Roundworms and Ivermectin Pour On

[outdoorsgirl85]

Hi, I'm new here and and just found one roundworm in my chicken poop a couple of days ago.

I have 8 adult chickens, ranging between 4 to 5.5 lbs. I called my vet to see what the treatment recommendation would be.
He recommended using Ivermectin pour on ( I found Durvet Ivermectin at Tractor Supply, 5mg per mL ). He said two drops per bird and wait 7 days before consuming eggs again. I asked about repeat use and he said that was up to me... I didn't leave the conversation feeling 100% confident. I found this link providing more information - https://bitchinchickens.com/2019/04/29/ivermectin-for-parasite-control/

Has anyone used this product as drops effectively? Would the dosage measurements match what I found in the link above? I'm tempted to try what has been suggested.. but timid too. This is my first experience with worms, so trying to learn as much as possible. Thank you for any help/advice that can be provided!

 

[dawg53]

I stopped using Ivermectin pour on years ago because it was ineffective in treating my birds for large roundworms. I believe it's due to overuse as a miteacide in poultry. Currently most poultry mites are showing resistance to mites due to overuse of the product.

You'd be better off using Safeguard liquid goat wormer or Valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer to treat your birds. Either wormer will treat all types of roundworms that a chicken can get.

 

[outdoorsgirl85]

Thank you so much for your response @dawg53 !
I've had chickens for 4 year now and I've never dewormed, but have read that some people do it every spring or fall, alternating between products. But some prefer to just use natural preventatives.
Is this a more common practice to deworm with your suggestions above in the spring or fall, regardless of seeing worms? Or is it best to just do it when you notice there is a problem? I'm learning so much with chickens - always something new!

 

[dawg53]

Thank you so much for your response @dawg53 !
I've had chickens for 4 year now and I've never dewormed, but have read that some people do it every spring or fall, alternating between products. But some prefer to just use natural preventatives.
Is this a more common practice to deworm with your suggestions above in the spring or fall, regardless of seeing worms? Or is it best to just do it when you notice there is a problem? I'm learning so much with chickens - always something new!

I worm my birds monthly, and yes I rotate wormers on occasion. Natural preventatives dont work.
Your soil conditions dictate how often you should worm. Warm moist or wet soil requires frequent worming, cool/cold soil or mountainous soil or desertlike soil requires less frequent wormings. Also birds kept on the same soil need to be wormed often. If their feet touch the ground, they'll get worms.
There are plenty of excellent wormers on the market, ivermectin is not one of them for poultry.

 

[outdoorsgirl85]

Okay, sounds like this will be a work in progress to learn when to worm. We’re in a very warm climate (East TX) with dry & wet spells.
Thank you again for your information; every bit helps

 

[dawg53]

Okay, sounds like this will be a work in progress to learn when to worm. We’re in a very warm climate (East TX) with dry & wet spells.
Thank you again for your information; every bit helps

If you're unsure when to worm your birds, you can always take fresh fecal samples to a vet and have them take a look under a microscope for worm eggs.
Our weather is hot and very humid. The soil is warm, moist or wet all the time...worm soup.

 

[outdoorsgirl85]

That sounds like the best idea; know for sure. I’m going to go ahead and definitely do it now, since I have seen the roundworms. How long do you do an egg withdrawal with each product you use ?

Your climate sounds about like ours - warm and humid ! The wet and dry alternates a lot... hoping for rain any day right now

 

[Folly's place]

Fenbendazole has no egg withdrawal, and works fine for roundworms, and several other intestinal parasites, depending on how it's dosed.
Ivermectin is not approved for use on chickens, so in theory, the egg withdrawal time is forever. People who decide to use it anyway will throw eggs away for anywhere from one to four weeks.
If at all possible, use an approved product, and one with no egg withdrawal time is the best!
Mary

 

[outdoorsgirl85]

Fenbendazole has no egg withdrawal, and works fine for roundworms, and several other intestinal parasites, depending on how it's dosed.
Ivermectin is not approved for use on chickens, so in theory, the egg withdrawal time is forever. People who decide to use it anyway will throw eggs away for anywhere from one to four weeks.
If at all possible, use an approved product, and one with no egg withdrawal time is the best!
Mary

Hi Mary
Oh goodness! I definitely don’t want a forever egg withdrawal. I’m starting to feel as if my vet doesn’t handle chickens as much as other animals... Is there a known site for figuring out correct dosages for each product listed above (Fenbendazole and Albendazole )? Thank you for your response

 

[Folly's place]

There's a thread here about fenbendazole, which I can't seem to find right now, with dosages. many people but the Safegard wormer, available at the feed stores, or Panacur.
I'd rather use ivermectin too, it's easier, but would use fenbendazole instead now.
The FARAD.org website has information about approved drugs and not approved drugs for livestock; look at the bottom of the home page for species specific information. They 'improved' the site and it's more complicated, sadly.
Mary