What are these white worms? Ewww...(Pic included)

[chickenlady]

So each one of those white things are segments, not eggs?

 

[mypicklebird]

Definitely tapeworm eggs. They get them in general from eating beetles or beetle larvae. True, a standard fecal float will not pick up tapeworms in chicken, cat or dog. The pieces are too big, fecals done at the vets are looking for microscopic eggs & protozoal organisms (roundworms, hookworms, coccidia ect). Each of those round things is an egg packet containing hundreds to thousands of tapeworm eggs, but it is too large to float & stick to a slide the way single eggs are- this is how the fecal check is done at the vet's. Tapeworms are ID's by the naked eye, OR break open one of those packets and look at it under the microscope. If you want to know for sure- they are very distinctive looking. Chicken tapeworms look like -cous cous- to me. The packet is the last segment of a long worm, that breaks off and is released into the environment to infect insect. It has a two host life cycle

Tapeworms will NOT be killed by the standard dewormers that kill roundworms. Piperacillin and pyrantel and ivermectins won't kill them. Praziquantel will, plus a few others. All off label for laying hens, so be aware of that if you treat.

The tapeworms will come back again even if you treat, if your birds are allowed to eat bugs- which they love to do!!!

More than you wanted to know about tapeworms....

 

[sandyj]

Ooooo! I'm NEVER eating cous cous again!!

GROSS!!!

sandyj

 

[Bullwinkle]

*L*A*G* :

your chicken needs to be dewormed and it's prob in your eggs.

Worms tapeworms and roundworms live in the chickens intestines. The egg is produced/developed in the hens reproductive system.

The egg would be 'complete' with its shell intact before it would come into contact with any worm eggs while being laid. I don't think you have to worry about getting worms in the chickens eggs. (Its possible there could be worm eggs from feces on the chickens 'butt' that could come into contact with the egg as its being laid. I'd just give the eggs a gentle cleaning, and wash your hands).​

 

[Catalina]

This gave me horrible NIGHTMARES last night!!

I dreamed I was chasing tapeworms around my house, one stuck like a spider web across the hallway and I walked into it. YUCK!

Also, I was eating a fried egg, felt something wiggle in my mouth, spit it out and it was a tape worm. Yuck! Yuck!

Ewwwwwwww

 

[paduanchook]

will red pepper prevent them? if not, how do u treat them? in laying hens

 

[sandyj]

Catalina,
Better you chasing them, than THEM chasing you!!!

sandyj

 

[ShadyGlade]

Quote:
I'm sorry for your nightmare but I am LMHO ! What an imagination, did you eat anything odd for dinner last night?

 

[Tailfeathers]

I would recommend adding DE to your chicken food on a regular basis. I use DE liberally. In the coop, in their nesting boxes. in their food, and I'll even sprinkle it on them from time to time at night.

Thus far I have had no mites, no lice, no worms, no nothing.

God Bless,

 

[Bullwinkle]

Quote:
I'm still not convinced these are tapeworms. My question (and some of you are much more knowledgeable than i am) has to do with the movement of the worms. If it were tapeworms, it would not be the whole worm, but just a 'dead' segment of the worm that contains the eggs. Unless I'm wrong (if I am correct me), I don't think it would be moving, let alone stretching out to a 'point.' There are definently worms in the poo, but I'd like to see more pics to make sure what kind...

EDIT:
After doing some further research... I found that tapeworm segments CAN move for at least a little while till they dry... YUCK!
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_tapeworm.html

This page has some pics of round worms and tapeworms: http://www.thepetcenter.com/exa/worms.html

I think I would 'dig' out a segment and take it to the vet to be sure... (or take a real good close shot of a segment/worm and i can show the picture to our vet here to see what it is)