Roundworm or intestinal shedding?

[mich17mak]

I noticed poo under the roost that had reddish stuff in it. It didn't look like blood, but like congealed reddish-brown matter. While inspecting it, I found what looked to be a worm under some pine shavings near the poo. It was a clear-tan color and visible (maybe a couple inches? Not sure), but it was skinny and hard. Not moving. It does look like a roundworm (from the pics I saw of various worms online), but I'm wondering if this is roundworm or maybe a piece of intestine since the red portion of the poo looks like intestinal shedding.
Please let me know what you think. If it's a worm, how do I treat it, preferably naturally? I have 5 layer hens, they are all on break laying since 3 are molting and 2 are growing back feathers after an earlier molt. They all have bright red combs, don't appear sickly, though some are slimmer than usual due to molting.
Thank you!

 

[nuthatched]

Yep that's a roundworm.. can you get safeguard for horse (they also sell it for dogs) or valbzen for goat?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I noticed poo under the roost that had reddish stuff in it. It didn't look like blood, but like congealed reddish-brown matter. While inspecting it, I found what looked to be a worm under some pine shavings near the poo. It was a clear-tan color and visible (maybe a couple inches? Not sure), but it was skinny and hard. Not moving. It does look like a roundworm (from the pics I saw of various worms online), but I'm wondering if this is roundworm or maybe a piece of intestine since the red portion of the poo looks like intestinal shedding.
Please let me know what you think. If it's a worm, how do I treat it, preferably naturally? I have 5 layer hens, they are all on break laying since 3 are molting and 2 are growing back feathers after an earlier molt. They all have bright red combs, done appear sickly, though some are slimmer than usual due to molting.
Thank you!

I agree, that's a Roundworm.

You can find Safeguard liquid Goat Dewormer or Equine Paste at stores like TSC. Valbazen can be ordered online.
Treat all your birds.

To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm you can use Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole). Both are given orally by weight; they do not mix well with water.

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...dications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/

 

[Susan Skylark]

Please don’t treat ‘naturally,’ it doesn’t work and may be toxic to the bird. Natural does not mean safe (or effective), strychnine, botulism, and lead are all natural too (whatever that means). The mentioned dewormers are effective and have a wide safety margin and as your birds aren’t laying you don’t have to worry about withdrawal times. Apple cider vinegar and diametaceous earth might make you feel better but won’t faze the worms. Some worms are sensitive to nicotine and I know a lady that dosed her goats with enough tobacco to make them whoozy but didn’t kill any worms. Stick with the real thing!

 

[mich17mak]

Please don’t treat ‘naturally,’ it doesn’t work and may be toxic to the bird. Natural does not mean safe (or effective), strychnine, botulism, and lead are all natural too (whatever that means). The mentioned dewormers are effective and have a wide safety margin and as your birds aren’t laying you don’t have to worry about withdrawal times. Apple cider vinegar and diametaceous earth might make you feel better but won’t faze the worms. Some worms are sensitive to nicotine and I know a lady that dosed her goats with enough tobacco to make them whoozy but didn’t kill any worms. Stick with the real thing!

Thanks. I don't believe there is a way to treat naturally, but I wanted to ask just in case! I've been reading about garlic press in water as well as apple cigar vinegar, but I'd think those are more of a preventive. Do you know how long the chickens could've had this? Our lot had been completely flooded from Hurricane Helene (I live in WNC on a river) and I wonder if they got it from residue left behind in the flood or, most likely, using a neighbor's empty coop/run (they hadn't had chickens in a long time, maybe a year) while we were trying to retrieve our coop/run that floated upstream.

