Rooster not gaining weight

[RickRT]

Hi everyone, I’m a new backyard chicken owner. I obtained 4 chicks & it turns out two were roosters. One of the roosters has not grown as fast as the other 3. Two months ago I noticed the rooster was drinking a lot of water & occasionally the water is coming back up & he’s vomiting it out. I contacted the person that I got the chicks from & was told it’s probably worms & to use wazine as a treatment. I gave the 1st monthly dose & noticed the vomiting stopped & the rooster began getting bigger. After almost a month I once again noticed the vomiting so I went ahead with another treatment yesterday. I’d estimate they are all around 3-4 months old now. The stools from the rooster in question are also watery but I don’t see any worms in the stool. Just wondering if I’m doing the right thing or received bad advice. Thank you for your help.
Rick

 

[coach723]

I'm surprised you found Wazine, it's been discontinued and most people can't find it anywhere anymore. Where are you, generally, in the world, makes it easier to recommend things? Do you have a vet that will do a fecal float test for you? Some will do even if they don't see chickens, some won't. That would let you know for sure whether it's worms that are an issue or not, and which one. If you can't get that done (there are mail in options for that too, amazon carries one) then I would recommend that you get some Safeguard Liquid goat wormer and use that instead, or order some Valbazen online. The issue with Wazine is that it's mixed in the water so dosing is dependant on them drinking enough of it. The others are direct dosed orally, so you know they got the correct amount. Since he improved once after worming, then it seems reasonable to treat again and see if he improves. And depending on what parasite you are dealing with, reinfection is common, particularly with roundworm. It's really easily picked up in the environment and the eggs survive in the soil for a really long time. You may have to follow a regular worming schedule to keep them healthy. That's why it's a good idea to know which one you are dealing with whenever possible. Worms most often are not seen in the droppings, the test looks for the eggs, which are microscopic. Sometimes roundworm or tape segments will be expelled if a bird is carrying a heavy load, but most often you won't see them. Since you just treated again, then I would try to have a test done in 4-6 weeks to see if anything is found, or be ready to test if you see symptoms again, as the wazine may prevent anything from showing up right now.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J5SOZ...colid=27RHKHAM35GO&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[Chickenhappy8708]

Pics of roo, and poop/vomit, try anti-worm natural treatment to. (Garlic, ACV, Oregano, Pumpkin seeds, ECT..)

 

[coach723]

Pics of roo, and poop/vomit, try anti-worm natural treatment to. (Garlic, ACV, Oregano, Pumpkin seeds, ECT..)

PIctures are always welcome and often helpful. None of those natural treatments are going to take care of an actual parasite infection (nor will DE). Been there, done that, lost birds. They are fine as a preventative, though I have never found them to be effective. Once a bird has a parasite load then you have to resort to the chemical wormers. And many people do not realize how sick a bird can actually get simply from internal parasites. If you live in an environment that has a low parasite load, then those things may be fine. If you have an environment that has a heavy parasite load, then it will be an exercise in frustration and loss. I worm every three months because I have to, or I deal with impactions, secondary infections, weight loss, and worst case, deaths. I would prefer to not have to worm that often, but that is the reality of my environment. Which is why I always recommend a fecal first, whenever possible, so that treatment isn't done if it's not necessary. Sometimes the resources are not there to get one done quickly since many vets hang up when you ask about a chicken.

 

[RickRT]

I'm surprised you found Wazine, it's been discontinued and most people can't find it anywhere anymore. Where are you, generally, in the world, makes it easier to recommend things? Do you have a vet that will do a fecal float test for you? Some will do even if they don't see chickens, some won't. That would let you know for sure whether it's worms that are an issue or not, and which one. If you can't get that done (there are mail in options for that too, amazon carries one) then I would recommend that you get some Safeguard Liquid goat wormer and use that instead, or order some Valbazen online. The issue with Wazine is that it's mixed in the water so dosing is dependant on them drinking enough of it. The others are direct dosed orally, so you know they got the correct amount. Since he improved once after worming, then it seems reasonable to treat again and see if he improves. And depending on what parasite you are dealing with, reinfection is common, particularly with roundworm. It's really easily picked up in the environment and the eggs survive in the soil for a really long time. You may have to follow a regular worming schedule to keep them healthy. That's why it's a good idea to know which one you are dealing with whenever possible. Worms most often are not seen in the droppings, the test looks for the eggs, which are microscopic. Sometimes roundworm or tape segments will be expelled if a bird is carrying a heavy load, but most often you won't see them. Since you just treated again, then I would try to have a test done in 4-6 weeks to see if anything is found, or be ready to test if you see symptoms again, as the wazine may prevent anything from showing up right now.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J5SOZ...colid=27RHKHAM35GO&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I’m in the Bay Area of California. Thank you so much for the advice. As for the wazine, I did a google search & found someone in Southern California that was selling it. Pretty expensive but I didn’t mind spending to save the rooster from become sick. I’ll wait the 4-6 weeks & re-evaluate.
so far the rooster is acting 100% normal, just drinking more water then the rest of the flock.

 

[RickRT]

Pics of roo, and poop/vomit, try anti-worm natural treatment to. (Garlic, ACV, Oregano, Pumpkin seeds, ECT..)

Thank you, I just ordered pumpkin seeds so should have them in a day or two. I’ll see how things progress. If the symptoms continue I’ll post some pics of the poop & probably take him to see a vet.

 

[RickRT]

PIctures are always welcome and often helpful. None of those natural treatments are going to take care of an actual parasite infection (nor will DE). Been there, done that, lost birds. They are fine as a preventative, though I have never found them to be effective. Once a bird has a parasite load then you have to resort to the chemical wormers. And many people do not realize how sick a bird can actually get simply from internal parasites. If you live in an environment that has a low parasite load, then those things may be fine. If you have an environment that has a heavy parasite load, then it will be an exercise in frustration and loss. I worm every three months because I have to, or I deal with impactions, secondary infections, weight loss, and worst case, deaths. I would prefer to not have to worm that often, but that is the reality of my environment. Which is why I always recommend a fecal first, whenever possible, so that treatment isn't done if it's not necessary. Sometimes the resources are not there to get one done quickly since many vets hang up when you ask about a chicken.

Again thanks for the advice. Hopefully the 2nd dose of wazine does the trick. I’ll remember to take some pics next time I post & will re-evaluate in a few weeks (since I just have the wazine again yesterday).