Tapeworm
Tapeworms rarely affect chickens; however, they can occur and if these parasites are identified in a sample you will need to seek treatment from your vet who can prescribe a suitable product. Flubenvet is NOT effective for tapeworm at normal doses. However, vets may prescribe a double strength dose of Flubenvet or Praziquantel, repeated in 2-4 weeks. A vet may also prescribe off-license products like Panacur or Drontal.
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Praziquantel is not licensed for use in poultry and so is used off-licence and will need a suitable egg withdrawal period (by law this must be at least 7 days). Praziquantel is commonly used to treat tapeworms in other pets.
Tapeworm rely on intermediate hosts such as ants, slugs and snails to complete their lifecycle, making them more common in backyard poultry. Birds eat the infected morsel and ingest the parasite as a result.
Tapeworm often present like grains of rice or flecks of white in the dung, sometimes moving with a sucker action. ​Tapeworm eggs can be found in a worm egg count, but the way that they are excreted in packets in the dung, rather than being evenly spread as with other parasites, makes a worm egg count not a definitive test for tapeworm.
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Symptoms include:
Tapeworm anchor to the wall of the small intestine and affect birds by removing nutrients resulting in stunted growth/weight loss, nutrition deficiencies, and increased risk of infection or disease.
Fowl Tapeworm is one species which can damage the intestine leading to peritonitis. If infection spreads to head and sinuses, affected chickens may present with neurological signs such as torticollis (aka wry neck).​
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Steps to take to protect you birds from Tapeworm:
​​Disinfect sheds with a Poultry Disinfectant which destroys worm eggs
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Clean, disinfect, and change litter regularly
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Use deep litter bedding system in the coop so the birds do not eat faeces
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Separate birds from possible intermediate hosts (ants, slugs and snails)
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Implement a program to control insects and rodents
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Use a disinfectant and ground sanitiser that destroys worm eggs
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Introduce apple cider vinegar and crushed garlic into the birds drinking water
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Use feeders and waterers designed to minimize contamination of your chicken’s food.
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Keep treats off the ground where possible
SUGGESTED TREATMENT FOR TAPE WORM:
Treating Your Chickens
​​As suggested on other worm pages, the first thing you should do is to find out what you are up against The first thing to do is to find out what you are up against by doing a worm egg count. A worm egg count is the primary way to detect Caecal Worms.
It's also important to avoid needless overuse of medications. The limited nature of the chemicals available to treat parasites in birds makes it even more important to target them appropriately and use them only when necessary to slow the development of resistance.
Once tapeworm has been identified, these are your options:
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​1. Add Kernfarm Flubendazole 1% to your chickens feed at double strength. i.e. 12g Flubendazole (2 scoops) to 2kg of feed. This will allow you to continue with your usual feed without without upsetting your birds routine. ​
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​2. Praziquantel 10-20 mg/kg, repeated in 2-4 weeks Source: https://poultrydvm.com/drugs/praziquantel
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3. It's prudent to add natural worm repellent to their drinking water to make the worms digestive tract and gut less attractive to parasites.
a) Apple Cider Vinegar is a known as worm repellent, add a generous splosh of the proper live stuff with the mother.
b) Adding Garlic to their drinking water is know to help, either a couple of cloves (crushed allows the water to penetrate better to release the natural oils) per bird or add a drop Essential Garlic Oil per bird.
c) Add Verm-X liquid to you chickens drinking water to maintain gut vitality​
Caecal Worm Products
Treatment for Chickens
What will the test show?
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The test is not definitive for tapeworm but will be reported if they are present in the sample.
Effective against Tapeworm with a double the normal dose.
Kills adult worms, larvae and eggs.
Withdrawal period:
Treated birds may be slaughtered for human consumption only after 7 days from the last treatment.
There is no withholding period for chickens producing eggs for human consumption.
Bob Martin Clear Spot On Wormer for Cats & Kittens - 100% Effective Tapeworm Treatment (4 Pipettes)
Source:
Contains Praziquantel
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100% EFFECTIVE TREATMENT - Fast and effective treatment for common tapeworm infestations
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TREATS ALL COMMON TAPEWORMS - Treats your cat against Dipylidium caninum, Taenia taeniaeformis and Echinococcus multilocularis
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CONTAINS PRAZIQUANTEL - Prevents newly hatched worms from growing or multiplying inside the body
Withdrawal Period:
Egg and Meat withdrawal period must be at least 7 days by law.
