My hens have parasites! CAN ANYONE HELP?

[Kansas Gal]

I was concerned about giving garlic to the chickens, as I thought the flavor would come out in the eggs. I have plenty of minced garlic, so will add that to the chicken's feed. I did not understand when you said you 'DE' your chickens food in between. What does that mean? (Sorry!) Did you just give them the garlic and cayenne one feeding time, then again in a couple of weeks? Wow! These are all great suggestions! One of the 'experts' my vet is checking with, said to spray ivermec on each of their feet! (I told her that was a total of 108 feet including the guineas, but I would sure do it if need be!) One expert said not to use the eggs for 5 weeks after using ivermec, another says there should be no problem. The vet is as frustrated as I am, as this is what I ran into. One article even said not to feed them any treats, such as scratch or fruits or veggies! Others said these are all fine. ARG! You find yourself tearing your hair out, wondering what is the correct advice! However, since cayenne and garlic are natural, I sure don't see a reason not to do that! Thanks!

 

[Firefighter Chick]

unless your hens have an infection they don't need an antibiotic, they need a wormer. personally, i would use wazine to get rid of the round worm then follow up with ivermectin, a broad spectrum wormer. that should deal with the internal parasites. if there are external parasites, there are numerous topical solutions available, many good suggestions in the forums. if your doc has said there is worms, i would just go ahead and treat them rather than waiting for your doc to contact another doc. get the ball rolling.

 

[Kansas Gal]

thanks. All she said was 'parasites', so I am calling back tomorrow, to see what she has found. I agree, I want to get things going! She has mentioned auromycin, which comes in 50# of treated feed, but said not to use it yet, until she gets answers. The bag says it is for cattle, swine and sheep, but nothing about chickens! Believe me, tomorrow, the cayenne and garlic are going in the feed, and I will be calling her. I want my girls healthy, free of pests, etc.

On another topic, we are havig a new bigger chicken coop built with a dirt floor. Does anyone use anything to treat the dirt on their dirt floors for the chickens? I wondered about spraying something like clorox water or something, but am not sure! I will be putting down wood chips and straw on the floor. Thanks for any and all responses! I am keeping track of everything, believe me!

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[Firefighter Chick]

i wouldn't bleach the dirt. i would put DE in the dirt and/or poultry dust/Sevin dust.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
While Firefighter Chick and I dissagree on DE (I`ve always considered it worthless and a waste of money), The Poultry Dust and Sevin Dust have proven records. Haven`t used the Poultry Dust, but Sevin has served me well for 53 years and is safe, even for hens with chicks. Also, lime will help to keep down odors and keep a healthy PH. The Cayenne treatment is one day, then 10 days later to get the hatchlings. Mix it in their feed to make it look rusty. Haven`t tried it, but I`ve read a lot of good things about garlic, even in humans, but I don`t recall any bennefits regarding parasites. Good luck with your birds. Keep in mind that you must treat them all, if one is affected........Pop

 

[dawg53]

DE wont treat nor kill internal parasites and is a waste of money. I dont recommend giving your chickens aureomycin. It is an antibiotic used to treat fowl cholera, E Coli and some chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) such as MG/MS. I use valbazen to treat for worms, it kills ALL known worms that chickens can get. It's up to you what you wish to worm with, they are your chickens (if that's what you are dealing with.)
If you are dealing with external parasites, sevin dust is the way to go. I stopped using ivermectin long ago, I've read that it's losing its effectiveness as a wormer in chickens.

