Weird yawning thing!

[chicknmania]

SAFEGUARD (Fenbdendazole) is supposed to work for all worm types except tapeworms. It hasn't been approved by the Feds but I have researched it and from what I have found it seems fairly safe, as long as you wait at least two to three weeks before you eat any eggs. And you can't eat the meat. I haven't tried it yet, but the distributor says he's sold it for fifteen years and never heard of any problems. The dewormer you get at TSC or the feedmill is usually only for roundworms; I haven't seen anything at either place that treats anything but that. I'm definitely going to use it now cause I never knew what that yawning thing was; we've had a couple of ours do it. .

 

[keljonma]

My suggestion would be to do the research yourself before administering drugs to your flock. According to Dr. Peter Brown, avian vet and administrator of www.featherfanciers.com .....

"Presently there are NO WORMERS OR MEDICATIONS OTHER THAN AMPROL that can be given to chickens that are in egg production for human consumption and still eat the eggs. This is just a fact and there are no wormers except the Wazine Brand of Piperazine that have a label on them for Chickens in the first place. All wormers presently being used ( piperazine excepted ) are wormers that are used on other species such as hogs, and cattle.

Some people will tell you that it is two weeks or three weeks, this is just a persons opinion and not a scientific fact with any research data to back it up. I dont care what you hear or see written on the Internet or any other place, the fact is there are no established withdrawal times for these type products. If you choose to eat the eggs that is up to you."

Regards,
keljonma

 

[MoonGoddess]

That's interesting. I appreciate the warning. It's definitely something you need to consider! What would you do if it was your chicken then, keljonma?

By the way, she stopped doing it. Which means, she PROBABLY just had something caught in her throat. It just frightened me and made me think about what I should do in the event it actually WAS gapes.

Unfortunately i am still not any closer to the answer. Would DE work since the drug thing seems so iffy? Or does the Wazine Brand of Piperazine work for that?

 

[keljonma]

MoonGoddess wrote: What would you do if it was your chicken then, keljonma?

As Dr. Brown stated, the Wazine brand of Piperazine is labeled for use for Chickens. But there are no wormers that can be given to chickens that are in egg production for human consumption and still eat the eggs. Even Wazine (Piperazine) is labeled Not approved for eggs that will be used for human consumption.

We are trying for a more natural approach to raising our flock of standard heritage breed chickens. Personally, we don't use anything on our chickens or pets that we wouldn't use ourselves. (We haven't used antibiotics or over the counter drugs for years. .. Do you hear me knocking on wood?

)

We knew from the start the identity of some of our egg customers. A couple of them have life-threatening health conditions that require them to take various prescription medications on a daily basis. We did not want anything we would feed our flock to effect these customers. Also it has always been our plan to, and we will soon begin, supplying eggs to a local family farm group to be sold to local groceries. The local demand is for drug- and chemical-free products.

Therefore, we made a conscience decision not to use anything with our chickens that states in its usage notes: 'Not Approved For Eggs That Will Be Used For Human Consumption' or 'Do Not Use On Food Producing Animals'.

So we don't drug or worm our chickens. We do use Food Grade DE and provide garlic, apple cider vinegar, cayenne pepper, parsley, grated carrots, apples, pumpkin and flax seeds, plain yogurt w/active cultures and buttermilk to our flock. Some people have strong opinions about the use of Food Grade DE, but it works for us. Fecal tests show no worms to date, the current flock will be 1 year old in June. New chicks arriving this year will be treated identically.

If a bird appears to be having breathing difficulties, I put eucalyptus oil on the nostrils, try to look in it's mouth, and clean it out if necessary. Then I put some ACV in a needless syringe and release drops of it at the side of the beak. Then follow with plain water. If the bird is still experiencing difficulties, I would isolate it in my laundry/mud room with heat and fog it with eucalyptus oil in a warm mist vaporizer.

I recommend researching what is out there and making your own determinations about how you want to raise your flock. Read as much as you can about chicken care. If you see someone recommending a treatment, do the research, check the ingredients, read the warnings and what they mean. Remember a great deal of the literature has been written for someone raising large commercial flocks of chickens. I'm not an avian vet and don't claim to be an expert. I've been researching poultry for a decade and still learn something new all the time.

Someone else on this board will have to answer your questions about using the wormer.

Whatever you do, raise your flock in the manner that best suits you. Both you and your flock will live easier.

Glad to hear your chicken is doing better! I can hear that huge sigh of relief from here!

regards,
keljonma


if edited, probably for typos..​

 

[MoonGoddess]

I really appreciate that info!!

