Necropsy results, is not coryza or CRD--parasites are rampant!!!

[chefj]

I hope you all can help me. I want to deworm my hens too - I have noticed the raspy sounds, and decreased egg production.
I just am not sure where and what to get! I live in MA, and it is true - $70 just to walk in the vet door, never mind tests OUCH! Maybe I should try to read this great thread on a day off - but that never happens lol
I really appreciate any thoughts and hints anyone can give me.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Round worms infect lots of creatures, dogs, humans.............here is a link:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/573090

When we first got our Boston Terrier 5 plus years ago now, he was infested with worms. We took him back and forth to the vet for I know 2 months to get rid of the things. I think they called them pin worms. Each time we took him they'd check with the microscope and he'd have to be dosed again with a wormer. Those people that had him breed this breed and their ground HAS to be covered in these things for it to take that long for us to get rid of them. Now we have him on something we put on his neck each month that's suppose to worm him as well.

 

[prairiepearls]

Wow. I just have to add my thanks to all of you for this thread, which I have just now finished reading all the way through.(whew!) I thought I had really done my homework 3 years ago when we got our first 3 chickens, but I somehow overlooked -- or spaced out -- completely on the whole worm thing. I only have one of my 3 yo chickens left, and she has been quite lethargic the last couple of weeks. She's never been de-wormed, and she free-ranges around our ordinary suburban fenced back yard, with dirt and earthworms and bugs and wild birds, wild rabbits, and who knows what all. We got 4 new pullets this spring, and I now think the stress of the new little girls has probably allowed the worms (which she's probably had for a long time -- d'oh!) to finally get the better of her. So I'm off to look for Valbazen tomorrow and will dose all 5 chooks ASAP! My poor old girl hasn't laid since December and the new ones aren't laying yet, so the timing will be perfect. I just wish I could find a smaller bottle than a half liter, since I only have the 5 birds, and at .5 ml/bird for 2 doses, maybe twice a year, that bottle's going to last a long, long time. Does Valbazem keep very well? ;-)

 

[mithious]

Wow, I have been searching and searching, and just stumbled on this article. Thank you ALL sooo much, especially Dawg, for all the info!

I now know what I have done wrong. I did treat my little flock, (15) with safeguard, but in their water, and only for two days. Was told, on BYC, that was how it's done...

I do have a question. I am on day 3 of treating in the water, for the second treatment, can I switch them over to the oral treatment? or would that be too much for them?

They had started to get better, on the first treatment, but after I only treated in the water, and only for TWO days, they rapidly declined after I stopped, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. What I was doing wrong! Sooo glad I stumbled on this article!

This being day THREE, of the second water treatment, I decided to treat longer on the second, as I had a feeling that they hadn't gotten enough the first time, would it hurt or help, to treat them orally, instead of finishing the water treatment? I was going to treat until all symptoms were gone plus a day or two in the water, as I was told to do. If I can treat orally with better results for them, and not harm them with it being too much, I will do that. Does anyone know if that would be ok?

Love the idea of sand, although that might not be an alternative, as my car is on it's last legs and my only transport now...so no loading it down with sand...will try the DE in the run instead of the salt I had read an old study on, as I don't want to take a chance on the chickens getting ANY of it and dying from the salt. ( I have been keeping them in their coop on really rainy wet days ) I really didn't know what to do with their run, but for an old article. I can't let them free range yet. I don't know enough about the local predators, and they are still pretty young and depend on me for learning most of those things. (16 weeks now ) I did teach them about hawks, they got that one down!

Doing a deep clean of the coop tomorrow. Supposed to stop raining? I hope? I think I am treating gapeworm, but do not have a fecal test to prove it.9 our vet doesn't do avian, and the extension/state lab, is 2 1/2 hours away, one way, car won't make it and they said I HAVE to bring it in) Just symptoms that went away mostly, for a bit, with treating.

Would greatly appreciate if anyone would be willing to let me know if I can switch to the oral treatment of the safeguard and if I should do the oral retreat also, even though I have been doing it in the water?( or if there is a better way? to treat this? ) I could do the bread idea. It's just me, old..er, and broken, but think I can do the bread ok. Thanks again EVERYONE...I read the whole thread and learned and copied to my notebook all the info on everything mentioned. EWWWW on the pictures, sure brings the point home!!!

I have been doing the buttermilk and egg suggestion, Thanks again Dawg, for that info, in between the water dosing.

Thanks for any help also!!!

 

[Suzierd]

Wow, I have been searching and searching, and just stumbled on this article. Thank you ALL sooo much, especially Dawg, for all the info!

I now know what I have done wrong. I did treat my little flock, (15) with safeguard, but in their water, and only for two days. Was told, on BYC, that was how it's done...

I do have a question. I am on day 3 of treating in the water, for the second treatment, can I switch them over to the oral treatment? or would that be too much for them?

They had started to get better, on the first treatment, but after I only treated in the water, and only for TWO days, they rapidly declined after I stopped, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. What I was doing wrong! Sooo glad I stumbled on this article!

