Post by Arlene on May 6, 2006 16:29:11 GMT -5
Cause. Ducks can be affected by any of the four types of worms that infest other domestic poultry roundworms (Ascaridia spp.); tapeworms; caecal worms (Heterakis spp.), and hairworms (Capillaria spp.).
Ages affected. All ages are affected, but older ducks have better resistance to worms than ducklings and generally show milder effects, if any. Young ducklings are particularly susceptible, and heavy worm infestations may kill them or stunt their growth.
Source of infection. The duck can become infested with worms by eating various insects, slugs or earthworms that may harbour stages of each parasite, or by eating worm eggs passed in the droppings of other birds. Worm eggs hatch in various sections of the gut. They reach maturity in 21&endash;100 days. During this period the immature stages can penetrate various organs. Some of the roundworm larvae can find their way into the bloodstream and thence to the liver or lungs, where they can cause damage.
Clinical signs. These vary enormously and will depend on the type of worms, degree of infestation and the age of the birds. Birds heavily infested with roundworms or hairworms may die suddenly. This often happens when large numbers of immature roundworms migrate through essential body organs .However birds more often do not die suddenly but develop poorly, become weak and eventually die. With heavy roundworm or hairworm infestation ducks almost always have a diarrhoea that can range from frothy yellow to blood-tinged. Occasionally they develop an unsteady gait and paralysis. With heavy tapeworm and caecal worm infestation ducks sometimes have diarrhoea, but often just show poor weight gain and a drop in egg production.
Diagnosis. The diagnosis can be made instantly if there are a large number of worms in the intestines at post-mortem. Alternatively, intestinal scrapings or samples from fresh droppings can be examined under a microscope.**A home test is to put fresh droppings in a jam jar add water...worms swim out...ugh!**
Treatment. There are two approaches to worm treatment: * the use of broad-spectrum chemicals that are effective against the major groups of worms * the use of narrow-spectrum chemicals that are effective against a particular type of worm A good broad-spectrum treatment can be achieved by the use of levamisole(sheep wormer). This chemical is effective against both mature and immature stages of roundworms, caecal worms and hairworms. For the treatment of roundworms exclusively, the various piperazine-based compounds are highly effective, provided the dose rate is adequate. If you need to treat caecal worms and tapeworms you can use phenothiazine and mansonil respectively. The drug dibutyltin-dilaurate is also effective against tapeworms, but it can cause a 10% drop in egg production.
Control and prevention. None of the chemicals mentioned earlier is effective against the egg stage of worms. Ducks run on deep litter or in open range will be reinfested unless husbandry and management procedures are directed towards prevention of reinfestation. You can achieve short-term prevention by repeating treatment of the whole flock after 2 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months. Long-term solutions include various husbandry practices aimed at lowering the chance and degree of reinfestation. To minimise or prevent reinfestation with caecal worms, roundworms and hairworms, you should:
* rotate runs;* worm strategically at danger periods;* separate ducks of different age groups;* use reasonable stocking rates;* provide clean pens;
Ages affected. All ages are affected, but older ducks have better resistance to worms than ducklings and generally show milder effects, if any. Young ducklings are particularly susceptible, and heavy worm infestations may kill them or stunt their growth.
Source of infection. The duck can become infested with worms by eating various insects, slugs or earthworms that may harbour stages of each parasite, or by eating worm eggs passed in the droppings of other birds. Worm eggs hatch in various sections of the gut. They reach maturity in 21&endash;100 days. During this period the immature stages can penetrate various organs. Some of the roundworm larvae can find their way into the bloodstream and thence to the liver or lungs, where they can cause damage.
Clinical signs. These vary enormously and will depend on the type of worms, degree of infestation and the age of the birds. Birds heavily infested with roundworms or hairworms may die suddenly. This often happens when large numbers of immature roundworms migrate through essential body organs .However birds more often do not die suddenly but develop poorly, become weak and eventually die. With heavy roundworm or hairworm infestation ducks almost always have a diarrhoea that can range from frothy yellow to blood-tinged. Occasionally they develop an unsteady gait and paralysis. With heavy tapeworm and caecal worm infestation ducks sometimes have diarrhoea, but often just show poor weight gain and a drop in egg production.
Diagnosis. The diagnosis can be made instantly if there are a large number of worms in the intestines at post-mortem. Alternatively, intestinal scrapings or samples from fresh droppings can be examined under a microscope.**A home test is to put fresh droppings in a jam jar add water...worms swim out...ugh!**
Treatment. There are two approaches to worm treatment: * the use of broad-spectrum chemicals that are effective against the major groups of worms * the use of narrow-spectrum chemicals that are effective against a particular type of worm A good broad-spectrum treatment can be achieved by the use of levamisole(sheep wormer). This chemical is effective against both mature and immature stages of roundworms, caecal worms and hairworms. For the treatment of roundworms exclusively, the various piperazine-based compounds are highly effective, provided the dose rate is adequate. If you need to treat caecal worms and tapeworms you can use phenothiazine and mansonil respectively. The drug dibutyltin-dilaurate is also effective against tapeworms, but it can cause a 10% drop in egg production.
Control and prevention. None of the chemicals mentioned earlier is effective against the egg stage of worms. Ducks run on deep litter or in open range will be reinfested unless husbandry and management procedures are directed towards prevention of reinfestation. You can achieve short-term prevention by repeating treatment of the whole flock after 2 weeks, 6 weeks and 3 months. Long-term solutions include various husbandry practices aimed at lowering the chance and degree of reinfestation. To minimise or prevent reinfestation with caecal worms, roundworms and hairworms, you should:
* rotate runs;* worm strategically at danger periods;* separate ducks of different age groups;* use reasonable stocking rates;* provide clean pens;
