Need to Know About WORMS

[Chickenz1]

How do I know if a chicken has worms?
Will you see them ever?
Do worms in chickens suck blood like hookworms in dogs and make chickens anemic?
Is it safe to worm a sick/weak chicken?
What is the best wormer to use?
Thank you..

 

[Wynette]

If yo CAN see them in their droppings, they are heavily infested. The only real way to know for sure is to take a fresh sample of poo to your vet and ask them to run a faecal float on it.

The very best wormer out there is Ivermec Eprinex, which is actually a cattle wormer. There are all-natural ones out there, but a friend and I are finding the manfuacturer's claims MAY not be completely truthful...we're working on getting answers to our questions.

Would need more details on the sick/weak chicken. Age, breed, sex, what the illness/weakness is if you know, etc.

 

[Chickenz1]

Quote:
Hi, and thank you so much for your response..
Let me say first that I could not get online for awhile (would not connect) to see if anyone answered here, so called my vet to ask if it was safe to worm my rooster with what I had, which is Wazine 17, which says on the label not to give to sick or debilitated or weak chickens, and she told me I could give him the Panacur I give my dogs and cats!! Who knew? Just one dose..So in case it IS worms causing him the problem, that will take care of them..
He is about 4 yrs old, half Game rooster, and apparently fell from his roost one night about 3 weeks ago, landing across a brick or something on his back, injuring it. (Fell from having a stroke? Heart attack? Heat from earlier in the day? I don't know.) When I went out there the next morning, he was hopping on one foot. 2 days later, he had a visible swelling on his lower back, and the leg he could not walk on doesn't do anything..It has drawn up some and the main joint will not extend. Meanwhile, he began losing weight and getting weaker til within a few days, he could not stand on the good leg.. When he first went down, I put him on Aureomycin in case he had something else going on, and to hopefully prevent pneumonia..It made him want to eat more, but his face skin was drying out, turning white.. I talked to vet about the swelling, and she suggested a steroid to possibly reduce the swelling, so we put him on that..It worked somewhat on the swelling..After 7 days of the antibiotic, I took him off thinking that was what was drying him out..Several days later he was dryer looking than ever, and his comb was going pale..When I would gently press on his comb, where I touched would turn white, then slowly go back to red..Has to be dehydration..I have been giving him water,medicated or otherwise, with an eyedropper, but he only takes so much then shakes his head violently..I have NO CLUE how much fluid a 2-4 pound chicken should take in a day..I added vitamin and electrolite powder to his water several days ago..Still dry faced..He began having a bit of labored breathing, so I started him back on the Aureomycin and will keep him on it the full 14 days if he lives long enough..His breathing was better this morning..
I am about to lose my own chicken brain trying to figure out what to do for him..He EATS..He picks grains a lot during the day..and he will eat a little watermelon, or a little corn, or a little bread every day..He gets around using his wings, but it wears him out and he pants for a bit every time he moves himself..That's how weak he is..Yet when I hold him up he can flap his wings really hard, and it doesn't make him pant unless it's super hot time of day..
I have set up a fan for him a few days ago when it got really hot..He is outdoors in a covered pen under big shade trees..I am afraid to bring him in the house because I can't bring his brothers in with him, and I fear the temp change might hurt him going back and forth..
Do you know how much water a chicken needs in a day?? I should have asked my vet while I had her on the phone..Oh well....
Thanks,,,,,

 

[Wynette]

OH, goodness...I'm so sorry you haven't gotten any other responses. I hope you check this thread today! How is your boy doing? As far as exactly how much water he should be taking in, I'm clueless. But, I do know that hydration is THE most important when they are sick. If he's still with us, I would get some baby bird handfeeding formula for him. It's what is used for baby parrots and the like, and you can get it at any pet store. It's a powder that you add water to and mix up to the consistency that is best for you. I make it as thick as I possibly can, while still being syringeable. Then, I draw up into a syringe and hand feed into their mouth, a little squirt at a time. You can feel when their crop is full. This needs to be done every 3-4 hours if at all possible, though I work full time and I did have one that I fed each 3-4 hours at night, and then not during the day while at work (I sort of reversed what she'd have been eating night & day due to my schedule) and that seemed to work. You can also tube feed this formula directly into their crop...if you search for "tube feeding" on here, you'll find detailed info. on it, but it's a bit dangerous, as they can easily aspirate the formula into their lungs and quickly die. My first attempt at it, that's exactly what happened. I was sick at my stomach for hours, as my girl died in my husband's arms. But, in the end, I now know what to watch for (I'd gotten the tube in correctly and the fluid in...I just put too much in, and it gurgled out the top and she aspirated).

Anyway, let me know how your boy is doing today!

 

[dlhunicorn]

Quote:
Ditto
If you have older birds that you let freerange (so not caged) and have never wormed them , then chances are they need to be wormed. I posted some general info and some articles you should read (worms) in this thread here (second part):
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=226797&p=2

 

[Chickenz1]

Quote:
I have been getting answers now cause i spread my questions around different forums..and now I'm almost dizzy trying to keep up with responses..
Gofer is still with me, and initially was breathing more through his nose this morning, though later mouth breathing again..No noises coming from his chest tho, just his mouth..and I got VetRx and regular crumbles today for him..He still wants his grains, grapes and watermelon above all else, tho he's eating very little of any of it right now..Got him to take just a little bit of yogurt and raw egg yolk this morning, cause he completely refuses boiled or scrambled egg..Brought him back into the house when I got back from town today since now I can hopefully alleviate the stuffy nose with the VetRx..I'm learning a WHOLE lot in a short time here..Things I so wish I'd know in the past..
I'm so sorry about the bird you lost..I know that hurt.. I lost a wild baby bird a few years ago by trying to get wet food down his or her little pipe with a dropper and it leaking over into the lungs..I'll never do it again.. Spooning it in the front is safest, and they know where to put it after that..

 

[Wynette]

Glad you're getting some good info.! Yes, tube feeding is chancy...but, I had my avian vet teach me how to do it correctly and I'm confident that if I ever have to do it again, I won't have any issues.

I hope your boy gets better soon! YOu sound like a good chicken momma!

 

[Chickenz1]

Quote:
I am trying, but the jury is still out as to whether or not I'm a successful chicken mama..
I don't think I'd ever have the nerve to put a tube down anyone's throat.. You are a brave person..

 

[Wynette]

I dunno how brave I am...with the one I had that was so sick, she was not eating, and I really felt I didn't have a choice. It was try tube feeding or she wouldn't have lasted another day. It's so sad I messed it up...but, she wouldn't have lived otherwise.

Anyway, best of luck with yours!!!

 

[Chickenz1]

I understand.. Mine's not out of the woods yet, but seems to be on the right path now. Ate good this morning..I'm so glad for this site..