Should I buy eggs or wait it out?

[Wishing4Wings]

Quote: I do have DE (diotomaceous earth -made from diatom fossil deposits, we used to use it in science labs to model erosion processes- class dismissed!). I occasionally mix with their food, but use it more in the nest boxes and on the ground in the run for lice and mite prevention. It's food grade, so don't think it will hurt them, but don't know if too much can cause problems. It's great for insect control because it works mechanically, scratching through the exoskeleton and drying the bug out. Not toxic, yay! Last summer, I had an ant highway around the coop to the chickens' water and a little sprinkling of DE took care of it. But what I don't know is if it is effective against soft bodied critters, such as worms. Once it gets wet, it supposedly loses its effectiveness. More to research! I have been inconsistent with its use, so

not sure about worm prevention. Something I will add back into my new and improved worm prevention program, in addition to ACV and red pepper and all the other good stuff. I've read of BYCers that were on a good prevention program but got worm infestations and others who didn't. I know folks who don't do prevention or worming and have never had infestations. Might have something to do with luck and/or the density of wild bird populations mingling with a flock. Or those dastardly earthworms!

 

[Wishing4Wings]

No good news. She died this morning. She was not egg bound. The shell could have been soft, but it was only one green poo. Wouldn't there have been more? And it looks like she was laying. I admit I had not gotten a dozen in a week or so, but I assume it was because of all the banging when I was building the coop, and on bad days when I didn't go out early to build, they were shut in until about 11:00. I knew they had food, and didn't want out. I sure didn't want to go out! So I think that was effecting the laying.
I will post pictures later of the coop. I will TRY to get some of the new gang. They keep hiding from me. I may even post a pic of the dead girl. Just in case it inspires you to think of something.

So sorry about your hen. Was the green poo an unnaturally light green, almost like a lime color? There are lots of posts about that, and it seems to be a symptom of the latter stages of starvation. What is causing the starvation is the real mystery, though. If it was icky dark green, that's not the same symptom, don't know what it would mean.

Birds will mask illness as much as possible, so by the time you can see that they are puffy and lethargic, they are usually quite ill. It would be much easier if they could just tell us what is wrong. (Well, maybe Roger could be the exception here!)

 

[okallthis4eggs]

Quote: I do have DE (diotomaceous earth -made from diatom fossil deposits, we used to use it in science labs to model erosion processes- class dismissed!). I occasionally mix with their food, but use it more in the nest boxes and on the ground in the run for lice and mite prevention. It's food grade, so don't think it will hurt them, but don't know if too much can cause problems. It's great for insect control because it works mechanically, scratching through the exoskeleton and drying the bug out. Not toxic, yay! Last summer, I had an ant highway around the coop to the chickens' water and a little sprinkling of DE took care of it. But what I don't know is if it is effective against soft bodied critters, such as worms. Once it gets wet, it supposedly loses its effectiveness. More to research! I have been inconsistent with its use, so

not sure about worm prevention. Something I will add back into my new and improved worm prevention program, in addition to ACV and red pepper and all the other good stuff. I've read of BYCers that were on a good prevention program but got worm infestations and others who didn't. I know folks who don't do prevention or worming and have never had infestations. Might have something to do with luck and/or the density of wild bird populations mingling with a flock. Or those dastardly earthworms!

IDK...if earthworms could give them worms mine would have a major infestation. I fed them wads of them last summer. Thanks for the spelling correction. I got lazy...actually I was in a hurry to get to work. Now you got me thinking about red pepper. I grew a lot of cayenne peppers last summer and wouldn't mind sharing with those little nuts if it helped anything. ACV = apple cider vinegar....right? And while i'm thinking about it I need to check on my meal worms.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I must have missed somewhere the initial mention of the worm problem...else I'd have added my 2¢ worth. I'll just say that if you can see the parasite you have to treat for it cause too much overloaded on that chicken....needs some help. If I had a microscope I might look for signs but never have seen a worm segment in any chicken poop. Maybe since they free range all over they find natural dewormers. I know when i brought my puppies home a year or so ago I freaked out after finding a flea....and they'd been all over the place, in the coop, dust bowl....I dumped sevin in the dust bowl and coop floor....so much for chemical free....but no way I want fleas. They never became a problem and I haven't used anything else. As for internal parasites...I've never seen any inside or out...but then too, very healthy looking birds. If I did see a problem I would worm them hard and fast and by the book then fix where they came from......either that or scrap the bunch and start over. Some say individual chickens just aren't healthy and can't handle a little parasite activity....but if you go swimming with leeches you ought to pick them off your body and maybe stay out of the water.

