We have tapeworm... please check my gameplan!

[Shannon85]

We have a flock of 7 Orpingtons that we got on Christmas for our toddler. She got poop on her hand the other day and I've had enough pets to understand that they have tapeworm, confirmed by a few chicken owner friends. I've been to 3 farm & feed stores and talked to several people on what I should do, and EVERYBODY tells me something different or info I know is wrong. I've weeded through so much info in the past 2 days, byc posts have been very helpful but not a complete plan yet.

My plan is:
-fast for 24 hours prior to worming
-worming with Equalon Gold (Ivermectin 1.55% praziquantel 7.75%) a "pea sized" amount on a piece of bread for each chicken
-repeat worming in 10 days (fast them for 24 hour prior again), don't eat eggs for 21ish days total.
-give yogurt 2 days after each worming
Let me know if I am missing anything there! I also plan to order valbazen so I can rotate wormers spring/fall.

What I dont know yet is what about the coop & run? Should I be cleaning out all the bedding and scrubbing everything with bleach? And if so, what about the run, won't they just pick up the worms again from their yard or will the eggs be dead by then?

I am really hoping to get them dealt with on the first go around as the toddler (and me!) will be quite sad she can't eat her chickens eggs!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

When keeping farm animals, any farm animal, internal parasites are a fact of life.
Just forget about Diatomaceous Earth and all other forms of homo-pathetic or holistic treatments, they don't work, but resign yourself to the fact that the longer that you keep chickens, especially in a semi natural state that your chickens will become progressively wormier each and every year. It's Nature's way.

Even in the deep dark recesses of long forgotten history every few years to every 2 or 3 generations a different clan, tribe, nationality, or ethnic group would invade and slaughter every person living in a giver location, especially those who was different from the aggressor tribe. So land and other resources lay fallow or unused, sometimes for generations, this tended to break the life cycle of internal parasites living in that land. So the only sure way that you can prevent worms in poultry is to be sure that your hens NEVER set foot on wormy ground. Personally I feel that genocide is an over reaction to tape worms so study up on Internal chicken parasites before you purchase the first feather so that you can act in your chickens own best interest .

Here are 4 links to the holistic practitioner Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and some of his reasoning on why people became ill. I can not make this up people, only a real corny flake can manage that and there is not a more corny flake than Dr. Kellogg.
Dr. Kellogg was also a Social Justice Warrior because he distributed the stock in the Kellogg's Corn Flake business to his associates at the Sanitarium he founded at Battle Creek, Michigan. Unfortunately for Dr Kellogg his brother bought up a controlling interest in the corn cereal biz while the good doctor was away in Russia petting Pavlova's doggies.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/priceo...ey-kellogg-invented-corn-flakes/#5c94a1076997

https://www.forbes.com/sites/priceo...-kellogg-invented-corn-flakes/2/#3e19a6db3814

https://www.forbes.com/sites/priceo...-kellogg-invented-corn-flakes/3/#22fa433a544d

https://www.forbes.com/sites/priceo...-kellogg-invented-corn-flakes/4/#551b1a1d7086

You may also like reading about Calab Jackson, Dr. Benjamin Rusk, C. W. Post, and one of my favorites, the Reverend Sylvester Graham of Graham cracker fame.