 

[Kansas Gal]

I got the following e-mail from my vet yesterday. I have put vinegar in the water for the past three days, but today, used the Wazine-17, and will return to vinegar in the water tomorrow. I used the cayenne pepper and garlic in the feed yesterday, and am letting them clean it up today. Here is my vet's information:
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Here's the scoop, and feel free to respond to the backyard ckns website with the following information from your vet:

The parasites we are dealing with in this case include 1) Heterakis gallinarum, an internal parasite that is not always associated with disease but is important as it carries other organisms along with it such as Histomonas meleagridis, the cause of blackhead disease in turkeys. (Tx recommended include fenbendazole and levamisole) 2) Ascaridia galli, a very important roundworm found in the small intestines of chickens that may result in decreased egg production, diarrhea, anemia in heavy infections, etc. Treatment options include fenbendazole, levamisole, piperazine, and thiabendazole.. Piperazine = Wazine

I have been on the phone with several university extension agents and have placed an official request for withdrawal times to FARAD (Food Animal Residue Avoidance Database), but they take 72 hours to process each request and as always, weekends tend to slow things up. The problem is that these are egg laying hens and the eggs are being sold to the public. I cannot recommend a treatment using medication as there are no dewormers approved for use in laying hens. The university poultry extension agents are in the same boat--they cannot recommend something that is not approved without the data I am working on getting from FARAD. Recommending something in this scenario without proper approval puts myself and others at risk for a lawsuit in addition to putting your customers at a health risk. I know that many, many people use eggs after deworming chickens and have not had a problem--I'm definitely not saying you will have a problem, I'm just saying it is a risk and one that I am not willing to put my name on without knowing how long residues are actually present in the eggs. My concern is simply for your safety and that of your customers. Unfortunately this just isn't an instant answer, and I understand you are frustrated, but it just takes time sometimes to get a "legal" answer. I requested withdrawal information on a few different products including wazine and ivermectin.

Other issues I have looked into include salt and protein percentage in the food as these will both affect egg production. Too much salt or too much water intake may also cause diarrhea although this is less common. As we discussed, an appropriate Layers diet with 0.3% salt and 15% plus protein is desirable--the diets you talked to me about all meet these recommendations. I would like to make a farm stop and get a good physical exam in on some of the birds, so feel free to call me and schedule that whenever if you want me to check them out If you decide to have me out to examine the birds, we can check out any other environmental issues that might be playing a role, but I suspect you're doing everything right in that department

I will let you know as soon as I hear back from FARAD. If you want to go ahead and treat based on recommendations from other chicken producers, that is definitely an option you have--however, i cannot advise treating with anything that isn't approved. Hopefully the vinegar and cayenne tricks are working! Take care and talk to you soon.

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The vet called back yesterday, and she was able to speak with experts, who advised that I could use the Wazine, but she was told the eggs should be discarded for at least 17 days. However, they recommend a reworming after two weeks, then wait another 3 weeks before using any of these eggs, which I am definitely willing to do! I did look for Valbazen at the farm stores in town, and neither carries it, only the Wazine.

My new chicken coop will be done in a few days. I am definitely going to use Sevin Dust and pine shavings on the floor before I move them into their new area. I know that several of you recommended against using DE, but for future reference, what is DE? This is definitely a learning experience for me, one that I definitely do NOT want to have to go through again, but am so grateful for a caring vet and a caring bunch of folks on BYC! All this information has been SO helpful! Thanks to all of you!

 

[happyhens120]

DE = diatomaceous earth. When I worked at a pet store in college, we would sell it to kill fleas/bugs.
Check out this article to learn more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth

Best of luck!

 

[Firefighter Chick]

it's good you know what the problem is. I would use the wazine right away and redose later on. I would still consider using a broad spectrum antiparasitic, but that's up to you. The DE is the consistency of a fine dust but the particles have jagged edges that are supposed to be a deterrent for nasty things like external and internal parasites. Not really a treatment, but a preventative. There are multiple uses that you could read about and people either love it or hate it. if you can get it cheaply and have the urge to use it, have at it.

 

[Kansas Gal]

Yes, I did the cayenne pepper with garlic in the feed yesterday, and the Wazine in the water today. My vet is recommending a few more days of cider vinegar (4 tsp to the gallon) in the water as well. I used it for 3 days, then the Wazine, then back to the vinegar! Will do another fecal test in a couple of days! thanks for the info!