Worms?

[BinaryChicken]

How do i know if my chicken has worms. I have had to pluick out a lot of feathers from one which had mite eggs.I have also dusted him. He is still looking uncomfortable and does not move much. Are these symptoms for worms? Please help!

 

[Suzie]

You will not necessarily see worms... if your chickens free range then you are likely to have worm infestations in your flock... you should worm your chickens as best practise to ensure good health in them.

Suzie

 

[BinaryChicken]

Hmm well they are not completely free range. they are in a coop. What are the symptoms for worms?

 

[Suzie]

What did you dust him with? DE is not effective as a treatment for lice/mites... you should have been using Sevin or permethryn based treatment...

Worms will cause many problems....weight loss, lethargy, a general deterioration in their general wellbeing,... ultimately death..worms can cause a huge variety of symptoms and it is better to be forewarned and forearmed...

I am just a lay person who treats my flock as a matter of course for any ailments that I feel they may be susceptible to

I am sure that somebody here with far more experience than I have can help define further what you could expect to find in a chicken that has a worm infestation - try Casportpony, Dawg or Cowcreekgeek for better information.

Good luck

Suzie

 

[BinaryChicken]

I dusted him with a dusting powder that killed all the mites. Can you tell me if Hunched up a lot of the time and not moving much are symptoms of worms?

 

[cafarmgirl]

I dusted him with a dusting powder that killed all the mites. Can you tell me if Hunched up a lot of the time and not moving much are symptoms of worms?

Those symptoms could be indicitive of most chicken ailments. When they don't feel good that's what they do. There isn't any way for any of us to say "Yes, that means he has worms." If this is an adult bird that has never been wormed you can assume he has some internal parasites to at least some extent and possibly a heavy load. If the chickens are on the ground they will eventually get worms. So you certainly can't go wrong by deworming him. He may also be run down by the mite infestation. One dusting won't cure a mite problem since the mite eggs will keep hatching, so make sure you keep treating every 7 to 10 days until they are gone so you get what hatches. The coop must be throughly cleaned and treated as well, they can be really hard to get rid of.

 

[BinaryChicken]

Thank you. I will dust him again soon. The coop was just cleaned.

 

[BinaryChicken]

How do i worm him? Put something in his water? What do I use?

 

[cafarmgirl]

I like Valbazen or liquid Safeguard goat dewomer. Dose for standard size birds is 1/2 cc or 1/4 cc for bantams. Repeat the dose in 10 days. I just use a small syringe with no needle and squirt it in their beak. That way you know each bird has gotten the full dose they need.

 

[BinaryChicken]

Thanks! Would TSC sell it?