One dead hen.....should I worm just in case?

[RuffinPuffin]

3 days ago I lost my almost one year old buff orphington It was particularly hard because I had nursed her back to health from a dog attack 6 months ago. The day before we found her dead, I noticed that she wasn't eating as enthusiastically as the others. She would kind of just play with the food. I was not too concerned because otherwise she seemed fine. When I picked her up I noticed that she was very thin. I picked up the other 4 and noticed they were very thin as well. I have tried looking at their poop but don't see anything unusual but am wondering if I should worm the 4 remaining hens just in case. I have two that are almost a year and two that are around 7 -8 mo. They are all laying. I am very scared I may lose the others if I can't figure out why my Buff died.

 

[terryg]

I believe in having fecal samples done at the vet. Just like you check for worms in dogs, you can do that with your hens. Even vets that aren't avian vets can send it out to other labs. Ask. Don't get overcharged! It should be less than $20. I've had my flock tested over the years and have never had an issue, and so have never had to use wormers. Do be aware that it's estimated that about 50 % of flocks will have some tapeworms. Not a big deal. However, alot of tapeworms will affect your feed bill and the hen's ability to thrive. It's the roundworms that are more deadly.

 

[RuffinPuffin]

Hope this is not a dumb question but do you treat all the hens (4) or just the ones that are confirmed to have worms and how do you know who's poop is who's?

Could there be another reason they are losing weight?

 

[terryg]

If you have worms, then they're all exposed to the source and they all have to be wormed. However, there are many other reasons why your hens might be losing weight. It's winter. Do they have fresh water at all times? If it's very cold, have you upped the feed and the carbs? Are you feeding greens? Is the food fresh? (It can go moldy.) They could have a low-grade viral disease. Do they have external parasites bothering them? It's really good that you picked them up and noticed the weight loss! I think if you do some close observation you'll find some other clues.