Worms or other Parasite?

[AZChickenlover]

Note: I posted this on the other forum also....

My favorite hen has had so many loose stools lately that it has made a mess on the feathers on her bottom.
Is there a general wormer that I can administer? Would it be available at a feed store? What is the best way to clean the feathers on her bum? She seems to be in a great deal of distress when I fuss with them. I considered wiping with warm water, but I thought I'd better wait until the freezing temps went up a bit.

 

[eggchel]

You can wash their bum with warm water and a mild soap or shampoo if needed, just dry it thoroughly with a towel and/or a hairdryer. You can also use baby wipes to clean off any fresh poo, but the dried stuff seems to need more water to soften it. After she is dry, put a little baby powder or cornstarch on her bum feathers to help keep the poo from sticking.

I cant help you with the wormers, although some add D.E. (diatomaceous earth- food grade only) to their food to help with internal parasites. Just be sure to check the withdrawal time for any medications that you use so that you dont eat any of their eggs during that period. If the medicine is meant for poulty, it will say on the bottle how long to wait before eating eggs or meat of treated birds.

chel

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

Quote:
I feed my chickens a food grade diatomaceous earth in their food for worm and parasite control. I also dust their coop after cleaning once a week and the outside pen with DE. My chickens are free range we feed them mostly rice, grain feed and worms from our garden in preparation of this spring planting and they free range for grass and insects. I also feed our dogs DE and have great success never had a sick chicken or dog. Never really had a problem with my chicken’s messy bottoms.

 

[Chickielady]

Barnyard Dawg is correct, and also try to limit this hen's intake of fibrer for a little while.
Get the food grade DE, dust a bit on her feed, and that should take care of any worms within a week I'd say.
As for all the stuck poo, warm baths are all you can do !
But most definetly do not feed her any fiber, like grasses or lettuce or anything else...let her eat the dusted feed.