Wormy Margo

[Sandra Verbreyt]

After my Babs dying of mites and parasite infestation I saw it fit to put a worming solution into the water for Margo. Yesterday I noticed she is passing a bit of blood with long bloody worm like things in it. Is this her passing the dead worms she may have had or do I need to visit the vet? is there anything I should feed her or shall I just keep using the worming solution for a week? HELP I need advice and quickley before I lose my Margo as well as my Babs

 

[April’s Zoo]

Sounds like she’s passing the dying worms. As they detach from the intestine, the attachment sites can bleed, causing noticeable blood in the feces. As long as it’s not too much, everything should be fine.
Make sure to complete the whole course according to the instructions on the wormer you are using. If you do not use it properly, you will just create resistant parasites that will eventually be next to impossible to kill.

 

[Sandra Verbreyt]

Sounds like she’s passing the dying worms. As they detach from the intestine, the attachment sites can bleed, causing noticeable blood in the feces. As long as it’s not too much, everything should be fine.
Make sure to complete the whole course according to the instructions on the wormer you are using. If you do not use it properly, you will just create resistant parasites that will eventually be next to impossible to kill.

I have been prescribed 'Piperazine by the vet. However with passing the worms her bottom is a bit messy so now I worry about flies and the consequences. Do they usually clean themselves or will I need to give her a little wash?

 

[dawg53]

I have been prescribed 'Piperazine by the vet. However with passing the worms her bottom is a bit messy so now I worry about flies and the consequences. Do they usually clean themselves or will I need to give her a little wash?

Just take a garden hose and spray her bottom off and release her, works like a charm.
If one hen has worms, most likely the others have them as well. You'll need to redose your hens with the piperazine in about 30 days.

 

[April’s Zoo]

I have been prescribed 'Piperazine by the vet. However with passing the worms her bottom is a bit messy so now I worry about flies and the consequences. Do they usually clean themselves or will I need to give her a little wash?

I have no idea what the environs is like where you are, but as you say you are concerned with flies getting at her, I assume you have good reason to be worried.

The first step is definitely to get the poop off her bum. Dawg’s garden hose method is one option, but you can also soak her in a tepid tub of water with a touch of baby shampoo (or a permethrin-type flea shampoo for pets) for a few minutes and then use a washcloth or sponge to get off any that remains stuck.

After she’s clean, you can use a spray to spritz her bottom with that will help prevent “fly strike”— that’s what it’s called when the flies lay eggs in the stuck-on feces (or other compromised skin surface) that then hatch into burrowing maggots. The spray is usually a permethrin- or pyrethrin-based product— I think it’s sometimes with the horse & cattle products in the feed stores. Double check with your vet on what to use— they may have a better option. They’d also know whether the orally-administered piperazine is effective against skin parasites (which is what the maggots from fly-strike would be). If it is, then you won’t need to do anything except keep her as clean as possible.

Alternatively, once the poop is cleaned off, you can smear a generous layer of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) on her butt... that serves two purposes— it makes it easier to get the poop off in the future, and any eggs that may get deposited by the flies will either die from being smothered by the Vaseline, or be washed away with the next butt-bath. The downside is that a lot of dirt and other detritus from the run will end up sticking to the Vaseline.... it will wash off easily too, though.

It sounds like you are on the right track. And you are very lucky to have access to a vet that will treat chickens.... in the USA it is often a challenge to get vet care for chickens— they are often considered to be disposable by the vets. Good luck.

 

[dawg53]

Just for your information, piperazine has no effect on external parasites, including flies. It treats only large roundworms in poultry.

 

[April’s Zoo]

Just for your information, piperazine has no effect on external parasites, including flies. It treats only large roundworms in poultry.

good to know.... I thought that was probably the case.... but I was too lazy to look it up.

 

[dawg53]

good to know.... I thought that was probably the case.... but I was too lazy to look it up.

I get lazy too sometimes lol!