What Can I Do For Deworming When Valbazen Doesn't Work?

[anbhean]

Hey dawg53, thanks again! This just stinks because I know that they will just keep getting them back. But I keep hoping, if I can kill the ones they have now, and then do the things to help make their guts a little less friendly to live in (like the apple cider vinegar in their water, the ground raw pumpkin seeds as treats and -- if I can get it down them-- the occasional garlic clove) then maybe it will never get this bad again and I can stick with annual dewormings.

It's going to be really hard for me knowing that the little ones will get it too-- putting them all together. But like you said, it's in the soil and no matter how hard I try-- I can't keep them from eating the bugs out there. They love 'em. So, it is what it is. I guess I just keep treating them as needed. I just want it to be in enough control that I can actually get eggs from them, since that's why I got them in the first place. I mean they are cute and all, but I want eggs!

If the last dose of Valbazen doesn't cause them to pass the big ones, I will try the other stuff. At least I know it's pretty cheap. Thanks again.

 

[anbhean]

Well fourth dose of Valbazen was a no go. We checked their poop again today (four days out from the final dose we gave them last week) and there were just as many segments as before the dose. No adult worms have passed what so ever.

Sadly, as I am going on a three day vacation in three days... I am going to have no choice but to put the younger girls in with the infected hens tonight and hope for the best. My dad is chicken sitting and he is not going to be able to manage two separate flocks of chickens. Well, he could-- he's just won't. I'll be dosing them all I guess (since the little girls will most definitely get infected now) with the Zimectrin gold in a week. I sure hope that helps, because despite the four doses of Valbazen, and our best efforts-- one of our hens (my favorite in fact) is loosing some serious weight and looks terrible. I'm just beside myself with frustration.

If this last effort doesn't work... what then? I've read about some "magic shot" a vet can give a chicken that kills tapeworms dead. What is it they give them that supposedly works so well? I'm not sure I could conjure up the $170 the vet would want for a visit (they consider them exotics), and as chickens are frowned upon in my town (IE pretty much all but illegal)... I'm apprehensive about scheduling a visit.

Also, I've stopped putting the apple cider vinegar in the older girls water with the last dose of Valbazen because I read it interferes with the meds... should I keep them off it until the new meds have been in their guts for a week? Or start it back up for the week between now and when we re-dose them with the new stuff, then pull it the day before dosing?

Thanks!!!!!!!

 

[dawg53]

Wait a week and hit them with the zimectrin gold, a 'pea' size amount given orally to each standard size chicken. Droncit or drontal kills tapes in cats and dogs. Praziquantel is the same thing as droncit/drontal used in the z-gold.

 

[kellyn]

So confused here... I've found sooo much crap about what works and what doesn't work for worms... ... ...

Valbazine is awesome!
Valbazine sucks!


Ivermectine works great
Ivermectin is inefferctive

Totally like ***!!! It's driving me insaaane, and stressing me out... I have a flock of roughly 45 chickens and 45 ducks. It rained like hell here due to that god d*** storm last week. One of my old ladies had what appears to be gape worm. I do NOT want to spend extra 50 bucks for stupid chems that won't work. P*ssed off much? Yes I am. It rained a LOT and the birds ate every poisonous worm they could get. Especially my muscovy ducks, and I've put in too much time and money for them to get sick right before laying.

If it's gapeworm, then I'm stuck worming 90+ birds, since I heard it's highly contagious. I've had it before, so I'm keeping an eye out for more. And more there will be.

 

[dawg53]

So confused here... I've found sooo much crap about what works and what doesn't work for worms... ... ...
Valbazine is awesome!
Valbazine sucks!
Ivermectine works great
Ivermectin is inefferctive
Totally like ***!!! It's driving me insaaane, and stressing me out... I have a flock of roughly 45 chickens and 45 ducks. It rained like hell here due to that god d*** storm last week. One of my old ladies had what appears to be gape worm. I do NOT want to spend extra 50 bucks for stupid chems that won't work. P*ssed off much? Yes I am. It rained a LOT and the birds ate every poisonous worm they could get. Especially my muscovy ducks, and I've put in too much time and money for them to get sick right before laying.
If it's gapeworm, then I'm stuck worming 90+ birds, since I heard it's highly contagious. I've had it before, so I'm keeping an eye out for more. And more there will be.

Covey Rise Plantation is the expert on gapeworms. Here's a link, read posts #13 & #14.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/602699/worming-chickens/10#post_7931055