I think they have Worms

[jesus freak]

I just went out and checked my chickens for the usual mites, lice, etc. and I noticed that some of them have poop around there butt. Could this be worms? and how do I know which kind to vaccinate them for? Thanks.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
You didnt mention how old your birds are. I recommend that you use an old washcloth with warm water to cleanse their rear ends as best as you can. Then trim back the feathers/fluff so that they'll have a clear "shot" onto the ground when they poop. Also check their rear end for lice/mites, external parasites most likely inhabit that area. If your birds possibly had worms, they would be acting lethargic, slacked off not eating/drinking, slacked off or not laying...generally not acting like a chicken should. If there are worms in the poop, that's a sure sign of an infestation and will need to be wormed.

 

[jesus freak]

Quote:
You didnt mention how old your birds are. I recommend that you use an old washcloth with warm water to cleanse their rear ends as best as you can. Then trim back the feathers/fluff so that they'll have a clear "shot" onto the ground when they poop. Also check their rear end for lice/mites, external parasites most likely inhabit that area. If your birds possibly had worms, they would be acting lethargic, slacked off not eating/drinking, slacked off or not laying...generally not acting like a chicken should. If there are worms in the poop, that's a sure sign of an infestation and will need to be wormed.

They are about a year old does that make a diffrence for what I should do?

 

[dawg53]

If you suspect that your birds have worms, I recommend that you worm them with valbazen (albendazole) liquid cattle/sheep wormer. Use a syringe (without needle) to administer orally. Dosage is 1/2cc for standard size birds, 1/4cc for smaller birds.
You can also worm them with safeguard liquid goat wormer (fenbendazole.) Use a syringe (without needle) to administer orally. Dosage is 1cc for giants, 3/4cc for large fowl, 1/2cc for standards, 1/4cc for smaller birds.
With either wormer, you'll need to redose your birds 10 days later to kill larva missed from the first dosing. There's a 24 day withdrawal from start to finish with both wormers. Both wormers can be purchased from Jefferslivestock.com or call them.
Your birds are one year old, it's up to you whether you want to worm them or not. I normally start worming at 8-9 months and worm every 3 months thereafter due to our warm moist soil conditions, condusive for worms.
Edited: To administer orally, pull the wattles down and the mouth will open. Slowly squirt the liquid in the mouth with the syringe, then release the wattles so that the bird will swallow the liquid on her own.