Treating Worms In Chickens

Treating worms in chickens is very important. If your chickens are showing signs of worms they need to be treated right away, severe infestations can lead to death.

The advice that follows is for information only. Before treating your birds you should seek help from a veterinarian. Your local feed store will also be able to offer you advice and appropriate treatments.

Common Signs Of Worms In Chickens

• watery runny droppings
• loss of appetite
• ceasing egg laying
• dehydration
• going off alone
• loss of balance
• pale comb,wattles and eyes

Types Of Worms In Chickens

Ascarids (Large Intestinal Roundworms)

Roundworms are one of the most common internal parasites in poultry. Adult worms are about one and a half to three inches long and about the thickness of an ordinary pencil lead. They are easily seen in the birds droppings with the naked eye.

Heavily infected birds may exhibit droopiness, emaciation and diarrhea.

Cecal Worms

This parasite is found in the ceca of chickens, turkeys and other birds. The worms are small, white and measure up to to 1/2 inch in length.

Cecal worms don’t seriously affect the health of the bird and chickens infected with these parasites don’t exhibit any symptoms of ill health. The parasite is a concern for anyone who keeps turkeys, as it transmits a disease called blackhead.

Capillaria (Capillary or Thread Worms)

Capillaria annulataCapillaria contorta occur in the crop and esophagus.

Capillaria obsignata is usually the most prevalent species in the lower intestinal tract.

These parasites frequently produce severe inflammation and sometimes cause hemorrhage. Erosion of the intestinal lining can be severe and result in death.

Tapeworms

There are several types of tape worm which can affect poultry although they are not often found.

Tapeworms or Cestodes vary in size and can reach several inches in length. Birds become infected when they eat intermediate hosts, such as earthworms and snails. The tapeworm lives in the intestines of the bird.

Gape Worm

Gape worm is a parasite that lives in the lungs and trachea. It is often fatal.

Typically, eggs are picked up from the ground or intermediate hosts such as worms or snails.

Gasping for breath or ‘gaping’ as it is known is the biggest sign of gape worm.

Head shaking and neck stretching are common. When birds are held, gurgling can often be heard.

Getting Rid Of Round Worms In Chickens

If you see roundworms in your birds droppings, you probably have quite a large infestation on your hands.

If you kill all of the roundworms at once, then you have a large number of dead worms that need to be expelled. This can be a potential problem.

If a birds body is presented with a large number of dead worms, they can sometimes have an anaphylactic reaction to what has become a “foreign protein” in their body.

The best way to approach this is to administer a wormer like Wazine, that paralyzes the worms without killing them. The adult worms are then shed without the aforementioned problems. Once outside the chickens body the worms quickly die. This type of wormer however is ineffective against the juvenile worms that are fixed onto the birds intestinal wall. So the treatment will need to be administered again later.

An alternative to the second dose of Wazine is to use a broad spectrum wormer such as pour on Ivermectin – (5% cattle pour on) – that will kill both adult and juvenile worms. Now that the worm numbers have been reduced by the first dose of Wazine an anaphylactic reaction is unlikely.

Wazine is administered via the chickens drinking water.

For best results, remove water in the evening (except during hot weather). Then, early the next morning, give water with the Wazine-17 added. Provide medicated water only. The medicated water should be consumed in 1 day or less. Worming every 30 days is necessary to break the large roundworm life cycle.

To use a pour on wormer do the following

Use a 3cc syringe with a 25 gauge needle to administer the drops, it’s more accurate than using a dropper.

Hold the bird in your left hand against your body, with the syringe near (and uncapped).

Push the down aside on the lower back of the neck, so that you have some exposed skin.

Take the needle and hold it so that it is horizontal to the bird. If you hold it vertically and the bird moves then you’ll poke her with it.

Place 1 to 6 drops on the exposed skin, based on the dosage below.

• 1 drop for a small “micro” bantam
• 2 drops for an average small bantam
• 3 drops for an average bantam sized bird or small hen
• 4 drops for a small large fowl hen
• 5 drops for an average large fowl hen
• 6 drops for larger bodied laying type birds
• 7 drops for giant breeds

You can not eat any eggs from the chickens for 14 days after you have wormed them.

Treating Cecal Worms In Chickens

Cecal worms can be effectively eliminated with the use of a wormer containing fenbendazole. Available via your veterinarian.

It is a broad spectrum anthelmintic (acting to expel or destroy parasitic worms) and is for oral administration, active against mature and immature stages of worms in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract.

Your vet will advise on the need to withdraw eggs when using a fenbendazole wormer.

Eliminating Capillary/Thread Worms In Chickens

Effective treatment for capillary worms are wormers containing fenbendazole. Available via your veterinarian.

It is a broad spectrum anthelmintic (acting to expel or destroy parasitic worms) and is for oral administration, active against mature and immature stages of worms in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract.

Your vet will advise on the need to withdraw eggs when using a fenbendazole wormer.

Treating Tapeworms In Chickens

Clear tapeworms using wormers containing fenbendazole. Available from your veterinarian.

It is a broad spectrum anthelmintic (acting to expel or destroy parasitic worms) and is for oral administration, active against mature and immature stages of worms in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract.

Your vet will advise on the need to withdraw eggs when using a fenbendazole wormer

Getting Rid Of Gape Worms In Chickens

Use a wormer containing fenbendazole, available from your veterinarian.

It is a broad spectrum anthelmintic (acting to expel or destroy parasitic worms) and is for oral administration, active against mature and immature stages of worms in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract.

Your vet will advise on the need to withdraw eggs when using a fenbendazole wormer

Preventing Worms In Chickens

There are a number of approaches to preventing worms in chickens.

Environment Maintenance

The primary source of parasitic worm infestations is the chickens environment, so take care in maintaining their living space.

If you are using a litter covering on the floor of their coop, make sure that it is clean and dry.

Ensure that you don’t crowd too many birds into a small area.

Try to prevent wild birds from getting into your chickens area. They are a prime source of parasite infections.

As is the case with all species, chickens that do not receive good nutrition and fresh, clean water are more susceptible to infestations of parasitic worms.

Diatomaceous Earth (DE)

Diatomaceous earth (DE) contains the remains of microscopic organisms called diatoms.

The DE destroys the worms in the chickens digestive systems through desiccation, which dries out the worm.

To use DE to control or prevent parasitic worms in chickens, the chickens need to ingest food-grade DE along with their feed. Check with your veterinarian to determine exact dosages.

DE may also be sprinkled in the chickens litter where it useful for helping to control external parasites.

Garlic

Garlic powder can be sprinkled onto feed or dissolved in the chickens water.

Fresh garlic can also be chopped and mixed with feed or even given as a snack.

Over use of garlic might temporarily flavor eggs.

Using garlic together with other remedies could yield better results. Please refer to this pdf report from the University of Kentucky Extension Service which recommends using both garlic and mint plants together for maximum results.

Return from Worms In Chickens to Egg Laying Chickens

Leave this page and go to New Self Sufficient Living – Home