Indestructible Tapeworms?

[Morrigan]

I don’t know if this helps AT ALL, other than grossing some people out. But here’s a small amount of what I’m working with. Maybe there’s a way to tell what kind of tapes they are visually...maybe not. These are a few I found the other day. I mean they ARE tapeworm segments correct?

Yes, unfortunately those are tapeworm segments.

 

[Morrigan]

Wait so there’s SUPPOSED to be 3 doses? If so, I think I found the problem. ‍

Oh shoot, I thought you were on a schedule where you supposed to give them 3 doses. If not, I would wait a few days to see what the last dose did. If it didn't work, try the Equimax.

 

[Kaitlynf910]

Are ants hosts for tapeworms? Because I’ve been fighting an underground ant nest for a few weeks now.

The question I have is how long the valbazen seemed to work. If they came back a few days later, yeah, they are resistant to the valbazen and time to try something new. If it was months, the valbazen worked. They got reinfected from new insects, and I would complete the last dose of valbazen and then watch and see.

If you start them on Equimax tomorrow, make sure that you throw away the eggs for 2 week following the treatment, re-dose in 2 weeks, and do a second 2 week egg withdrawal. And continue to try to eliminate the host insects. No drug will protect your chickens from re-infection after the first couple of weeks.

Good luck with whatever you decide and let us know how it went.

 

[Morrigan]

They can be.

 

[Kiki]

Wait so there’s SUPPOSED to be 3 doses? If so, I think I found the problem. ‍

I believe you should have dosed them 3 straight days in a row.

 

[Kiki]

They can be.

X2. Rats too.

 

[Morrigan]

X2. Rats too.

Ick. Is that how dogs get tapeworms?

 

[Morrigan]

Now it's wednesday and I literally just saw a poop with like 20 segments on/in it. Some of them didn't appear to be moving and some were moving very slowly.

Read this part again. If there were non-moving segments, they are dead tapeworm bits passing, and that is a good sign. Live segments move. Make sure you check out the droppings mid day to mid-afternoon. For whatever reason, that is when the segments pass.

 

[townchicks]

Ick. Is that how dogs get tapeworms?

Yes, they get them from mice and rats, and fleas, and some birds. ( I don't know which birds) mostly, fleas are the vector.

 

[dawg53]

Read this part again. If there were non-moving segments, they are dead tapeworm bits passing, and that is a good sign. Live segments move. Make sure you check out the droppings mid day to mid-afternoon. For whatever reason, that is when the segments pass.

Not with tapeworm proglottids. When you see them in feces, moving or not, it simply means they've detached from one of many segments attached to the tapeworm. It means the whole tapeworm is intact inside the chicken...kinda like the creature in the "Alien" movies. So, you have to kill the "Alien" in order to stop the segments in feces, moving or not.

Once you kill the tapeworm, the 'Alien,' detaches from the intestinal lining or wherever others are located in the chickens system. THEN you might see bits and pieces of the tapeworm excreted in feces, and you'll know it. The bits and pieces come in all shapes and sizes. I've seen flat pieces, some flat and segmented pieces, long length stringy jellyfish looking pieces, whole pieces. There are also times when you might not see bits and pieces because they have been digested in the into the chickens system. Once you see any of this, you'll know your bird is tapeworm free until they eat another infected insect like you mentioned.

Valbazen has been losing its effectiveness in treating tapeworms. I've mentioned this before in other threads. Equimax equine paste containing paraziquantel will kill tapes, redose in 10 days.
Like you've mentioned with your excellent advice, it's best to try to eliminate/control the cause; infected insects. Moving birds to a different foraging area might help while treating the previous foraging area. Ants can be killed with Sevin dust or spray as well as other insects, same with Permethrin. For fire ant mounds I prefer Sevin dust. It doesnt kill the queen but they move elsewhere out of the foraging area, hopefully.