Should they all be treated for tapeworm?

[casportpony]

Just guess the weight of the bird, pick dose per pound and do the math.

Your little ones will probably only need half a pill.

-Kathy

 

[casportpony]

I will look for more dosing info and help you come up with a plan. FYI, the 34 mg pill is the same thing as Droncit for dogs, just way cheaper and available without a prescription. Here is the Droncit:


-Kathy

 

[katelk]

Awesome thanks!! So anyone under 5 pounds will need half a pill and basically everyone else will need one pill if I understand correctly.

Are these pills small enough to hide in a treat somehow, or will I have to figure out how to pry their beak open and make them swallow it?
Is it ever ok to mush it up with a drip of olive oil and put it on a bit of bread?

 

[katelk]

Something I just thought of-
If this gets rid of tapeworms only, I guess I need to find something in addition to this that will kill any other worms?

What is the safest product to use for as many worms as possible?
How often should I deworm with that product and how often should I deworm for tapeworm?
How long should I wait between the two treatments?

This deworming mess is so overwhelming! I have read so many places where people never deworm chickens so I thought it was no big deal, but now that I know they could have them I must!

 

[casportpony]

I use Safeguard, but for it to be effective against the most number of worms it has to be given five days in a row. I'm getting the feeling that you might not want to do that, so you could use Valbazen instead.

• Valbazen dosed at 0.08 ml per pound orally will treat roundworms, cecal worms, a large percentage of capillary worms and *maybe* some species of tape worms. I do not think it will treat gapeworms if given for one day, but don't quote me on that. Repeat in ten days.

-Kathy

 

[katelk]

Ok thanks. I am just nervous about having to open their mouth and put something down their throat. Hopefully once I do it once or twice it won't be as scary lol.

How many times per year do you treat yours?

 

[cafarmgirl]

Ok thanks. I am just nervous about having to open their mouth and put something down their throat. Hopefully once I do it once or twice it won't be as scary lol.

How many times per year do you treat yours?

It does get easier with practice lol! It helps a lot to have someone to hold the chicken for you so you can concentrate on dosing them.

How often you deworm depends a lot on your climate. Most people do fine with deworming a couple times a year but in some areas it's needed more often such as in warmer/wetter areas. Where I live I usually do a spring and a fall deworming (after the fall molt).

 

[katelk]

I use Safeguard, but for it to be effective against the most number of worms it has to be given five days in a row. I'm getting the feeling that you might not want to do that, so you could use Valbazen instead.

• Valbazen dosed at 0.08 ml per pound orally will treat roundworms, cecal worms, a large percentage of capillary worms and *maybe* some species of tape worms. I do not think it will treat gapeworms if given for one day, but don't quote me on that. Repeat in ten days.

-Kathy

I just looked up valbazen and it says that it treats tapeworm. Would I be able to use just this instead of fish tape?

 

[casportpony]

Quote: Many sites say that both Valbazen and Safeguard will treat tapes, but some members like Dawg53 have said it doesn't always work. I haven't had to deal with tapes, so I can't comment on it's actual efficacy. Pretty sure that praziquantel will treat *all* species of tapes, so I would probably use both if I suspected tapes. One first, then the other. Is there any chance you could collect up a bunch of fresh poop, put it in a zip-zock baggie, mix well and take to a vet for a fecal float?

-Kathy

 

[katelk]

It does get easier with practice lol!  It helps a lot to have someone to hold the chicken for you so you can concentrate on dosing them.  

How often you deworm depends a lot on your climate.  Most people do fine with deworming a couple times a year but in some areas it's needed more often such as in warmer/wetter areas. Where I live I usually do a spring and a fall deworming (after the fall molt).  

Thanks! So it is not good to do it during a molt? My girls are about finished, but one roo is in the midst of a molt.

What dewormer(s) do you use?