I would much prefer to do it all naturally myself, but I know very little about that. I am also an advocate against antibiotics, and I am a certified herbalist. I read some things, but a lot of the more natural info on the internet for chickens is murky. Also the worming of the gapeworm info only contained info on using eucalyptus oil on the throat and didn't treat the ones in the lungs or elsewhere, so I was very confounded on what to do...AND what is safe for my chickens. I use herbal remedies on my dogs and cats, but I know for a fact which herbs are safe for them, and which aren't. I have been afraid of using herbs on chickens and having a bad result. I'd be heartbroken if I harmed one.

I use Dr. Pitcairn's Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs and Cats, which I totally love. I have like 75 herbal books for human adults and children! What is the name of your chicken book?

I'll have to get that book your using!!

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
I haven't written it yet.

Seriously, I haven't found THE book that covers chickens to my satisfaction.

About the herbs and oils, I use them with a light hand. Personally I am fond of eucalyptus oil. You can use VetRx. It is made of herbal oils in a canola base. I know tea tree oil is okay for the dog, is okay for the chickens, but is dangerous to use on the cat. When our two cockerels decided to duke it out at 5 months of age, I used tea tree oil on the open wounds. I applied it once with an eye dropper and I checked the wounds daily. All healed nicely and feather growth is good. But I am not an herbalist, not an avain vet and certainly not an expert. It just works for me.

Some of the information came from my grandparents' and parents' experiences with raising poultry. My maternal grandparents immigrated from Europe in the mid-1800s. My paternal ancesters came from Europe and Scotland in the early 1700s. Yet I found they raised their poultry similarly, without drugs. I, however, was raised a city girl without benefit of poultry. I do have some bits and pieces of information from some family notes about poultry raising.

The books.... I'm a big fan of public libraries and only purchase books I feel are of worth. I don't want the book just to say I have it, if I'm never going to get more than one read out of it. I'm just frugal that way.

Keep Chickens! Tending Small Flocks in Cities, suburbs, and Other Small Spaces by Barbara Kilarski, is a good light reading general overview about raising chickens as egg-laying pets. This was the first book about chickens I actually purchased.

Gail Damerow's Chicken Health Handbook is full of good information about recognizing symptoms for chicken diseases and parasites. I own this book (it was a gift) but personally feel it is pretty scary reading.

Another book I own is All Flesh is Grass: Pleasures & Promises of Pasture Farming by Gene Logsdon. It is a good book about pasture farming in general and includes a chapter specific to healthy pasture grasses for chickens.

I have in my notes that Herbal Handbook for Farm & Stable by Juliette de Bairacli-Levy is a good read. However, it has been so long since I read it, I can't really remember what it said about chickens, if anything. Someone borrowed it from my local library and "lost it", so I am looking for it elsewhere.

There are many other good books out there that I haven't named. There is also good research information completed by universities and other flock owners published on the internet. There is also bad information in books and on the internet. So, if I see an idea that looks sound, I try to find more information about that idea from other sources. I do a lot of researching in my spare time. I think some of the other members of BYC do the same thing.

I truly believe good flock management is essential to good flock health; common sense is key. There is no one true way and everyone needs to find what works for them.

regards,
keljonma

if edited.. probably for typos....

 

[MoonGoddess]

Again, thank you.
Your information has been very valuable for me.

I just called my local food coop too, it looks like she may be able to order me food grade DE and maybe even organic layer mash! YAY! It certainly will help as shipping costs are astronomical for this stuff.

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
You're welcome, but I don't think I said very much in that lengthy message.

Glad to hear you are able to find a local source. I refuse to pay shipping for anything if I can support a local business instead.

The certified organic layer mash we use requires a 3 1/2 to 4 hour round trip drive for us. I go with one of my friends who also raises chickens. 50# cost $10.95 and we purchase enough feed to last about 3 or 4 months.

The Food Grade DE we are able get from our local farm co-op, as it it used locally in maple syrup production. It is $15 for a 50# bag.

Enjoy your flock!
regards,
keljonma

 

[dlhunicorn]

As far as pest,worms,protozoa...an oz of prevention (management) is worth a pound of cure...understanding and knowing the facts will help you recognize and take steps in your management to prevent ... here are links with some of my collected information on it:

http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=bugs

http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=articles

http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=pestmanagement

 

[MoonGoddess]

Thank you dlhunicorn.

Very useful info!