Parasitic worms and their treatment in domestic waterfowl

Stock should be wormed routinely twice a year, and on any other occasion which necessitates it e.g. a bird seems ill, or is coughing. Ducks do seem to suffer less from worms than geese, but any bird which is under-weight should be wormed. Worms which affect waterfowl come in a variety of forms.

 Most of these worms use earthworms and insects as a host, and wild birds are carriers. So, however clean the environment, there is always a low parasite presence. The higher the density of stocking  in an establishment, and the greater the length of time over which the land has been used, the greater the importance of regular worming.

Vermifuges
The preferred wormer for birds is Flubenvet. This vermifuge can be obtained from your vet and the dosage for ducks should be checked with a vet because ducks are not mentioned on the label. The white powder comes in a 240g tub and usually has a very long use-by date. The product is licensed for birds, and kills all the parasites listed above, at the correct dosage. The dosage for geese and chickens is 120g on 100 kg of food (half the dosage for pheasant). This works out at 1.2g per kilo—easier to measure at one level teaspoonful (3.6g) per 3 kg. Check the weight of a teaspoonful on digital kitchen scales. The white powder adheres well to the pellets—better than to wheat—so just use pellets over the worming period. Don’t mix it with your hand because the powder sticks to your skin. Use a table spoon. The disadvantage of  Flubenvet is that you have to feed it for a week, in the food, for it to be effective. So birds who are really ill, and not eating, cannot be dosed in this way. Another product and delivery as a drench (liquid down the throat) would be more suitable. Note that withdrawal times for Flubenvet are stated on the product label.

 An August 2009 Flubenvet press release from Janssen Animal health is available here. 

Ivermectin (pour-on) for controlling internal and external parasites is now available in 10 ml dropper bottles (800 μg/ml [0.8%] strength). The recommended dosage for a pigeon is one drop on the skin once a week for 3 weeks. Scaled up for Runners, this is 2-3 drops on the skin This package is marketed by Alpharma, Unit 15, Sandleheath Industrial Estate, Fordingbridge Hants SP6 1PA  TEL 01425 656081. It is only obtainable through a vet. 

The number of worm species that ivermectin kills is more limited than flubenvet (tapeworm & fluke are excluded: V Roberts: Diseases of Free Range Poultry) but it is doubly useful in that it also systemically kills external parasites, such as northern mite, if used three times, spaced 7-8 days apart.