What kind of worms are these?

[5770amber]

Hello. We just got our chickens (laying hens) a little less than a month ago and I found worms in the poop yesterday. Im not sure what kind of worm it is? Anyone know? They were alive and moving. Would go from rice looking to a ball. We used valbazen on all 19 of them tonight. Do we need to redose them or is one dose enough? How long is the withholding period for eggs? Man this is stressful! I went ahead and wormed all our dogs too since we let the chickens free range. I'm afraid my kids will get worms somehow but I know it's unlikely. I'm just freaking out and overwhelmed at the moment.

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[5770amber]

Anyone? Please help recommend a dosage schedule and egg withdrawl time.

 

[TalkALittle]

Tapeworm. Don't worry about the dogs or kids, they're species specific. Chickens, dogs and humans each get their own kind of tapes.

Retreat with the valbazen in 10 days. Withhold eggs until 14 days after the second dose.

 

[5770amber]

Thank you! That's what I've found on the internet as well. My husband isn't happy about throwing eggs away and was hoping to either use them some how or not have to dose a second time. Can you dose earlier than 10 days since the wormer works over a few days?

 

[TalkALittle]

I've only ever seen 10 days recommended, nothing sooner. If you dosed the dogs with valbazen you could feed the eggs to them. The trace amounts in the eggs shouldn't effect an adult dog and if the dog is already on a full dose of valbazen you won't be risking building up a tolerance in the worms to the wormer. If you feed the eggs to the chickens you'll only lengthen the withdrawal period because you will, in effect, be putting more wormer in them.

 

[5770amber]

I've only ever seen 10 days recommended, nothing sooner. If you dosed the dogs with valbazen you could feed the eggs to them. The trace amounts in the eggs shouldn't effect an adult dog and if the dog is already on a full dose of valbazen you won't be risking building up a tolerance in the worms to the wormer. If you feed the eggs to the chickens you'll only lengthen the withdrawal period because you will, in effect, be putting more wormer in them.

Thanks!

 

[dawg53]

Yes, those are tapeworm segments in the pic. Tapeworms are difficult to get rid of, I've dealt with them many times. I recommend that you follow this procedure:
Withhold their feed for 24 hours, water is okay. Withholding feed weakens the worms and makes the valbazen more effective. After 24 hours, use a syringe without a needle to administer the valbazen. Dosage is given orally undiluted 1cc to each chicken. Wait 3 hours before feeding your chickens after dosing them with the valbazen. They will be hungry after withholding their feed. When you feed them, give them a little at a time and gradually increase their feed intake during the rest of the day back to normal. If you dont do it in this manner, they will gorge on their feed possibly causing impacted crop or gizzard.
Wait 2 days, then on the 3rd day withhold their feed for 24 hours and redose them 1cc on the 4th day. Repeat the feeding procedure as I mentioned above.
Then wait 2 days, withhold feed on the 3rd day for 24 hours and redose them 1cc on the 4th day as before. Repeat the feeding procedure.
You'll be dosing them for a total of 3 times. There is a 14 day withdrawal period after the last dosing.

Chickens get tapeworms from eating insects (indirect lifecycle.) Each one of those segments you saw in the feces contains hundreds of eggs that are deposited into and onto your soil. Insects; earthworms, flies, ants etc eat the eggs. In turn, your chickens eat the insects and eventually get tapeworm infected completing the tapeworm lifecycle.
There's no way to stop your chickens from eating insects. Putting sand in the pen/run helps deter insects and keeps everything as dry as possible which is key.
In the future, if your chickens get reinfected with tapeworms (and they probably will,) I recommend that you purchase Zimectrin Gold equine paste wormer to treat for tapeworms. Dosage is a "pea" size amount given orally to each chicken, then redose again in 10 days. Zimectrin Gold contains praziquantel which kills tapeworms, it's the same as droncit/drontal for dogs and cats. Your feed store should carry it in the equine section. There's a 14 day withdrawal period also.

 

[5770amber]

Perfect! Thank you! Do i clean the coop now, after last dose, or constantly during? So if we have only had them for about a month did they have them when we got the birds or did they pick it up from here?

 

[dawg53]

Perfect! Thank you! Do i clean the coop now, after last dose, or constantly during? So if we have only had them for about a month did they have them when we got the birds or did they pick it up from here?

You can clean the coop now, then a day or two after the final dosing. There's no telling when and where they ate infected insects. Chickens eat insects, that's what they do. Keep in mind that not all insects are infected with tapeworm eggs.
Worm all your birds initially. In the future if you see segments in feces, track down which chicken(s) are pooping the segments, catch them and cage them and treat them with the Zimectrin Gold. You see, not all your birds will be tapeworm infected, only one or two or three. You'll still be able to use eggs from your non infected birds.
When I was dealing with tapes, after letting the birds out of the coop first thing in the mornings, I'd follow them around and watch them poop. Then go look at it for segments. If I saw segments, I put the bird in a cage separated from the others and started treatment. At one time, I had 4 hens caged in the garage treating for tapeworms. That's 4 hens out of 22...not bad. I tossed the eggs in the garbage after using the wormer on the four hens. I still had plenty of 'good' eggs from the non infected hens. I spent several hours following them around, gotta have patience.

 

[5770amber]

You can clean the coop now, then a day or two after the final dosing. There's no telling when and where they ate infected insects. Chickens eat insects, that's what they do. Keep in mind that not all insects are infected with tapeworm eggs.
Worm all your birds initially.  In the future if you see segments in feces, track down which chicken(s) are pooping the segments, catch them and cage them and treat them with the Zimectrin Gold. You see, not all your birds will be tapeworm infected, only one or two or three. You'll still be able to use eggs from your non infected birds.
When I was dealing with tapes, after letting the birds out of the coop first thing in the mornings, I'd follow them around and watch them poop. Then go look at it for segments. If I saw segments, I put the bird in a cage separated from the others and started treatment. At one time, I had 4 hens caged in the garage treating for tapeworms. That's 4 hens out of 22...not bad. I tossed the eggs in the garbage after using the wormer on the four hens. I still had plenty of 'good' eggs from the non infected hens. I spent several hours following them around, gotta have patience.

Can I cont to let them free range or keep them locked in the coop?