Worming...how long to recover fully? Possible bacterial infection?

Missuswayne

In the Brooder
Mar 26, 2020
40
21
41
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
I recently wormed my flock of four for capillaria (confirmed with fecal). I did Safeguard liquid, 1 mL/day for 5 days, the last dose was 2 weeks ago. No repeat dose as per advice in these pages cross-referenced with a couple state extension sites. (I have a prior thread from earlier this month about this situation.)

All seem to have bounced back 100% except for one. She had the most pronounced symptoms from the worm infestation (pale, inconsistent laying, watery poop. Her color has improved, but I still think she's a bit on the pale side -- it comes and goes, unlike with the other chickens. Poop and laying improved, but I found a watery green poop today that resembles that of a sick chicken. Her energy looks good, her posture is good, vent looks healthy. She free ranges enthusiastically, eats and drinks, and she doesn't feel particularly thin. No mites or lice.

My questions:
- is deworming really tough on their systems? I'm wondering if she's just taking more time to recover since she seemed to have been hit harder.
- or can a worm infestation lead to secondary bacterial infection? My only experience with bacterial infections in chickens is respiratory, and there are no signs of that.

I'm going to watch her and keep an eye out for more "sick poop". I have one vet nearby who sees chickens but it's not easy to get an appointment. I also have Tylan 50 and LA200 on hand if necessary.

Thanks, all!
 
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Yes, sometimes worms can lead to a secondary infection. My experience is with roundworm rather than capillary worm. If I have one get very sick and not bounce back normally after worming I tend to do a round of amoxicillin (I use fish mox), 57 mg/lb twice a day for 5 days, orally. I mix the dose in coconut oil, freeze it til firm and give it that way, like a pill, goes down easy. It's also possible that it's something else and coincidence that it happened at the time of worming, that does happen. Amoxicillin is pretty safe and well tolerated. In my experience the worming itself is not that hard on them unless they are very, very sick. I personally think the benefits far outweigh any risks with wormers. I have lost a couple of birds due to secondary infections from worms, so I worm regularly and don't mess around anymore.
 
Yes, sometimes worms can lead to a secondary infection. My experience is with roundworm rather than capillary worm. If I have one get very sick and not bounce back normally after worming I tend to do a round of amoxicillin (I use fish mox), 57 mg/lb twice a day for 5 days, orally. I mix the dose in coconut oil, freeze it til firm and give it that way, like a pill, goes down easy. It's also possible that it's something else and coincidence that it happened at the time of worming, that does happen. Amoxicillin is pretty safe and well tolerated. In my experience the worming itself is not that hard on them unless they are very, very sick. I personally think the benefits far outweigh any risks with wormers. I have lost a couple of birds due to secondary infections from worms, so I worm regularly and don't mess around anymore.
Thank you! This is great info. It's been incredibly hot here recently and it's been hard to discern a lack of heat tolerance from actual illness. I will keep my eye on her and maybe get ahold of some fish mox.
 

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