TEACH ME ABOUT WORMS PLEASE!!!

[Harestad Farm]

First has anyone had any luck with deworming with Durvet Strike III??? Im trying to keep my chickens as organic as possible, plus I HATE THROWING AWAY THEIR EGGS as i have to do with medicated stuff!! I know I did have an active roundworm outbreak. I physically saw the long worms in a poop. so will this stop them and the larva??
2nd.. If i can no longer see the worms does that mean they are gone?
3rd ... If I have to use a chemical wormer what is best and easiest with the smallest impact on the chickens... Ive gone to the feed store a few times and always struggle when looking at the worming meds because none of them say for chickens except for the Wazine, and that is only for round worms(ithink) and it says on the bottle to not use on laying hens... is that ever??? or is there just a withdrawal?? Coastal Farm and Ranch carries both Safegaurd and Valzaben but neither say for chickens... and I hear the valzaben needs to be squirted in their mouth .. which will be a huge challenge as some of my hens and my rooster are very ornery and very hard to catch and hold, let alone trying to squirt medicine in their mouth....
LAST ... i still have watery poop, from my rooster and one hen... all other poops look healthy. though some of the poops do what apear to be large pieces of Dandruff in it.. or or almost like when skin of a snake that shed its skin though only broke into very small pieces... is this worms? is it dead worms? is it dead larva?

 

[coach723]

The only way to know for sure if your chickens are carrying any internal parasite is to have a fecal float test done. Some vets will do this for you, some will not, there are also ways to mail the test. ( https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/perfect-pet-products-fecal-worm-test-at-home ) Worms may or may not show up visibly in the droppings, the float test will show any eggs (microscopic) present, which would indicate an infestation. Sometimes roundworms or tape worm segments will be visible, but not always.
I've never used Durvet Strike III, but it appears it contains hygromycin b, which is an antibiotic. Most wormers used by chicken owners are used 'off label' for chickens as most have not been tested in birds, so whether or not they actually affect the eggs is not known. General recommendation is a 14 day egg withdrawl after dosing, but I know that some people ignore that. Wazine will treat roundworms, and can be mixed in the water. Safeguard and Valbazen need to be direct dosed to each bird, Valbazen is a smaller dose, so less to get in the beak. I've usually got around 20-24 birds and I direct dose each one. I close them in the coop at night, go out early in the AM before sunrise, climb in the coop, dose each bird and put them out after. When the coop is empty, all birds have been dosed. They are much easier to catch and relatively calmer doing it this way, though some birds will never like being held. Those that are most difficult can be wrapped in a towel to help hold them while you dose. Use a small oral syringe (no needle). For roundworms you would treat twice, 10 days apart.
If you can post a picture of the droppings that have the 'dandruff' in them it would be helpful. Sometimes tapeworm segments can look like grains of rice, or it could just be feather sheath dust. If any of your birds are or have been molting then the feather sheath dust is likely. Hope that helps.

 

[Harestad Farm]

here is some dandruff poop.. lol

 

[coach723]

Looks like feather sheath dust.

 

[Harestad Farm]

Looks like feather sheath dust.

thank for the info!

 

[Pork Pie]

This link provides a little background reading - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/internal-parasites-parasitic-worms-in-chickens.66969/

 

[Sunshine Flock]

The feather sheath flakes freaked me out when I first started seeing it. And some of it has a creepy snake-like pattern. I just want eggs, but boy have I had to learn a lot.