Worms in poop?

[Wizbop]

I was just cleaning our coop and found some very white thin worms in an area of concentrated poop. I clean out our coop once every week to 10 days. What could this be? Any harm to my chickens? Should I be concerned?

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Sounds like your chickens have Capillaria worms.

Here is a couple websites with more info. They will need treatment, however without actually seeing the worms myself I am hesitant to make a recommendation about treatment. I don't want to advise you wrong. For preventative measures (in the future) I would recommend adding unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar to their water and some food grade diamateceous (sp?) earth to their food.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/439/treatment-of-intestinal-worms-in-broiler-breeders
http://web2.uconn.edu/poultry/poultrypages/diseasefactsheet.html

 

[Wizbop]

Quote:
Oh, no. Sounds scary. Thank you for the info, though. I bet it is my Pearl. She's not been laying for the past few days, so I bet I have caught it early. I hope so, at least. I've got a call into my vet. What else do I do? Where do I go from here? Anyone? This is my first chicken sickness.

 

[NeeleysAVLChicks]

It'll be fine, I promise! Just like dogs and cats, chickens can pick up worms from their environment, wild animals, etc, it happens all the time. Most BYC folks worm relatively regularly as a precaution.

If you do some searching around here you'll find there are several deworming options. You can pick up most wormers from your local feed store, no reason to go to the vet.

I would worm all of your chickens, once one has them, most likely everyone will.

 

[dsqard]

You can get Wazine 17 and treat all of them. You can not eat the eggs for two weeks after treatment. Wazine 17 can be found in feed stores. I believe that it is labeled for pigs but you can use it for chickens too.

 

[MysticScorpio82]

Quote:
Oh, no. Sounds scary. Thank you for the info, though. I bet it is my Pearl. She's not been laying for the past few days, so I bet I have caught it early. I hope so, at least. I've got a call into my vet. What else do I do? Where do I go from here? Anyone? This is my first chicken sickness.

Lol

No need to be scared, you clean your coop almost weekly, and this is the first sign so chances are your chickens arent to the point where they will die from this infestation. Also you don't need to take them to the vets (unless you really feel you should

). There are plenty of products you can buy right from Tractor Supply that will take care of them. Just don't eat any of the eggs for about 2 weeks after treatment, and make sure you treat all your birds. If one has worms, then chances are they all do.

I am sorry I scared you!

 

[dsqard]

Really, worming animals is very easy. I worm my horses about every three months rotating the types of wormers so that they don't wind up infested with resistant worms. I don't think that chickens need to be wormed that often though. I only plan on worming them either once a year (probably during a moult to loose less eggs) or if there are obvious signs of infestation.

 

[Wizbop]

Okay, thanks guys for the help.

Amy, you didn't scare me too bad. I just love my girls and don't want anything bad to happen to them.

They're cooped up for the night and I'll do a poop check in the morning. The vet (who I use for my pooch and kitties) has chickens of her own and told me to call her anytime I had questions/concerns. I def wasn't going to take the girls in, but just get her advice.
I wonder if because this was in an area of my coop in a LOT of poop if there's a chance these worms aren't in their bellies. Could flies lay eggs to cause worms? I dunno. I did some poop checks from around the yard today and saw no other evidence. And all my birds look healthy and don't ya know they all three layed today.

 

[Froggy with chickens now!]

I noticed thin, white worms, about 2 inches long or so in one pile of poop at lunch today. I clean my 'poop board' daily. I have 6 hens and 1 rooster, so I don't have a clue which one actually had the worms. And, the worms were dead. How much of the apple cider vinegar would I use in their water? I had heard this was good for respiratory problems, but I didn't even realize they would get worms!!! The coop has pine shavings on the floor and their yard is plain old ground. At the moment, there is no grass growing in the yard from the winter, so I have been letting them out in our yard a few days a week for about 30 minutes a day. They have been going outside their yard for about 2 or 3 weeks now. I usually sprinkle the DE around the yard, in the coop and on the poop board regularly, but with all the rain, I have not sprinkled the yard in a while. I will get right back on that, tho! Thanks for any help you have to offer!

 

[Froggy with chickens now!]

I found about 3 very thin white worms in a pile of poop at lunch today. They were between 2 and 3 inches long. I clean my poop board daily. The worms were dead. I have 6 hens and one rooster so I don't know which one the poop belonged to. How much of the apple cider vinegar would I put in their water? I have heard to use that for respiratory problems, but didn't even know chickens would have worms! I usually sprinkle the DE around their yard, poop board and coop regularly, but it has rained so much lately, I have not sprinkled the yard in a while. I will now! Thanks for your help!