What is this? Adult tapeworm??

[Krazy4Chicks]

My hen has been acting a little off the past few days, and she’s been having a poopy bottom that I’ve been cleaning off. Yesterday afternoon, I noticed that she had some black tarry poop that was hanging off her bottom, which I’m guessing is dried blood. This morning I noticed she had more tarry/bloody poop on the back of her, and there was a blob of tarry/bloody on the roosting shelf. But in that blob was what appeared to be a worm-like thing. I brought it inside and put it into a cup of water so that I could get it cleaned up and a better look at it. Could this possibly be an adult tapeworm? Or what else can it be? It is approximately 7” long.

 

[jher77]

Not a tapeworm. They are white and segmented looking. That looks like a big piece of intestine to me.

 

[Mamatomany123]

I agree that it looks like intestine

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

Not intestine exactly but core of necrotic blood gunk sloughed from inside the intestinal lumen, a bloody fibrin cast. It means the mucosal lining of the intestine was severely damaged and peeled off in a tube shape. It could be Salmonella or parasites or a combination of bacteria and parasites. Either way she needs some aggressive treatment or she may not make it, from blood lost.

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

It's like the intestinal version of a lash egg

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

Not intestine exactly but core of necrotic blood gunk sloughed from inside the intestinal lumen, a bloody fibrin cast. It means the mucosal lining of the intestine was severely damaged and peeled off in a tube shape. It could be Salmonella or parasites or a combination of bacteria and parasites. Either day she needs some aggressive treatment or she may not make it, from blood lost.

I’m glad it’s not a tapeworm, but now I’m concerned with what it might be. I have put Corid in the water in the meantime in case it’s coccidiosis.

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

How old is she?

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

Should I maybe treat with an antibiotic for the infection? I have Enfloxil (Baytril) that I can treat with.

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

How old is she?

She’s about 2 years old.

 

[MontanaChickDoc]

I would recommend broad spectrum antibiotics because if the intestine is that damaged, she is at an increased risk to get septic since all the bad gunk that is in the intestine can leak over the damaged wall of the gut and into the bloodstream.