Tapeworms - how to eliminate/prevent.....

[TXchickmum]

I have perused thread after thread regarding tapeworms. -recently noticed segments in the droppings. -tried Verm-x (preferring natural) which did nothing for the tapes. Today, I used Zimecterin Gold. The main hen which I suspected of having tapes eliminated six or seven in two droppings. Good grief! The gals have been laying every day without fail. They have been running all over the lawn and eating very well. -would NOT have thought they were infested with worms. -no symptoms other than shedding segments. Anyway, I am perplexed. I've always thought that "free-ranging" is optimal. -have given the gals access to the lawn and garden. They love chasing bugs. -questioning now whether to continue if bugs are the hosts for the tapes. Uggh! I scoop our lawn, daily - several times. Also, the run and coops are meticulously and thoroughly cleaned and kept each and every day. -not sure what else can be done on the "sanitation" side of things. They live as well as humans (for the most part). Any suggestions on how to eliminate/prevent these nasty, nasty tapeworms?????? ...or are worms just common-place and simply co-exist with all chickens???

 

[willowbranchfarm]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/354725/best-treatment-for-tapeworms

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/74037/worms-help

Here are some links.

 

[TXchickmum]

Thanks for the links.

 

[dawg53]

I have perused thread after thread regarding tapeworms. -recently noticed segments in the droppings. -tried Verm-x (preferring natural) which did nothing for the tapes. Today, I used Zimecterin Gold. The main hen which I suspected of having tapes eliminated six or seven in two droppings. Good grief! The gals have been laying every day without fail. They have been running all over the lawn and eating very well. -would NOT have thought they were infested with worms. -no symptoms other than shedding segments. Anyway, I am perplexed. I've always thought that "free-ranging" is optimal. -have given the gals access to the lawn and garden. They love chasing bugs. -questioning now whether to continue if bugs are the hosts for the tapes. Uggh! I scoop our lawn, daily - several times. Also, the run and coops are meticulously and thoroughly cleaned and kept each and every day. -not sure what else can be done on the "sanitation" side of things. They live as well as humans (for the most part). Any suggestions on how to eliminate/prevent these nasty, nasty tapeworms?????? ...or are worms just common-place and simply co-exist with all chickens???

You did good with the zimectrin gold. You have to redose your birds again in 10 days. Worm oocysts are common place in the soil. Insects eat tapeworm eggs, chickens eat infected insect. Roundworm oocysts can be directly picked up from the soil. It's best to maintain a regular worming schedule according to your soil conditions as you see fit.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

I have perused thread after thread regarding tapeworms. -recently noticed segments in the droppings. -tried Verm-x (preferring natural) which did nothing for the tapes. Today, I used Zimecterin Gold. The main hen which I suspected of having tapes eliminated six or seven in two droppings. Good grief! The gals have been laying every day without fail. They have been running all over the lawn and eating very well. -would NOT have thought they were infested with worms. -no symptoms other than shedding segments. Anyway, I am perplexed. I've always thought that "free-ranging" is optimal. -have given the gals access to the lawn and garden. They love chasing bugs. -questioning now whether to continue if bugs are the hosts for the tapes. Uggh! I scoop our lawn, daily - several times. Also, the run and coops are meticulously and thoroughly cleaned and kept each and every day. -not sure what else can be done on the "sanitation" side of things. They live as well as humans (for the most part). Any suggestions on how to eliminate/prevent these nasty, nasty tapeworms?????? ...or are worms just common-place and simply co-exist with all chickens???

Yes, in a word. But, internal parasites can/must be battled. Ideally, you need to identify the specific worm, as most have intermediate hosts (ants, cockroaches, some beetles, earthworms, etc.), and your battle is actually against both the specific worm, and it's vector.

I prefer natural/organic as well, but this is one of those things that I'd rely upon tried/true well-proven treatment -- (speaking generally, if I were to see tapeworms): I'd use albendazole at the rate of 25 mg/kg of bodyweight for three consecutive days, and a follow-up at day ten, ideally w/ the birds raised upon wire, and relocated to fresh ground after treatment. I'd also use permethrin concentrate to wipe out as many bugs as I could, but w/o any synergist, so that it'd break down w/in a month or less.

If you can upload a picture of the tapeworm, I might be able to ID it, and it's intermediate host(s), and help you plan your offense/defense from there. There's what has become an excellent thread on this subject, with many resources to help better understand our 'enemy' which you should also review:
>> peck here << to visit that thread.

