Parasites! Internal

[Ashley with Hens only]

I think I had gape worm from New birds coming in. So upset. Killed held my flock and no one could tel me what it was. Pretty clear now.
now that we've stabilized, Since then it's clear they have parasites.
I got wormout gel because de, garlic, and vetrx -nothing works. It's significant.
Now that I'm learning more, I'm realizing my whole yard is infested from when they free ranged. And probably wildlife too.
If I'm treating them, what about ALL the ground in and out of coop and run?
It's not movable. I have stilted inside, lots of mud deep, hard to reach grind and part is full sun.
I think it's spread among species. I'm freaking out.
Help!

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Most worms are species specific, so you don't have to eradicate all of wild life, however, wild life does track worm eggs, mites, and such into your flock area.

You are right that VetRx nor DE nor Garlic will treat gapeworm, or any worm infestation.

VetRx is merely for respiratory congestion. DE works only if dry and only on external parasites, and then not well. Garlic can help strengthen the immune system, which in turn helps the bird control infestation, but it does nothing to rid internal or external worms.

The best thing to do, if possible, is to rotate your litter. In the backyard coop and run that means shoveling out the old and adding new pine shavings or such.

If you have more area you can rotate fields to break the cycle. Herbals can help with prevention but only with strict field rotation. The reason is to break the infestation through eating the eggs in poop or an intermediate host. For that, you have to look at each specific worm type.

Gapeworm, is usually rare in backyard chickens, though common in pheasants and turkeys (so avoiding mixing poultry types can help prevention). The infestation can come through directly eating infected poop (worm eggs defecated) or from eating an intermediate host such as earthworms or snails. The solution is to keep your chickens in an area that has low poop build up and few or no earthworms or snails. Wild birds can carry the larvae as well. Avoid wild bird feeders or other things that attract wild birds in areas around your flock.

Gapeworm can be hard to diagnose, so I would recommend taking a bird to the vets. Examination and fecal float can confirm the type of worm you are dealing with.

If you are certain it is gapeworm, the vet will prescribe something. I have heard that fenbendazole (Safeguard) works for gapeworm and most of the other common poultry worms (it won't affect tape worm) as well as albendazole (Valbazen). In the UK flubenvet is prescribed (but you can't get that in the US).

Knowing which worm you are dealing with is important as not all meds address all worm types, and repeat treatment differs depending upon worm type as well. Most treatments require re-treatment after a certain amount of time as most meds only eradicate the adult worms meaning the next generation will hatch in a prescribed time and need to be removed. The time frame depends on the worm type's hatch cycle.

US treatments http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/gapeworms
UK treatments https://poultrykeeper.com/respiratory-problems/gapeworm/

LofMc

 

[dawg53]

Most likely it's a respiratory disease and not gapeworms. Introducing new birds into an existing flock without at least 6 weeks quarantine away from the existing flock is a recipe for disaster, and respiratory diseases spread quickly.
Take fresh fecal samples to a vet as Lady of McCamley stated. If another bird gets sick, submit it for necropsy to find out exactly what you are dealing with, then treat or cull accordingly.