Worms in Poultry
Interview
She has an education as a biomedical analyst and her own company that specialize in parasite infection in horses.
DISCLAMIER: Since she specialize in parasite in horses does not make her an expert in poultry infection. She has an overall knowledge about worm infection and has taken some help by the sources down below. Contact your local vetrinarian for more information about parasite infection.
What is an parasite infection?
"The most common poultry parasites can be worms but also unicellular parasites"
Coccidiosis can be seen as an unicellular parasite, also called protozoa parasite.
"The parasites can be divided into two catagories: indirect and direct lifecycle
An direct lifecycle: they pick up the infection from the land, the parasite developes within the bird and when the land gets re-infected with the birds fecal.
An indirect lifecycle: the infection got to go thrue a host. For example, tapeworm infection in chickens: the ants eat the worm eggs, the chicken eat the ant, the chicken gets infected and the chickens re-infect the land with their fecal"
What can you do to avoid infection?
"its good to switch land you have your birds on. So they dont countine to free range on infected ground. It takes a long time before the infection disapears from the land"
"but its understanding it can be demanding if you dont have much land"
- Avoid overcrowding
- Keep their run and coop clean
- Do a fecaltest on new birds
- Avoid feeding outside on fresh ground
- Try avoid that your birds come in contact with wild birds
BUT the poultry do count as avian, there for wild birds and poultry share the same type of parasites. There for wild birds can also infect the land you have your birds on."
How do I know if my birds have worms?
"You can find the parasites in their fecal, but its mostly seen in a autopsy. Most common to fins out if your bird is infected is to do a fecaltest to see if worm egg is present"
Can you deworm naturally?
"Its the envoriment in the gutsystem that determines how well the worms will thrive. If you give things that affects this envoriment, can make the worms go down in their production, but they will still be there.
Deworming "naturally" aint a solution, but it can decrease the worm infection to give some relif, most likley only temporary."
Boosting gut health:
- Verm-X Orginal Pellets
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Oregano
- Probiotics
Its a dangerous myth that you can deworm naturally. Boosting gut health is good for several reasons.
When and what should you deworm with?
"On the otherhand you should not deworm if you dont need to, this can make the worm resistant to the deworming drugs"
"You should order a fecaltest thrue your Vetrinarian. This will make sure you get the right drug for your birds infection"
Benzimidazoles is the dewormer that takes the most species of worms.
What are the symtoms of roundworm infection?
"Most often you dont see symtoms of roundworm infection in adult poultry. Most often its the younger birds who will show symtoms.
Symtoms can be:
- Diarrhea
- Bloody diarrhea
- Dirty eggshells
- Reduced eggproduction
- Hunger
- Wet bedding"
Gapeworm
"The worm that can make the most damage is the gapeworm. The most common symtom of gapeworm is that will stretch their necks for air."
The female gapeworm is attached in the chickens throat, sucking blood. The male is attached to the female in a constant maiting.
The gapeworm is specfic to chickens and some wild birds.
