New Chickens...and I have quite a few questions.

[One Chick Two]

Yes, this was definitely an ick "surprise package" when we arrived home. lol

Now, a few of the other chickens had some green droppings soon afterward. Bright green can be another sign of worms. But we only saw tiny worms once, about 1/2" long and thin, but they looked exactly the same as this one. So, if one bird has worms, expect they all have it. Since then, this flock have all been dosed twice.

So glad you are taking a proactive stance on worms--better safe than sorry, IMO.

Just an FYI, Wazine only targets one worm, roundworms. Ivermectin is said to not work at all. So, we chose Safeguard as our wormer (as we knew our flock had been wormed before) as it is supposedly pretty safe, but effective for all, but gapeworms. Valbazen is what we will use next time as it acts slowly and doesn't overload the system all at once.

Three days after the inital worming, the other roo (who wasn't showing any distress previously) became extremely ill. We believe it was not from the actual wormer, or just being wormed, but, there was likely a large worm load inside of him, so he may have experienced a blockage. As you could see from the photo above, the other roo had worms badly. (Cocci really isn't a consideration where he was housed when this sickness occured.)

He'd stopped eating and drinking. Became lethargic and depressed. We realized he was going downhill quickly, so we had to tube feed him food and liquid. Slept on and off for days. He's only now starting to eat scrambled eggs drenched in water and yogurt, and he's gaining an appetite again. Still won't touch other foods, but his energy seems to be slowly coming back. His weight is gaining, slowly.

So, yes, worming is a risk, since one bird can react poorly... but not worming him I know would have been a worse choice. It would only compound his worm load over time, plus re-infect others in contact with his droppings.

If people only realized how important worming chickens is, we'd have a national 'Chicken Worming day' twice a year. lol

 

[Dee5385]

Yes, this was definitely an ick "surprise package" when we arrived home. lol

Now, a few of the other chickens had some green droppings soon afterward. Bright green can be another sign of worms. But we only saw tiny worms once, about 1/2" long and thin, but they looked exactly the same as this one. So, if one bird has worms, expect they all have it. Since then, this flock have all been dosed twice.

So glad you are taking a proactive stance on worms--better safe than sorry, IMO. 

Just an FYI, Wazine only targets one worm, roundworms. Ivermectin is said to not work at all. So, we chose Safeguard as our wormer (as we knew our flock had been wormed before) as it is supposedly pretty safe, but effective for all, but gapeworms. Valbazen is what we will use next time as it acts slowly and doesn't overload the system all at once.

Three days after the inital worming, the other roo (who wasn't showing any distress previously) became extremely ill. We believe it was not from the actual wormer, or just being wormed, but, there was likely a large worm load inside of him, so he may have experienced a blockage. As you could see from the photo above, the other roo had worms badly. (Cocci really isn't a consideration where he was housed when this sickness occured.)

He'd stopped eating and drinking. Became lethargic and depressed. We realized he was going downhill quickly, so we had to tube feed him food and liquid. Slept on and off for days. He's only now starting to eat scrambled eggs drenched in water and yogurt, and he's gaining an appetite again. Still won't touch other foods, but his energy seems to be slowly coming back. His weight is gaining, slowly.

So, yes, worming is a risk, since one bird can react poorly... but not worming him I know would have been a worse choice. It would only compound his worm load over time, plus re-infect others in contact with his droppings.

If people only realized how important worming chickens is, we'd have a national 'Chicken Worming day' twice a year. lol

Can I use safeguard on baby chicks too? How did you determine the dosage for your birds when using safeguard?

 

[Dee5385]

I still can't post pictures in this thread? Booooooo.........

 

[One Chick Two]

Usually it's not necessary with chicks unless you know there's an issue.

How old are the chicks? Are they in a brooding pen still (no dirt yet)? Are they with older hens?

There are many good threads about worming if you do a search. I suggest reading a few so you get a good idea on people's experiences.

 

[Dee5385]

Usually it's not necessary with chicks unless you know there's an issue.

How old are the chicks? Are they in a brooding pen still (no dirt yet)? Are they with older hens? 

There are many good threads about worming if you do a search. I suggest reading a few so you get a good idea on people's experiences. 

I don't have the chicks yet; I'm getting them this weekend. But I can't wait!!

 

[Dee5385]

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Anybody know what kind of chicken this is?

 

[Dee5385]

Here's another picture.

 

[Dee5385]

Ok...pumpkin colored, really soft poo from my New Hampshire Red. Could this be bad? Any ideas?

 

[One Chick Two]

I think she may possibly be a silver laced Barnevelder, but she has feathered boots, so she may be a mix? Difficult to tell from the dark photos. Google this and see if that's what she look like.

Don't worry about the wet, pumpkin orange droppings, it is completely normal. Chickens cycle Cecal poop, about every 10 droppings, give or take. Just look at that droppings link I gave you and you'll see it listed there. This type does stain. Green and watery droppings, etc, are the ones to be most concerned about.

Now, with your older birds you will have to wait for the chicks to grow out to a good size before putting them together. (We put ours together at 10 weeks.) That way the younger chickens don't get bullied so badly.

 

[Dee5385]

I think she may possibly be a silver laced Barnevelder, but she has feathered boots, so she may be a mix? Difficult to tell from the dark photos. Google this and see if that's what she look like.

Don't worry about the wet, pumpkin orange droppings, it is completely normal. Chickens cycle Cecal poop, about every 10 droppings, give or take. Just look at that droppings link I gave you and you'll see it listed there. This type does stain. Green and watery droppings, etc, are the ones to be most concerned about.

Now, with your older birds you will have to wait for the chicks to grow out to a good size before putting them together. (We put ours together at 10 weeks.) That way the younger chickens don't get bullied so badly.

Thanks for your help!

The Black chicken has to be a mix...she doesn't really fit perfectly with one breed. (she doesn't have feathered boots thought) I know my picture wasn't that great so I'm sure it was hard to tell. She's mostly black with some white on her chest feathers and head and black feet. Maybe she'll be my mystery chicken until she lays eggs...that might help me figure it out.