Tapeworms

[Candyland430]

I had a hen who was ill and extremely thin. I thought she had waterbelly but it turns out she was egg bound. The vet pulled a huge tapeworm out of her rear end. I have since dewormed the rest of my flock once with dewormer from the vet. I am to repeat it in 30 days. My hens are nothing but bones sadly. I didn’t realize the condition they were in! They have always had plenty of feed and fresh treats and I understand now why they eat non stop. We had already looked before this for mites or worms in their poop. We saw nothing. How do I know if the worms are gone? What can I do so this never happens again?

 

[DobieLover]

I had a hen who was ill and extremely thin. I thought she had waterbelly but it turns out she was egg bound. The vet pulled a huge tapeworm out of her rear end. I have since dewormed the rest of my flock once with dewormer from the vet. I am to repeat it in 30 days. My hens are nothing but bones sadly. I didn’t realize the condition they were in! They have always had plenty of feed and fresh treats and I understand now why they eat non stop. We had already looked before this for mites or worms in their poop. We saw nothing. How do I know if the worms are gone? What can I do so this never happens again?

Most worms cannot be seen by the naked eye in poop. Round worms, tape worm segments (when they are shed) and cecal worm (if you look very close) can be seen. The best way to know if your flock has an internal parasite burden is to have a combined sample fecal float performed periodically.

 

[Candyland430]

Most worms cannot be seen by the naked eye in poop. Round worms, tape worm segments (when they are shed) and cecal worm (if you look very close) can be seen. The best way to know if your flock has an internal parasite burden is to have a combined sample fecal float performed periodically.

I would just take a poop sample to my vet then?

 

[DobieLover]

I would just take a poop sample to my vet then?

Yes. You take a small amount from each birds nightly pile and combine the sample into one and give it to your vet and ask for a fecal float on it.

 

[dawg53]

I had a hen who was ill and extremely thin. I thought she had waterbelly but it turns out she was egg bound. The vet pulled a huge tapeworm out of her rear end. I have since dewormed the rest of my flock once with dewormer from the vet. I am to repeat it in 30 days. My hens are nothing but bones sadly. I didn’t realize the condition they were in! They have always had plenty of feed and fresh treats and I understand now why they eat non stop. We had already looked before this for mites or worms in their poop. We saw nothing. How do I know if the worms are gone? What can I do so this never happens again?

What wormer did the vet give you to treat your flock? Did the vet say why repeat in 30 days?

Chickens get tapeworms from eating infected insects. Try to control the insect population as best as you can. Keep in mind that not all insects are hosts for tapeworm eggs.

 

[Candyland430]

He gave me Fenbendazole. He said to repeat it in a month. Our coop is on the edge of a wooded area, so lots of worms. I’ve noticed that my ducks are starting to lose weight now too. I’ll be weighing them today and calling in for a wormer for them too. I’m thinking of layering sand and pea gravel in my chicken and duck runs. Maybe that will help?

 

[dawg53]

Safeguard is an excellent wormer for getting rid of all types of roundworms. However, not for tapeworms. Been there, done that a long time ago. You would be better off dosing tapeworm infected birds with Equimax equine paste which contains praziquantel.
Equimax is given orally, dosage is 0.16ml per 5 pounds of weight.

Only treat the bird that had the tapeworm.

Then, if you see tapeworm segments in feces (see pic below), in another one of your birds, treat that particular bird with the Equimax and repeat dosing in 10 days. You're done.

 

[Angileen]

I had a hen who was ill and extremely thin. I thought she had waterbelly but it turns out she was egg bound. The vet pulled a huge tapeworm out of her rear end. I have since dewormed the rest of my flock once with dewormer from the vet. I am to repeat it in 30 days. My hens are nothing but bones sadly. I didn’t realize the condition they were in! They have always had plenty of feed and fresh treats and I understand now why they eat non stop. We had already looked before this for mites or worms in their poop. We saw nothing. How do I know if the worms are gone? What can I do so this never happens again?

Try WORMER DELUXE POWDER at Jedds bird supply https://www.jedds.com/

 

[MickWithChicks]

Praziquantel will kill all tapeworms.

I use Equimax--a horse wormer--to prevent/kill tapeworms (well all worms really) in my flock. Equimax has ivermectin and praziquantel and covers all worms and flukes that affect poultry. Note: Praziquantel probably isn't approved for use in poultry in your country. Withdrawal period is 7 days but I take 14.