worms in poop

[bullcity]

So we have 9 week old RIRs. 4 Little girls. I bought them this weekend from a not-so reputable breeder because all the others have been selling out so fast around here.

One of the girls has what I think may be worms. Long and red, about 3-4 inches long, and there must have been 20-30 or more in her poop. I am almost positive they are not earth worms (for one she hasn't had that much time to collect them and the soil hasn't been disturbed in the run enough to find worms). My question is what kind of worms do you think they are and what is a safe treatment for a 9 week old?

Also, if she has pooped worm eggs in the coop and yard, are we looking at having worms for pretty much ever now?

And lastly, how common is a bird/ human transfer of worms when you have a three year old rooting around? I plan on keeping her out until this is solved, but who knows what has happened in the past few days.

Thanks-

 

[rockin_chick32]

first thing I would do is put the chick in a sanitary area away from the rest to prevent the worms from spreading to the other chickens. Then clean out all of the poop from the area thoroughly. As long as your child doesn't touch or eat the poop, it shouldn't spread, but until it is treated, i would still keep her away from the chicken area.

There is a white powder-like substance called "Fossil-shell flour" or "dietamicious earth". Usualy you can pick this up in your local feed stores and co-ops. It is importaint that you get the "food grade". Sprinke it generously around the infected areas and into the chickens food. This helps to kill parisites and prevent them from infecting your flock.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

BTW: Make sure you dont inhale this and DONT do this indoors. It can cause the dust to spread through the entire room!

 

[briteday]

If I see worms in poop I take a glob of it to my local vet. They do a fecal float test and tell me what kind of worms are present and how to treat them.

 

[bullcity]

Thanks-

My wife thinks it may be blood, which is an indicator of worms. We have a vet appt for tomorrow. The unfortunate part is that we don't know which chicken the poop came from so we are taking in all 4.

 

[MoodyChicken]

Those are roundworms and they can cause serious damage, they can be fatal in severe infestations! Worm your ALL birds immediately!

 

[CovenantCreek]

Some people on here use coconut flakes as a dewormer. Diatomaceous Earth can also help if added to their feed. As the previous person said, it has to be food grade, NOT the kind for swimming pools.

 

[mychickensrock]

Quote:
I haven't heard of the coconut flakes. Do you have to do anything particular to them? I would assume the unsweetened flakes?

 

[kitchwitch]

by the way, children can get roundworms
if that's the case I'd take your 3 yo to the pediatrician and get some dewormer for them as a harmless and inexpensive preventative.

 

[briteday]

In any case, if you have one chicken with worms you will want to worm all of them. Most often they will all pick it up from the one that started it. And if you have dogs and cats that came in contact with the chickens or their poop...talk to the vet about worming them too. I usually just take the sickest animal in and then the vet gives me meds for everyone.

I would also wait until the vet runs the fecal to find out what type, if any, worms are present. Round worms from dogs are different (and more serious in children) than round worms in poultry. Even pinworms are in the round worm category and children get those all the time and are treated very easily.

I've worked in a medical lab most of my career and seen lots of different parasites that came out of humans. For right now I would wait for the vet's diagnosis, maintain good handwashing, and keep the chickens confined to a different area than where your children play.

 

[CovenantCreek]

Quote:
I haven't heard of the coconut flakes. Do you have to do anything particular to them? I would assume the unsweetened flakes?

No one has said they've done anything to the flakes. Unsweetened is probably best, but none of my grocery stores carry it and I haven't had time to order it online so my girls get the occasional very sweet treat.