hens over 2 years. Check the crop as well, since crop impaction or sour crop can cause weight loss if the crop is not working. A strong urine odor can be caused by excess uric acid, the white cap part of the droppings. If they are not drinking enough, there mught be mire uric acid in the droppings.

In Canada, you might get SafeGuard horse paste at a feed store, and that is good for worms. Dosage for roundworms is 1/4 ml per pound given once and again in 10 days. Treat for 5 straight days for capillary worms, as well as roundworms and cecal worms. Levamisole may also be available to use in the water. Piperazine can be helpful as well, but I do not have a dosage. Most vets can do a fecal test for worms.