Q I've had a number of enquiries related to tapeworm recently, so I thought it would be useful to put together a short piece which will hopefully answer all the questions in one go. So here goes...

A Flubenvet is not licensed for use against tapeworm. The standard dose is one heaped teaspoon per 9kg of food - this means that no egg withdrawal is necessary. There are four types of tapeworm found in hens and of these, Davainea proglottina, is the most pathogenic (able to cause disease). The others usually only cause problems if present in large numbers.

The ideal drugs for treating poultry tapeworm are not available in this country in any form, and there are no parasiticides licensed for use against the problem. Flubenvet dosages for effective treatment can only be obtained by speaking to your own vet, as its use is 'off license' and so nothing can legally be put in print regarding that specific use. All birds should be treated at the some time, and for the same length of time. As long as each bird eats the normal amount of food daily, it should have enough wormer in it to work effectively. If you are in doubt about how much the chickens are eating, then close them in while they are being treated - into a smaller pen maybe.

The tapeworms are carried by slugs and snails (Davainea), in earthworms (Amoebataenia), in house-flies and beetles (Choanataenia), or in ants and beetles (Raillietina). The tapeworm Davainea can cause haemorrhagic enteritis that would result in pink-tinged droppings. If your ground is heavily contaminated, then your birds will be reinfected as soon as they are cleared. So it's worth considering moving the birds to fresh ground that's not been used for poultry in the past. If this isn't possible then the existing ground will need to be treated with insecticide/molluscicide to remove the intermediate host (the insects, molluscs or worms). Ultimately it may prove necessary to house or pen the birds on hard standing. With regards to overdosing, the main worry is the residue in the eggs that results if the dose is above one heaped teaspoon per 9kg of food. This means that eggs should not be consumed if the wormer is being used at a higher dose, either while the birds are on the drug, or for 10 days after treatment finishes. Flubenvet is a very safe treatment for poultry, but I would always recommend that the suggested dosages be strictly adhered to so that large overdoses are avoided. Why put more drugs into a bird than we need to?