Treat for roundworms again 3 months after first treatment after seeing worms in poop??

[Skyla]

Hello, I treated my flock with Safe guard goat dewormer as some were getting sick and I suspected it was worms in early November. After worming them, I was able to confirm that they had roundworms. After doing some research I saw that they are impossible to get rid of, however they can be managed so they do not actually cause harm to my flock and get to the point where they start to cause illness. It suggested worming them 2 times a year, once in the fall and spring to keep it to a manageable size. This is what I planned on doing, however today I noticed a few round worms in the droppings that I haven't seen since I wormed them (I check their droppings everyday). It has been extremely cold here lately, but for the last few days we got a warm spell and now it is in the 40s. I read that once the worms start showing up in the poop, it means their overloaded, but how? It has been below freezing here pretty much for the last 2 months, and I just wormed them a little over 3 months ago.They have been extremely healthy, laying a ton of eggs with bright red combs. I am hesitant to worm them because it suggested doing it just every 6 months, but if I'm seeing worms in my poop should I do it now, just 3 months after? Also, it mentioned switching wormers. I really liked how Safeguard turned out, but is there an alternative I can use so the worms don't build resistance? Thanks!

 

[dawg53]

The reason why your birds are infected again is because your soil is contaminated with large roundworm eggs. Your birds constantly peck the soil and they pick up the eggs and are swallowed. Look up the roundworms lifecycle on your computer and you'll see how birds get infected.
If your birds stay on the same soil, they'll have to be wormed more often. If they free range in a certain area, relocate them to another area that they dont frequent as much. In other words, rotate areas where they forage. It helps reduce worm burdens.
I wouldnt worry about switching wormers yet since you just started worming birds, you have a ways to go.
I worm my birds monthly. I use Safeguard, Valbazen, Levamisole, Pyrantel Pamoate. For tapeworms only, I use Equimax or Zimecterin Gold.
As a matter of fact, my birds are due for worming. I prefer Valbazen mostly.

 

[Skyla]

The reason why your birds are infected again is because your soil is contaminated with large roundworm eggs. Your birds constantly peck the soil and they pick up the eggs and are swallowed. Look up the roundworms lifecycle on your computer and you'll see how birds get infected.
If your birds stay on the same soil, they'll have to be wormed more often. If they free range in a certain area, relocate them to another area that they dont frequent as much. In other words, rotate areas where they forage. It helps reduce worm burdens.
I wouldnt worry about switching wormers yet since you just started worming birds, you have a ways to go.
I worm my birds monthly. I use Safeguard, Valbazen, Levamisole, Pyrantel Pamoate. For tapeworms only, I use Equimax or Zimecterin Gold.
As a matter of fact, my birds are due for worming. I prefer Valbazen mostly.

I had known they would be reinfected, but I thought it would have taken longer for them to get so many for them to start showing up in their droppings, especially since its winter. Unfortunately I cannot rotate runs as I have a small property in a suburb. I can however change out run bedding, which will hopefully help. That is good news about not having to switch yet. Thanks for all the deworming products, It is extremely helpful. While I can't do it as frequent as every month because we don't eat the eggs until 14 days after worming (we give the eggs to the dog, so they aren't going to complete waste), I'll see if worming every 3 months is enough to keep the worms under control. Thanks for the response, it was very informative!