Worms, Coccidiosis, or am I over-mothering?

[rebrascora]

Hi

I use Westgate Labs for worm counts and can highly recommend their efficient, knowledgeable and friendly service. It should also be slightly cheaper than the £24 you quote from chicken vet.

 

[Shadrach]

That's ok - I think I'll just go for it and get the testing done - That way I know what I'm dealing with

Great. Forum advice can be helpful but it's awfully difficult to make a correct diagnosis without the fowl in question and the equipment to do the tests.

 

[4EverOrp]

Hi

I use Westgate Labs for worm counts and can highly recommend their efficient, knowledgeable and friendly service. It should also be slightly cheaper than the £24 you quote from chicken vet.

Thanks for the tip

 

[4EverOrp]

Hi

I use Westgate Labs for worm counts and can highly recommend their efficient, knowledgeable and friendly service. It should also be slightly cheaper than the £24 you quote from chicken vet.

Doesn't look like the Westgate test includes Coccidiosis - would it make sense to choose one that does, or have we ruled that out?

 

[rebrascora]

As regards shed intestinal lining. That does seem to be a lot in just one poop. I used to see it happen at about the 7-8 week age range but not much after that. I have seen foamy yellow caecal poop before and unless I see sick looking chickens I do not worry about it. I have also very occasionally seen a roundworm in poop and it has not signified a huge worm infestation. I make that inference because I have not wormed my chickens in 5 years and I have not had a problem with birds becoming infested with them. I do necropsies on birds that die and worms are one of the things I check for as well as getting occasional worm egg counts, so I am reasonably confident that seeing one worm does not mean you have a major infestation. That may be due to climatic or some other local conditions that suppress worms or using either ACV or rain water which is naturally slightly acidic as their water source. I am not saying ignore a worm in your bird's poop but it may not be a problem.
I am not necessarily agreeing with the poster who said that ACV and pumpkin seeds prevent worms because I believe it may depend on a number of other things and I do not believe that they will treat an infestation, but I think that seeing the odd roundworm in a poop does not necessarily mean that you have an infestation or that not seeing any more afterwards means that the pumpkin seed or ACV worked.... The only way to know would be to have a worm egg count before and after treatment and using a significant sample of birds tested individually plus a control sample to make the results meaningful. Since pumpkin seeds and ACV are readily available, there is no funding to do the research to prove one way or another, whereas the Agro Chemical business has plenty of money to fund research. I'm also not saying that there isn't a place for chemical wormers but I think that a fear or parasites in general in modern day society means that we are much more likely to reach for the medication than we probably really need to. Parasites eventually become resistant to chemicals, so routine worming is not always beneficial long term. Getting faecal float tests is a much more responsible way to approach the issue in my opinion and finding out what level of infestation should trigger chemical treatment, because a constant low level may possibly be better than trying to eliminate them altogether. Many people will not agree with this I am sure, but it works in my situation.

 

[rebrascora]

The Westgate Lab test certainly used to include coccidia testing. I would recommend you ring and ask if you cannot find mention of it.

 

[rebrascora]

Personally my view with coccidiosis is that birds should not be experiencing problems with it once they are over the initial vulnerable period as chicks unless their immune system is compromised or they have been moved to a new location and exposed to a strain of coccidia that they had not previously encountered.

 

[4EverOrp]

The Westgate Lab test certainly used to include coccidia testing. I would recommend you ring and ask if you cannot find mention of it.

I asked them - the worm test pack includes testing for coccidiosis - which is great!

 

[4EverOrp]

Thanks - Great information
I agree - the last thing I want to do it treat did something if they don't need it
I'll get the testing dine sometime soon and report back

 

[rebrascora]

What the testing may not pick up is Tapeworm eggs... this is the same regardless of which faecal test lab you use. These are less common than roundworms and their eggs are shed in segments which are visible to the naked eye as tiny slow moving white or cream "grains of rice". You should be observant for those when cleaning the poop board etc.