:: edit :: wanted to add this tidbit: Adult tapeworms lay about 1,000,000 eggs in their lifetime, so let's kill 'em all ~'-) :: /edit ::

 

[TXchickmum]

-didn't have any tapeworm problems until I placed a small bale of straw in the run for the birds to perch upon. (After a few days, I noticed small black beetles coming from underneath the straw. The chickens were gobbling them up. I turned the bale over, saw a number of these beetles, and decided to remove it immediately. -not sure if this is the source, but thinking it is likely.) Our climate is fairly conducive to worms, so I suppose a regular worming schedule is in order. The Zimecterin Gold worked quickly. -will follow-up with another dose in 10 days.

-do a lot of gardening here, and have always loved having tons of earthworms to help with the soil. -don't mind getting rid of some of the insects, but I don't want to employ chemicals that will kill the lady bugs, lacewings, mantids, etc. that are beneficial to the garden. -tough balance, I suppose. -want a healthy, organic garden/lawn AND healthy, worm-free birds.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

-didn't have any tapeworm problems until I placed a small bale of straw in the run for the birds to perch upon. (After a few days, I noticed small black beetles coming from underneath the straw. The chickens were gobbling them up. I turned the bale over, saw a number of these beetles, and decided to remove it immediately. -not sure if this is the source, but thinking it is likely.) Our climate is fairly conducive to worms, so I suppose a regular worming schedule is in order. The Zimecterin Gold worked quickly. -will follow-up with another dose in 10 days.

-do a lot of gardening here, and have always loved having tons of earthworms to help with the soil. -don't mind getting rid of some of the insects, but I don't want to employ chemicals that will kill the lady bugs, lacewings, mantids, etc. that are beneficial to the garden. -tough balance, I suppose. -want a healthy, organic garden/lawn AND healthy, worm-free birds.

Yeah, there's where I get touchy ... we have fifty acres, and I don't use chemicals anywhere near where the food is grown, or where runoff would be likely used as a source of water. But, I won't hesitate to sweep areas that are free of any flowering plants/grasses w/ permethrin w/o piperonyl butoxide (or any other synergist, which hinders biodegrading), and I fog some evening to eliminate mosquitoes, which are still the #1 predator of mankind (w/ #2 being man ~'-)

I believe all tapeworms that infect chickens have intermediate hosts, and that Raillietina cesticullus is the one that relies upon beetles ... they're only about 1/2" long. Davainea proglottina is most common, and is approximately 3/16" long and consists of 4-9 segments, which might be the one you've seen. Their intermediate hosts are the molluscs or snails.

 

[TXchickmum]

-wish we had acreage!! We have a decent suburban lot....that is all. -make the very most out of it, though. I do use Acetamiprid on my hanging flowers and in areas where there is little access (by the chickens) or run-off onto the vegetable/herb areas. -definitely do what we can to eliminate the mosquitoes. They are prevalent from mid-March through November 'round here.

The tapeworms that were excreted by one hen were about 1/2 inch to an inch in length. Today, thankfully, there are no segments anywhere to be found. The gals are looking/acting very well.

 

[cowcreekgeek]

-wish we had acreage!! We have a decent suburban lot....that is all. -make the very most out of it, though. I do use Acetamiprid on my hanging flowers and in areas where there is little access (by the chickens) or run-off onto the vegetable/herb areas. -definitely do what we can to eliminate the mosquitoes. They are prevalent from mid-March through November 'round here.

The tapeworms that were excreted by one hen were about 1/2 inch to an inch in length. Today, thankfully, there are no segments anywhere to be found. The gals are looking/acting very well.

It's a virtually endless battle, and one that requires deeper thought in such restrictive areas ...

Merck Veterinary Manual (linked from w/in my signature ~'-)​

And, there's your chickens' enemies ... well ... from the worm world, that is. And, post treatment, you have to watch out for havin' the chemicals w/in their eggs, and the potential of havin' the tapes return w/ the ability to survive treatment w/ the same active ingredients.

And, you be careful w/ the Acetamiprid ... it's organic, which makes folks presume it can't kill people (which it has). One other problem is that your neighbors will be using stuff that you're not gonna wanna see w/in your eggs ... somebody else poisons the bugs, and they crawl/fly/hop into reach of your flock, and we know what happens next ~'-)

 

[TXchickmum]

Well, I figure that I'll do the best I can and not fret every single possibility/scenario out there.