Topic of the Week - Deworming chickens

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Kay Kew said:
Based on today's efforts, when I put my finger into/across the open beak I can't see in well enough to know where I am putting the syringe and/or there isn't enough room to put it in!!  This is definitely going to be a lengthy learning process!  When I was speaking to a friend of mine this evening, who has kept chickens for years, she said that she only worms them very occasionally and uses a spot on treatment called Ivermectin (I think that's it anyway).  I have used a spot on treatment for my dogs in the past and wonder what you think of this as an option for my hens?  Maybe it doesn't kill all types of worms? Also when handling the hens, I have noticed that the one which had the most clearly visible worm content in her poop is also significantly thinner than the other two.  I am hoping that if I have now cleared the worms from her system (day 5 of Panacur was today) she will start to gain weight.  My plan is to check her poop tomorrow, and that of the other two, and hopefully all will be clear.  What's the best way to check it thoroughly to be sure?  (I don't have a binocular microscope but could manage a magnifying glass if you think that would be useful?).  I have the 3 hens in individual boxes for the night so I will know who has produced what in the morning.   
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Try just putting the pad of your fingertip just inside the side of the beak, right at the hinge... that should help keep it open and give a bit of seeing room... also, if you slightly angle the syringe towards the right side of their mouth and insert gently til you feel the resistance of it hitting the inside of the mouth then slide it straight down along that side you should be clear of the trachea for the meds...

I've had great success using Ivermectin/Ivomec pour on for external parasites like lice or mites, but it's unclear how effective it is for worms or which worms it works for... also, I would be cautious using it on birds that are confirmed to have a heavy load of worms... due to its quick absorption through the skin and into the birds system, there's a chance it *could possibly* kill off too many worms at once... too many worms dying at once could clog their intestines making a dangerous and possibly deadly blockage... not to mention that dying worms release toxins and too much of that could kill the bird as well...

As for not worming, personally I highly recommend a routine schedule of worming if you live in a wet or humid climate... I didn't think we had a bad issue here, but turns out I was very wrong... I have a special needs Call duck that went into EXTREME respiratory distress this last week... she had such bad coughing fits that blood vessels burst in the tissue around her eyes... at first I thought it was an isolated development issue within herself, then I feared a respiratory illness... not finding anything matching her issues quite right, I had a thought to try worming her... I went with Safeguard(fenbendazole) since it's the safest and started a 5 day treatment... by day 2 she was showing much improvement... day 3 and she had stopped coughing, wheezing, and had lost the high pitch to her voice I hadn't realized had gotten so high... it's now day 4 and her appetite is back properly (she would overeat once or twice a day before, but now is eating smaller portions more often through the day) and she is bright eyed, alert and fully active again... now I am worming the entirety of our flocks since if one has them, chances are that all have some...

As for checking if they still have worms after the 5 day treatment, you would need a microscope for that... best to get a fecal float done by a vet if possible, but if they've gotten enough wormer each dose for those 5 days, they *should* be ok... just keep an eye on them and retreat if necessary... by the time you can see worms with your naked eye, it usually means they are in full overload infestation...

400

This is Peg, my sweet girl I was sure I was going to lose a few days ago enjoying her car ride today...

Edited since hit reply before done and also for clarity...
 
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casportpony said:
Gapeworms


Cecal worm


Tape segments


Large roundworm


-Kathy
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Thanks for those photos. None of them look exactly like what I was seeing...the worms I saw definitely looked reddish, not white, but in form seemed more like what you show as large roundworms, though maybe not so well defined as in your final photo. They looked around 3cm long or so and quite 'soft'/'stretchy' in nature. At this stage none of the hens seem to be showing gaping behaviour (though I haven't had time to watch them for very long at a stretch - will do that at weekend and over following few days). The hen that has, for some time, shown an occasional very quiet/mild sort of 'sneezing' behaviour ( beak not noticeably open, no sudden movement of head etc. ) is now on day 7 of antibiotic and day 7 of anti-inflammatory, and, like other 2 hens, has just finished 5 days of Panacur. So in effect, the only symptom the vet identified in her still seems to be occurring!! Maybe it's just part of her personality?! At this stage my focus is really on the underweight hen, who showed what appeared to be the visible worm burden in her droppings. I will keep an eye on her over next couple of weeks and check (by picking her up and feeling how 'plump' she seems) whether or not she is gaining weight. All three seem quite happy and healthy outwardly anyway.

