White Worms in Poop

[backyardpeeps]

I was cleaning up some of the poop inside the coop and noticed 1/4" white worms in some older poop. I was pretty grossed out! Never noticed worms before. I have three 10 month old Silkies and 13 Buff Orpingtons and 13 California Whites that are 3 months old. They all seem healthy. I did notice one Buff have diarreah outside in the run and it was a a medium rust color. I plan on cleaning the whole inside coop. I was told to spray bleach and let it set until it dried or should I wipe everything down and then rinse with water? I am going to call the feed store tomorrow about the worms and what to use - does it matter what I use for deworming without bringing a sample to a vet? Thanks!

gross gross gross gross!

 

[CMV]

Worms or maggots? It sounds like you may have maggots. If it's just maggots then you don't really need to bleach everything in sight, just sprinkle some DE around to kill them.
Check out the poop page to see what's normal and abnormal for chickens. There's a wide variation. There's also some pics of worms to show you what you may be seeing.
http://www.chat.allotment.org.uk/index.php?topic=17568.0
I haven't ever seen worms in my birds, so I can't help you with de-wormers. I treat once a year with a broad spectrum de-wormer just because I'm sure they must have them.

 

[backyardpeeps]

I'm going to check on my girls (and one guy) this morning. DH said that maggots couldn't live in chicken poop. That's why I was so worried about them. I have to clean the coop anyway. I am going to call the feed store and see if they have DE and an all purpose wormer. Really appreciate your advice! I read the link you gave me too - very interesting!

Thanks again - I do feel better, but hate those small icky maggot/worms. They really gross me out!

 

[joebryant]

Ewwwwwwwwwwww!

 

[backyardpeeps]

Thanks CMV! I checked them this morning and everything looks fine! Cleaned the coop - just dusted stuff off and took out some damp straw and replaced it. I think you were right about the worms being maggots as I didn't see anymore since I threw out the old poop yesterday!

Thanks again!

BackYardChickens is a GREAT website. I check it out all the time at work (ssshhh don't tell anyone)

 

[sangel4you]

I just found this same probelm in my coop. In the big piles of poop from my Rooster (who I've only had a month and a half)... I knew there was a big pile of poop there and then suddenly one day last week I looked at it and it was half gone and I was like what?! Then I realized it must have maggots in it so when I went to clean the little bit that was left today I looked and sure enough there they were. My thing is it's only been three weeks since I cleaned off the poop board... I usually do it about once a month and when I first noticed the big pile of poop was about a week and a half after I last did it. My roo did have some diarrhea and I mix DE with their food, so I wouldnt think he would have worms? I also mix ACV in their water... How do they get maggots in their poo and should I be concerned about them (besides the fact that their GROSS!) I was kind of getting concerned that one of my girls or he might see the "bugs" in the poo and eat them? Anyone with info would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

[trilyn]

Not to knock the people who use straw in your coop-that's fine, but you might want to change it frequently. The reason being is, it doesn't dry poop out the way the shavings does. The shavings absorb the moisture from the poo and it dries quickly. Like in 10 minutes! The straw on the other hand, it doesn't-if ever. I used to use it with my horses and never again! I can't imagine there being much difference with the horses vs. chickens other than the size. Just something to think about!

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
Maggots can live in anything that provides moisture. Use permethrin dust to dust the coops to kill the maggots. Read the label. Then pick up the maggots and throw them away. Keep the birds away from them in the mean time.

WORMING:
For worming, buy a thing of Wazine. And then in a month buy a thing of fenbendazole or pour-on ivermectin for cattle (the small 250 bottle, generic, is around $15 - PM for usage of either).

You worm initially with Wazine to paralyze adult worms and expel them. Wazine is meant to be repeated, but on birds with an unknown worming history it's most safe to worm as if they all have a lot of worms. So on the follow up, instead of using more wazine (which won't kill larva in the bird) use the fenbendazole or ivermectin which DOES actually kill both larva and adults. Then you stop the cycle. Repeat fenbendazole or ivermectin twice annually thereafter.

