Question about Worms/Coccidiosis Treatment

[HollyWoozle]

Have treated ill hen for coccidiosis and worms (there's a separate thread about that) - I saw roundworms in her droppings and am pretty sure that she had coccidiosis. I sent poop samples off to be tested, one separate one for her and one mixed sample for the rest of the flock. Individual hen's sample was sent off after a week of treatment with amprolium and worming with ivermectin and her sample has come back negative for both, but so has the sample for the rest of the flock.

I planned to still treat the whole flock with amprolium and wormer but would you still do that when their sample was negative? They exhibit no symptoms and have shown no signs of either.

Flubendazole is the only licensed poultry wormer here and that goes in the food for 7 days, but isn't effective as my parents refuse to keep them locked in, so some of them don't eat much of it as their run is large and they can forage. I can either not treat them at all (I am not keen on treating with meds if not necessary) or I have different things to hand:

- Amprolium liquid for water
- Ivermectin spot on
- Flubendazole powder for food
- this '4 in 1' treatment that my stepdad bought by accident, goes in water and contains amprolium, ivermectin and ronidazole (not sure if that's OK for chickens): https://www.harkersonline.co.uk/product/treatments/new-2018-harkers-4-1-soluble/

If they do need treating and the latter is safe then that would be the easiest option. What would you do? Thanks in advance!

 

[DobieLover]

Have treated ill hen for coccidiosis and worms (there's a separate thread about that) - I saw roundworms in her droppings and am pretty sure that she had coccidiosis. I sent poop samples off to be tested, one separate one for her and one mixed sample for the rest of the flock. Individual hen's sample was sent off after a week of treatment with amprolium and worming with ivermectin and her sample has come back negative for both, but so has the sample for the rest of the flock.

I planned to still treat the whole flock with amprolium and wormer but would you still do that when their sample was negative? They exhibit no symptoms and have shown no signs of either.

Flubendazole is the only licensed poultry wormer here and that goes in the food for 7 days, but isn't effective as my parents refuse to keep them locked in, so some of them don't eat much of it as their run is large and they can forage. I can either not treat them at all (I am not keen on treating with meds if not necessary) or I have different things to hand:

- Amprolium liquid for water
- Ivermectin spot on
- Flubendazole powder for food
- this '4 in 1' treatment that my stepdad bought by accident, goes in water and contains amprolium, ivermectin and ronidazole (not sure if that's OK for chickens): https://www.harkersonline.co.uk/product/treatments/new-2018-harkers-4-1-soluble/

If they do need treating and the latter is safe then that would be the easiest option. What would you do? Thanks in advance!

If the fecal float reports they are negative for worms and coccidiosis, I wouldn't treat them. What would be the point?

 

[HollyWoozle]

Thanks for responding @DobieLover. That's sort of what I thought, but then I read it is advisable always to treat the whole flock if you believe one has been affected? I guess I'll just leave it for now!

 

[DobieLover]

I read it is advisable always to treat the whole flock if you believe one has been affected?

That is for those who didn't have a mixed sample fecal float done. You did the right thing and now you can act based on data and not speculation.

 

[ackie]

^^

but I do think you should discuss with your parents that sometimes the birds need to be locked up for their own well being - maybe compare it to them making you stay in bed and eat soup when you were sick as a kid. Left to your own devices, youd probably have gone out and played, but your caregivers had to make the hard decision to not let you, even if you didnt like it. I find analogys tend to work better than undiluted logic at times.

 

[LightedPrism]

with them being let out with family involvement i would just do what you are doing and treat when / if fecals come back and show something,

meaning keep an eye on your guys stool, and (ideally) every few months send a mixed sample to be tested just incase. Unless you can make sure their area is 100% contained and no way for anything else to get there it would just be safer that way since recontamination is a possibility in a more open environment.