Thanks also to RavynFallon - Having checked another thread on preparing faecal flotation etc. I can see why one might leave it to the vet, and as for attempting it myself, I think I will postpone acquiring that particular skill for the moment! I am also going to try to stay away from the vet for a while as I will be reduced to eating crusts myself if I keep spending money at the vets at the rate I have been! Peg is a very handsome creature I must say - good to hear she is back in good health.
 
Kay Kew said:
Thanks for those photos. None of them look exactly like what I was seeing...the worms I saw definitely looked reddish, not white, but in form seemed more like what you show as large roundworms, though maybe not so well defined as in your final photo. They looked around 3cm long or so and quite 'soft'/'stretchy' in nature. At this stage none of the hens seem to be showing gaping behaviour (though I haven't had time to watch them for very long at a stretch - will do that at weekend and over following few days). The hen that has, for some time, shown an occasional very quiet/mild sort of 'sneezing' behaviour ( beak not noticeably open, no sudden movement of head etc. ) is now on day 7 of antibiotic and day 7 of anti-inflammatory, and, like other 2 hens, has just finished 5 days of Panacur. So in effect, the only symptom the vet identified in her still seems to be occurring!! Maybe it's just part of her personality?! At this stage my focus is really on the underweight hen, who showed what appeared to be the visible worm burden in her droppings. I will keep an eye on her over next couple of weeks and check (by picking her up and feeling how 'plump' she seems) whether or not she is gaining weight. All three seem quite happy and healthy outwardly anyway.

Thanks also to RavynFallon - Having checked another thread on preparing faecal flotation etc. I can see why one might leave it to the vet, and as for attempting it myself, I think I will postpone acquiring that particular skill for the moment! I am also going to try to stay away from the vet for a while as I will be reduced to eating crusts myself if I keep spending money at the vets at the rate I have been! Peg is a very handsome creature I must say - good to hear she is back in good health.
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Should have been RavynFallen - apologies! And by the way - I don't know much about the climate in Middle Tennessee, but I think Ireland would certainly qualify as having a fairly wet climate - though rainfall on the east coast where I am is much lower than on the western side of the country in fact.
 
casportpony said:
Good point!

-Kathy
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Hmm....interesting thought!!....do hens shed clumps of intestinal lining that could look 'stringy' like pinkish/rusty coloured worms? As it happens, just now I took a look at the poop from the boxes I had the hens in last night...and diluted some of one that looked like it had a very small amount of the pink stuff in it...once in water it looked quite unstructured and I thought either it was remnants of 'Panacured' worms and/or they had disintegrated in the time (up to 24 hrs) since they would have been ejected from the hen. So maybe all the dosing has been quite unnecessary!! But what then about the 'gaping' a few weeks ago, and briefly, recently....is it likely that that was in fact gapeworm, but that it was cleared by the initial 5 day dosing with Panacur back in August. If so, why were they 'gaping' again just a few days ago? And any thoughts on the very occasional, 'sneeze' type behaviour?? If nothing else I will certainly have gained experience in dosing hens with a syringe!
 
Fancychooklady said:
Kathy I was wondering if you had seen any new studies on the effectiveness of ivermectin and intestinal parasites. I found this information stating that ivermectin covers round , thread and gape.
I am interested in seeing the science behind this. Thought you might know.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2015/11/control-treatment-of-worms-in-chickens.html
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Studies I have seen say it's not true. Peafowl people I know have lost and almost lost peas thinking it was true. IMO, it's just more misinformation.
sad.png
Same with Gale Darerow's new book. Heck, even a couple of my veterinary text books say it's effective in treating capillary worms.

-Kathy
 

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