Need help from experts on poop. (Possible egg issue?

[Tired old Rooster]

So, when I went to look over the coop and prepare for the days cleaning etc, I noticed this. (Red and yellow thing). I have A cockerel and two pullets who use that roost. The pullets are about five and a half months old, of Plymouth Rock breed. I am certain it was a pullet roosting at that spot, because the cockerel leaves a pile that a Spaniel would be proud of and usually sleeps at the end. Could it be someone is close to laying eggs or is this a dire problem?

 

[coach723]

The red is intestinal shed, but a lot of it. I've circled an area in your image, below. Can you ID that? Have you seen anything in droppings that look like rice that is moving? You would see that in a fresh dropping? My concern is that what I circled below in red may be a tapeworm section, and the ones in blue are maybe segments also. A worm load could cause the intestinal shed. If you can get a fecal test done, that would hopefully confirm that, if you cannot I would treat with praziquantel, which you can get in Equimax or Zimectrin Gold horse paste. Dosing is here, in post #6 : https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/tapeworms-that-wont-go-away.1130035/

 

[Tired old Rooster]

Sad to find that it is a dire problem.

 

[coach723]

It's not dire, but it should be treated. Tapeworm requires an intermediary host. The host eats the worm eggs and then the bird eats the host, and that's when they pick it up. Common hosts are earthworms, slugs, cockroaches, snails, beetles, grasshoppers, flies. So if you have a lot of any of those around then reducing the numbers of those can help prevent reinfection. The good news is that tape worm is more often isolated to one or a few birds rather than the whole flock. If you can ID which bird left that dropping, then you would only need to treat that one. With some other kinds of worms, like roundworm, if one bird has them then you need to treat them all.
I see that you are in Argentina, not sure what products you have there, but a wormer containing praziquantel is what is usually recommended.

 

[Tired old Rooster]

It's not dire, but it should be treated. Tapeworm requires an intermediary host. The host eats the worm eggs and then the bird eats the host, and that's when they pick it up. Common hosts are earthworms, slugs, cockroaches, snails, beetles, grasshoppers, flies. So if you have a lot of any of those around then reducing the numbers of those can help prevent reinfection. The good news is that tape worm is more often isolated to one or a few birds rather than the whole flock. If you can ID which bird left that dropping, then you would only need to treat that one. With some other kinds of worms, like roundworm, if one bird has them then you need to treat them all.
I see that you are in Argentina, not sure what products you have there, but a wormer containing praziquantel is what is usually recommended.

Thanks, will try to find that medication. No luck with the hosts. My flock free range, so short of a napalm strike, no way to kill every bug they might eat. I think my land lady/slumlord may object to me calling in an airstrike on the place.