If the birds are under four months old, just repeat the wazine as labeled until they'r efour months - then worm with the fenben or ivermectin.

Incidentally, I always use Wazine first (or only) if the bird meets *any* of the following qualifications:
- Bird is shedding worms
- Bird is quite thin or has diarrhea
- Bird is under four months old (only use Wazine til 'of age')
- Bird hasn't been wormed in over 6 months
- Bird is of an unknown worming history

WHY WAZINE FIRST?
The reason I don't recommend just starting with something like ivermectin or fenbendazole (unless recommended by a vet) is that if a bird has a good parasite load, then you can shock them or even clog them with the paralyzed expelled worms if you kill EVERYthing at once. Checking the feces for worms is an ineffective method of determining worm load as parasites generally stay inside the bird (other than tapeworms). Otherwise they'd die. So instead of leaving the bird, they shed their eggs. Getting a 'fecal egg count' at the vet is the way you truly check. Otherwise use the Wazine first, worm with a broad spectrum wormer to followup, and worm twice annually.

NATURAL PARASITE REDUCTION AIDS:
Some people choose to use natural worm deterents inbetween wormings to hopefully reduce loads of parasites available to be picked up. Note: these do NOT expel worms, they do NOT treat a worm infestation. But maybe they help reduce parasite loads between worming. I think this is a good idea if you're interested:
DE food grade only (see below for use)
Cayenne - sprinkle on feed daily
VermX - a self-proclaimed worm repellent aid; use 3 consecutive days per month.

USING DE CORRECTLY:
You can use DE (food grade only ever) in the bedding and even in their food if you use food-grade for all applications. Feed rate is 2% of their total feed weight, stirred in. DE food grade in the bedding -sprinkle on the ground, replace bedding, sprinkle in the bedding, stir in. Use DE food grade in the places where you know they dust bathe - just a little, stir in.

MAGGOTS:
As for the maggots, any time you see any pick them up and get rid of them pronto! Chickens will eat them, and maggots carry botulism germs. Also, I find the hanging bag fly traps (the one with the plastic tube inside that you break, then fill with water) work wonders! The one I mentioned smells the least bad, attracts tons of flies and traps them, and won't leak. (The ones I had with little cloth bags instead of tubes smelled like death and then leaked the nasty fly and fly attractant water all over my feed room!) The fewer the flies, the fewer the maggots. The fewer the maggots, the fewer the flies.

ENVIRONMENT as a help to reducing parasites and disease:
I have to agree with trilyn on the horse-stall type shavings. Buy the compressed pine shavings for horses from TSC, etc. They're dried and thus they dry out poop so wonderfully! They reduce disease and don't have mildew spores as bad as hay/straw. Having horses, you soon learn exactly which shavings are effective and which aren't. For your dirt areas, top the soil areas with sand. Again it dries out the area, keeps bacteria and parasites down (they can't live as long in dry areas), keeps the smells away, and you can rake it. Water drains through it and keeps your birds skin healthier.

 

[FisherMOM]

I came in BYC specifically searching ways to get rid of worms.
I found a white worm in fresh chicken poo yesterday. After a few minutes the worm turned to mush or I'd have juist thought it was part of the poo. I have no clue which chicken pooped it either.

Thanks Three Horses for the info!

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
You're very welcome!

Since you've seen worms, do the wazine first - then follow up with a good broad spectrum which will finally kill the larva and adults. Be glad you saw one - well kinda glad. lol

Oh by the way, was the worm flat - or was it round? That will effect what you do. If flat (like a fettucini noodle or like a grain of rice), it's tapes which require a different wormer than all the other worms. If it wasn't flat, but roundish (like spaghetti or angel hair) it was one of the other worms which can be treated with wazine, followed up with one of the broad spectrums (fenbendazole, pour-on ivermectin 5%, albendazole, etc etc).