 

[okallthis4eggs]

I must have missed somewhere the initial mention of the worm problem...else I'd have added my 2¢ worth. I'll just say that if you can see the parasite you have to treat for it cause too much overloaded on that chicken....needs some help. If I had a microscope I might look for signs but never have seen a worm segment in any chicken poop. Maybe since they free range all over they find natural dewormers. I know when i brought my puppies home a year or so ago I freaked out after finding a flea....and they'd been all over the place, in the coop, dust bowl....I dumped sevin in the dust bowl and coop floor....so much for chemical free....but no way I want fleas. They never became a problem and I haven't used anything else. As for internal parasites...I've never seen any inside or out...but then too, very healthy looking birds. If I did see a problem I would worm them hard and fast and by the book then fix where they came from......either that or scrap the bunch and start over. Some say individual chickens just aren't healthy and can't handle a little parasite activity....but if you go swimming with leeches you ought to pick them off your body and maybe stay out of the water

......either that or scrap the bunch and start over.

I got one I need to scrap....

 

[BullChick]

Quote: I would say it was a light green. I honestly should have taken a picture of it. I checked the flock a million times today. No puffy. No lethargic.

 

[animallover505]

They may have been pushing her away from the feeder so she couldn't eat. Or may have had an impacted crop.

 

[BullChick]

So what wormers and antibiotics have you guys used, and what for? I know Wazene is for round worms. I do NOT want a picture of a roundworm. I do want to know how often that is the problem.
I am aware of Tetracycline, a broad spectrum antibiotic. And Safeguard wormer for goats that I have the chicken conversion for. Again, I don't know when to assume worms, and when to assume an antibiotic is needed. Which for sneezing? Which for the runs?

 

[Wishing4Wings]

IDK...if earthworms could give them worms mine would have a major infestation. I fed them wads of them last summer. Thanks for the spelling correction. I got lazy...actually I was in a hurry to get to work. Now you got me thinking about red pepper. I grew a lot of cayenne peppers last summer and wouldn't mind sharing with those little nuts if it helped anything. ACV = apple cider vinegar....right? And while i'm thinking about it I need to check on my meal worms.

I doubt all earthworms in all regions are carriers. Just the luck of the draw. We've had ticks and mosquitoes and have managed to avoid lyme's disease and west nile virus, both of which have made appearances in our county. Besides, if I can blame the earthworms it makes me feel better! It's not my fault!

Mommy guilt strikes again!

The idea of the ACV (the kind with the mother/live cultures) and pepper flakes and the like is that it helps keep them at optimal health, so if they do encounter virus/bacteria/parasite they are better able to fight the nasty. If your girls are good, I wouldn't do anything they don't need, but those preventatives certainly can help.

Just in case you're interested and want to wade through 14 pages, this is a fairly comprehensive worm thread. There are some good gross-out pics too!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ts-is-not-coryza-or-crd-parasites-are-rampant

I must have missed somewhere the initial mention of the worm problem...else I'd have added my 2¢ worth. I'll just say that if you can see the parasite you have to treat for it cause too much overloaded on that chicken....needs some help. If I had a microscope I might look for signs but never have seen a worm segment in any chicken poop. Maybe since they free range all over they find natural dewormers. I know when i brought my puppies home a year or so ago I freaked out after finding a flea....and they'd been all over the place, in the coop, dust bowl....I dumped sevin in the dust bowl and coop floor....so much for chemical free....but no way I want fleas. They never became a problem and I haven't used anything else. As for internal parasites...I've never seen any inside or out...but then too, very healthy looking birds. If I did see a problem I would worm them hard and fast and by the book then fix where they came from......either that or scrap the bunch and start over. Some say individual chickens just aren't healthy and can't handle a little parasite activity....but if you go swimming with leeches you ought to pick them off your body and maybe stay out of the water.

I guess I started it because there is something wrong with my girls (super watery poos, excessive eating and drinking, low egg production) and I can't seem to find the problem except maybe worms, so I am worming them (ditto on ....so much for chemical free....). No tapeworm segments in sight and my little field microscope is not good enough for oocyst id. If you see worms in the poo (other than tape worms) then it's a pretty bad case. Hoping I've caught it early. Some individuals are worse off than others, by the evidence under the roosts each morning

, and they're almost all hatchery stock, so probably not as robust as yours. If the worming doesn't work, I figure it won't hurt too much, but I don't know what to try after that, so I'm really hoping it solves the problem.

Oh, and leeches? Creepy little suckers! shudder

 

[Wishing4Wings]

So what wormers and antibiotics have you guys used, and what for? I know Wazene is for round worms. I do NOT want a picture of a roundworm. I do want to know how often that is the problem.
I am aware of Tetracycline, a broad spectrum antibiotic. And Safeguard wormer for goats that I have the chicken conversion for. Again, I don't know when to assume worms, and when to assume an antibiotic is needed. Which for sneezing? Which for the runs?

What? No creepy worm pictures? That's no fun! I've never had to treat for anything before this, but got Valbazen for them. Wazine only kills roundworms, but there are several other types they can get (cecal worms, tape worms, flukes, gape worms). Valbazen is the only one that supposedly kills them all and the only one that kills tapeworms, but like everything else (except Wazine) it is not okayed for use in chickens. Safeguard is supposedly good and for people worming regularly, it's good to switch off types so the worms don't become resistant. I really wouldn't be doing this for mine if they didn't have something wrong.