This being day THREE, of the second water treatment, I decided to treat longer on the second, as I had a feeling that they hadn't gotten enough the first time, would it hurt or help, to treat them orally, instead of finishing the water treatment? I was going to treat until all symptoms were gone plus a day or two in the water, as I was told to do. If I can treat orally with better results for them, and not harm them with it being too much, I will do that. Does anyone know if that would be ok?

Love the idea of sand, although that might not be an alternative, as my car is on it's last legs and my only transport now...so no loading it down with sand...will try the DE in the run instead of the salt I had read an old study on, as I don't want to take a chance on the chickens getting ANY of it and dying from the salt. ( I have been keeping them in their coop on really rainy wet days ) I really didn't know what to do with their run, but for an old article. I can't let them free range yet. I don't know enough about the local predators, and they are still pretty young and depend on me for learning most of those things. (16 weeks now )  I did teach them about hawks, they got that one down!

Doing a deep clean of the coop tomorrow. Supposed to stop raining? I hope? I think I am treating gapeworm, but do not have a fecal test to prove it.9 our vet doesn't do avian, and the extension/state lab, is 2 1/2 hours away, one way, car won't make it and they said I HAVE to bring it in)  Just symptoms that went away mostly, for a bit, with treating.

Would greatly appreciate if anyone would be willing to let me know if I can switch to the oral treatment of the safeguard and if I should do the oral retreat also, even though I have been doing it in the water?( or if there is a better way? to treat this? ) I could do the bread idea. It's just me, old..er, and broken, but think I can do the bread ok. Thanks again EVERYONE...I read the whole thread and learned and copied to my notebook all the info on everything mentioned. EWWWW on the pictures, sure brings the point home!!!

I have been doing the buttermilk and egg suggestion, Thanks again Dawg, for that info, in between the water dosing.

Thanks for any help also!!!

You should PM Dawg I don't think he's seen this. Gape worm is rare and they would probably be dead by now if they had it. Best of luck.

 

[mithious]

You should PM Dawg I don't think he's seen this. Gape worm is rare and they would probably be dead by now if they had it. Best of luck.

Thanks, I did talk to Dawg and casportpony. I ended up not calculating the mg to ml correctly, so ODed my poor chickens yesterday with an oral dose...my math is and always has been horrible! Luckily it was safeguard and they are ok. He told me not to give anymore for a while. I hope the worms are gone now? I have them on their feed and the buttermilk and scrambled eggs he suggested also.

Yes, I know gapeworm is rare...but I have some kind of worm that is not responding, and I had birds that were gaping, one doing it constantly and brown runny poo's from her and a couple others. They also were not gaining weight even though they were eating 100 lbs of feed a month for 15 birds. I used a fish scale to weigh one of the pullets and she was only one pound. I think I grabbed the one that was first gaping? but they all felt very thin. I see no other signs of any kind of infection/disease though.( I'm scared to death I am going to find something like that wrong with them and will cull all if I do ) That is why I was convinced it is gape...I read up some more and it might be capillary worms also...although I didn't find anything that said they gape with that.

I'm waiting to hear back from him to see if/when I should treat them with the wormer again though....thanks for the suggestion, Dawg really has helped soo much and I am forever grateful for the help!!! and casportpony's too! She helped me figure out that I had ODed them. Thank God they are ok!!! I really $uck at this!

 

[fishermans wife]

Wow. I just have to add my thanks to all of you for this thread, which I have just now finished reading all the way through.(whew!) I thought I had really done my homework 3 years ago when we got our first 3 chickens, but I somehow overlooked -- or spaced out -- completely on the whole worm thing. I only have one of my 3 yo chickens left, and she has been quite lethargic the last couple of weeks. She's never been de-wormed, and she free-ranges around our ordinary suburban fenced back yard, with dirt and earthworms and bugs and wild birds, wild rabbits, and who knows what all. We got 4 new pullets this spring, and I now think the stress of the new little girls has probably allowed the worms (which she's probably had for a long time -- d'oh!) to finally get the better of her. So I'm off to look for Valbazen tomorrow and will dose all 5 chooks ASAP! My poor old girl hasn't laid since December and the new ones aren't laying yet, so the timing will be perfect. I just wish I could find a smaller bottle than a half liter, since I only have the 5 birds, and at .5 ml/bird for 2 doses, maybe twice a year, that bottle's going to last a long, long time. Does Valbazem keep very well? ;-)

Valbazem keeps a LONG time! It is worth the investment!

 

[fishermans wife]

Quote: You are doing fine! Dawg is fantastic and helping with this! How are your chooks doing?

 

[Scott H]

OK, Here's what I did after I read all I could on this and other sites. I initially treated with Wazine as they had never been wormed to knock out the round worms. Then I picked up some Safe-Guard paste. I was pretty sure I couldn't get them to eat bread soaked in the liquid form. Bread is ho hum stuff for them but I had an idea for the paste. Safe-Guard stuffed raspberries. Each raspberry holds about a pea sized portion and they love them. I was right. They swallowed them whole!
Should I retreat in 10 days even though I did a Wazine treatment first?

On edit, after reading my post I answered my own question. Wazine is only for round worms. ... so I should hit them again.

 

[fishermans wife]

The raspberry idea is brilliant! I am going to steal that idea! I am due for a worming now that egg production has slowed down for the season! Thanks for sharing that!