Deworming....

I havent a clue about deworming my chickens so I have some questions....
How old should your chickens be before deworming?
How often should you deworm?
What do you use to deworm?
Can you still eat the chickens eggs while deworming?
Thanks!

EDITED TO ADD:
I just thought of some other questions...
Do you have to deworm your chickens? and What is the worst case sonario if you dont deworm?

Sorry about all the questions.

you should really only deworm if you need to, as in if they have a worm problem.
they usually have a healthy level of parasites within them that helps boost their immunity and make them stronger to resistance an unhealthy level. When you worm them it gets rid of the small levels and they have zero worms. This makes them more susceptible to a worm problem, so you need to repeatedly worm them to keep them 100% worm free. Wormers can be pricey and when you do worm you need to wait a certain time period before eating the eggs.
You can add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to their water to prevent worm problems and keep the levels under control. 2% de in their food also helps prevent any problems.
If you do deworm I think its best to do it twice yearly.
Ivomectin, fenbenazole, piperazine are all common wormers. Their are different types, some only for specific worms, some are broad spectrum wormers.

Quote:
Is it possible for the worms to be transmitted through the eggs if you decide not to deworm? And if you do the apple cider vinegar thing, do you only do it twice a year? Or everytime they have water you give them apple cider vinegar mixed in? And how would you know if they had worm problems? Would you see the worms? Thanks for the answer by the way

On Apple Cider Vinegar -

You can use any Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar with mother.
Bragg
Spectrum Organic
Omega Nutrition
Dynamic Health
There are other brands out there also just remember you will want Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar mother.

Here is some information on Apple Cider Vinegar.
Apple Cider vinegar is rich in the vitamins, minerals and trace elements found in apples, especially potassium. It will normalize pH levels in the stomach, improve digestion and the assimilation of nutrients.
A few more benefits of Oral Apple Cider Vinegar are:
*Reduces intestinal and fecal odors.
*Aids in digestion.
*Helps to break down minerals and fats.
*Assists the animal to assimilate proteins.
*Assists the animal to convert food better.
*It lowers the pH of the digestive tract which will make an environment less welcoming to pathogens therefore will reduce common infections and increases resistance to disease.
*Improves stamina and fertility.
*It is a great overall tonic that will improve the general well being of the animal.
If started while Birds are young (1-1/2 to 2weeks), birds
*Will feather out quicker.
*Are hardier.
*Grow to their potential sooner when used with an adequate feed.
I find the meat is also leaner due to the fats being converted quicker.

Cautions:
Do not use metal water dishes (except stainless steal).
On some commercial wormer it will have one funky chemical reaction with ACV...
Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Unopened, it will keep indefinitely; once opened it will keep about 6 months.

Add 1/8-1/4 of a teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to every 4 fl ozs of water, or 1/8-1/4 cup per gallon of water.

As for worming -
Worming your fowl can be done as a preventative measure, or only when your birds show symptoms. If you keep your fowl on the ground, a preventative program can help you keep worms from becoming a problem, and can keep your whole flock healthier. To use as a preventative measure, worm your whole flock twice a year.

Symptoms
Diarrhea with traces of blood in it
Weight loss, especially around the breast area
Excessive food consumption
Weak, doesn't want to stand much or always sitting on the ground.
Lethargic

