Treatment for Cecal Worms and lice, Panacur with Ivermectin?

[Coop de Grass]

I have a new flock thanks to the township cracking down on Chickens in South Brunswick. Good news, we got our variance and then got the ordinance changed for the township! I am seeing problems that I didn't encounter in my limited experience with flock #1.

Flock #1 got poop on their feathers beneath the vent. We found and treated for lice using Sevin Dust. Problem solved. We did lose chickens to predators, and saved a hen with prolapsed vent!

Flock #2 has had 2 hens die, 1 had no symptoms, the second was open mouth breathing when it wasn't hot. I used Oxine in a cool mister for several days and she seemed to improve, then I found her dead.

According to a necropsy done by a vet he didn't find anything significant though there was a bit of of long green stuff and cecal worms. There were no external parasites. This flock is not free ranged. He thought that they might be reaching through the fence for grass. That was when I found out that straw in the run was not good.

I had recently put down straw in the run because of the amount of mud due to the rain. I didn't realize that they would eat the straw while they were scratching for bugs. I have kept an eye out for sour crop and impacted crop and have headed off a couple of incidents while removing the straw from the run - which is 30'x30'. (I had open back surgery 3 months ago and have been limited in lifting, etc. Glad to say that I'm on the mend, but it isn't convenient with raking, digging, or chasing chickens!)

I used olive oil soaked bread to help with the impacted crops together with lots of water and nutridrench. The flock is continuing to have poop on their nether regions.

For the cecal worms, I have treated them with Safeguard 10% as their only drinking water, 9 days apart. I retreated a third time using safeguard mixed with their feed. Each time, the wormer was mixed as required.

Two days ago I found one hen who was completely listless, with her eyes closed. Her keel was prominent. I have cameras in the coop, and bed check showed a hen on her last legs. I spent and hour using a medicine dropper with nutridrench and water. I placed her in a nest box and monitored her. She was moving within an hour, and within 2 she was standing. She recovered well the first night, and I saw her (Edwina) lay an egg yesterday in spite of looking like she wouldn't last the night before.

I gave her nutridrench diluted 50% yesterday. and by the end of the day, she was drinking from the nipple waterers. All together I saw her under the waterer actively drinking for 2 half hour periods.

A second hen had similar symptoms, but I got to her faster, so she seems to be ok.

Yesterday, Edwina's droppings appear to be water, I do not see any clumping in the night time droppings today, It has been absorbed by the shavings in the coop.

This morning she is eating and drinking. She has been eating from the grit as well. The chicken vet is not in the office today, and is 1.5 hours away. I am going to try to get a fecal sample to him tomorrow.

I am going to retreat with the Panacur paste, because that way I know that each hen has received the correct dosage. Do you think I should also use Ivermectin topically?

I would really appreciate your advice! Thank you!

 

[Coop de Grass]

Update: I've just raked out the coop. The wood shavings show no normal poops. Everything has flattened out as though it is very watery. Some of it has body to it and is brown, but they are not leaving anything resembling "normal" chicken poop.

I did see some normal poops in the run, but not what I usually see.

I also saw Edwina pooping. It was completely watery, some green, mostly pale yellow-clear.

 

[casportpony]

For cecal worms my vet has me give 0.23 ml per pound of body weight once orally and repeat in ten days.

For lice on peafowl I use 1% ivermectin orally @ 0.045 ml per pound, but I chickens I use permethrin spray.

Safeguard and ivermectin can be given at the same time.

 

[Coop de Grass]

For cecal worms my vet has me give 0.23 ml per pound of body weight once orally and repeat in ten days.

For lice on peafowl I use 1% ivermectin orally @ 0.045 ml per pound, but I chickens I use permethrin spray.

Safeguard and ivermectin can be given at the same time.

Thank you, thank you! Is the dosage for .23ml per pound for liquid safeguard 10% or paste?

Does this sound like worms to you?

 

[casportpony]

Thank you, thank you! Is the dosage for .23ml per pound for liquid safeguard 10% or paste?

Does this sound like worms to you?

Same dose, liquid or paste. I'm still outside trying to get the ac and dash back in. When done outside I will re-read you post and comment.

 

[Coop de Grass]

Hope your AC is up and running!

 

[casportpony]

Hope your AC is up and running!

It's getting there! Can you post some pictures of the sick one's poop?

 

[Coop de Grass]

Update: I saw a my hen, Fawn, produce these droppings. They were mostly liquid, but this is what collected on the straw. She is behaving completely normal and I was surprised when she squatted and all that liquid came out of her.

Fawn laid an egg an hour later.

I found this, which is more the way the droppings have been for the past week.

It is really dense with what looks like vegetation.

This is Cassie, she is lethargic and has liquid poops.

This is Edwina, who seems to be going up and down. She has been eating and drinking, but She still doesn't look right to me.

I've raked out the coop and the resin floor is bare under the roosts. I will have a better picture tomorrow morning as to what their droppings look like. I will post photos then.

Any advice would be very helpful.

 

[casportpony]

Can you get a baseline weight on your sick ones?

 

[Coop de Grass]

I will try to get one tonight. Should I hold off treating them?
I will try to get a photo of any droppings if I can.