 

[coach723]

Roundworm is fairly common, they could have picked it up just about anywhere, the neighbors coop is certainly a possibility. They pick it up scratching and pecking in the dirt, and once infected they shed the worm eggs in their droppings, back into the environment. For roundworm the prepatent period (the time between being infected and the ability to detect it) is generally 29 - 50 days (see below).
You won't always see them in the droppings, sometimes they die inside the bird and are digested by the bird. Since you now know you have them in the environment, if you start to see droppings like that again, with a lot of shed, that can be a sign they are carrying them again. So at that point I would treat again, or get a fecal done to test for them. Reinfection with roundworm is easy and common since the eggs are in the environment, and the eggs can survive a very long time, until they are found and ingested by a host again. Depending on the load in your environment you may be able to worm once or twice a year and that's enough, or you may have to do more often, every flock is different. I have to worm about every 3 months in my flock for roundworm. Make sure you do the full dosing depending on the medication you use. The medication kills the worms but not the eggs, so the repeat doses are to get any eggs that hatch inside the bird after the first dose, and kills those before they are mature enough to lay more, that breaks the cycle.

 

[mich17mak]

Roundworm is fairly common, they could have picked it up just about anywhere, the neighbors coop is certainly a possibility. They pick it up scratching and pecking in the dirt, and once infected they shed the worm eggs in their droppings, back into the environment. For roundworm the prepatent period (the time between being infected and the ability to detect it) is generally 29 - 50 days (see below).
You won't always see them in the droppings, sometimes they die inside the bird and are digested by the bird. Since you now know you have them in the environment, if you start to see droppings like that again, with a lot of shed, that can be a sign they are carrying them again. So at that point I would treat again, or get a fecal done to test for them. Reinfection with roundworm is easy and common since the eggs are in the environment, and the eggs can survive a very long time, until they are found and ingested by a host again. Depending on the load in your environment you may be able to worm once or twice a year and that's enough, or you may have to do more often, every flock is different. I have to worm about every 3 months in my flock for roundworm. Make sure you do the full dosing depending on the medication you use. The medication kills the worms but not the eggs, so the repeat doses are to get any eggs that hatch inside the bird after the first dose, and kills those before they are mature enough to lay more, that breaks the cycle.View attachment 3987867

I'm wanting to use Fenbendazole, but I'm reading that I shouldn't give it to them while they're molting, which they are. Is it ok to give it to them while molting? If not, any recommendations?

 

[coach723]

There are cases of feather deformities when using it during molt. I have never experienced that, but some others have. You can use Albendazole instead (the Valbazen recommended above), which does not have the same issue. It's also a little easier to dose, a smaller amount and only 2 doses 10 days apart. It's a very good wormer, but usually has to be gotten through online order. The small bottle of Valbazen will last you a good while and usually comes with an expiration at least a couple of years out. I did find the small bottle (500ml) in stock here, at Premier 1 Supplies, it's out of stock many places:
https://www.premier1supplies.com/p/...x4xta1bkOnOAXthOZM6LAbAwDqdsaBfxoClgkQAvD_BwE

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Do you know how long the chickens could've had this? Our lot had been completely flooded from Hurricane Helene (I live in WNC on a river) and I wonder if they got it from residue left behind in the flood or, most likely, using a neighbor's empty coop/run (they hadn't had chickens in a long time, maybe a year) while we were trying to retrieve our coop/run that floated upstream.

I'm wanting to use Fenbendazole, but I'm reading that I shouldn't give it to them while they're molting, which they are. Is it ok to give it to them while molting? If not, any recommendations?

Sorry to hear about your coop, I hope you are o.k.
Helene was terrible here in WNC that's for sure.

If they are molting, I would use Valbazen instead of Safeguard.

I agree, that's a Roundworm.

You can find Safeguard liquid Goat Dewormer or Equine Paste at stores like TSC. Valbazen can be ordered online.
Treat all your birds.

To treat most worms that poultry can have except for Tapeworm you can use Safeguard (Fenbendazole) or Valbazen (Albendazole). Both are given orally by weight; they do not mix well with water.

Safeguard dose is 0.23ml per pound of weight given orally once a day for 5 days in a row.
---OR---
Valbazen dose is 0.08ml per pound of weight given orally once, then repeated in 10 days

Here's how to give oral medications:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/safely-administering-oral-medications-to-all-poultry-and-waterfowl.73335/