Treatments
Ivomec - Ivomec injectable is used for treatment of worms in your fowl, and can be used to help keep external parasites, like Red Mites, down too.
Piperazine - Piperazine is used as a one day wormer, either in water or feed, for the control of roundworms in poultry.
Levamisole - Levamisole is a broad-spectrum dewormer that controls 4 of the toughest worms: lungworms, threadworms, roundworms and nodular worms.
Wazine - Used for the removal of roundworms in chickens.
Fenbendazole - Fenbendazole, which is the active ingredient to Safeguard, is highly effective against internal parasites. It is effective against large roundworms, nodular worms, whipworms, lungworms, kidneyworms, and small stomach worms. It is the only dewormer that controls immature roundworms and whipworms. Safeguard comes in pellet, paste, and liquid forms.
Verm-X - Verm-X Liquid & Pellet Wormer for Poultry, Ducks and Fowl is available as both a macerated liquid and a pelleted formulation. Both forms are equally effective and have been produced due to the growth of organic and bio-diverse natural farming methods. The unique liquid formulation is produced through a three week macerating process that ensures its effectiveness and quality. Verm-X Liquid is fed by adding the measured amount to your bird’s drinking water for three consecutive days each month throughout the year. Each bottle is supplied with a pump calibrated to dispense the exact amount per bird. Verm-X Pellets have been developed to be used as a top dressing on regular feed rations, fed for three consecutive days each and every month. They are ideal for free-range and organic holdings where the water application is difficult to monitor as birds are likely to drink from puddles and ponds. Verm-X for Poultry, Ducks and Fowl is packed in sizes including sensible amounts for the small flock owner. We have many valued clients with flocks of 3 or 4 hens or just one friendly duck. Being 100% natural, Verm-X has the added advantage of having no egg withdrawal period. Additionally the small pellets can be mixed into manufactured or home-mixed feeds.

Do not consume eggs for a minimum of 1 to 2 weeks after the end of treatment for worms except for Verm-X.

Chris

My chicken had a bloody (Not too bloody) poop stuck to her but. Whan I went to clean it out, she started bleeding (Mostly because a was pulling feathers as I pulled her dried poop off.) and long black lines came out. I'm not sure if it was poop or worms. She is active and is acting normal. She is eating a lot, but that's normal.

Oh, and she is an adult. (If that makes a difference.)

sunny & the 5 egg layers said:

Is it possible for the worms to be transmitted through the eggs if you decide not to deworm? And if you do the apple cider vinegar thing, do you only do it twice a year? Or everytime they have water you give them apple cider vinegar mixed in? And how would you know if they had worm problems? Would you see the worms? Thanks for the answer by the way

Click to expand...

I have no experience with apple cider vinegar, but sometimes a worm may end up in an egg if the chicken has many worms. Some symptoms such as loss of egg production, weight loss, diarrhea, lethargy, and in the case of gapeworms, respiratory distress.

Parasites are very unhealthy for any animal. If left go they can weaken the immune system and increase the chances the animal will die from a secondary problem. Same goes whether they are internal or external parasites. Apple cider vinegar (unpasturized or not) at 1-2 tablespoons per gallon of water. They is no withdrawl for eggs or meat with this. Not to mention it is all natural and works on all types of intestinal parasites on all different animals. It can be used several times per year or everyday however you desire. Vinegar changes the PH of the digestive tract, it does not kill the parasites, rather makes them want to leave and therefore does not carry the caution that other chemicals do. As someone else has mentioned there are a lot of other benefits for the bird by using it.

Without treatment you may see the parasites but not very often. If you do see them they are only the worms that have matured and are at the end of their lifecycle (dead/dying). There are still a lot inside breeding and feeding on everything the bird eats. Like the old saying about rats if you see 1 there are 1000. There are many different intestinal parasites some are microscopic like coccidia. This is the most common type for most species including chickens and the dewormers listed in another reply on here do not affect coccidia. You would need to use a product like Corid that is specifically designed for them and has an egg/meat withdrawl. If the chicken is highly overloaded it is possible for a worm to migrate from the cloaca into the reproductive tract. If this happens, chances are good you will loose that bird if not treated. Some parasites naturally migrate into the respiratory tract. These can cause great distress to the bird and destroy their lungs eventually killing them.

If you do treat with chemicals or vinegar it is important to repeat treatment several days after the intial treatment to ensure you limit the lifecycle. A lot of the treatments only affect parasites in certain stages. Doment eggs or immature larva may not be affected so you need to wait for them to come into the stage the treatment affects. Use strict caution if you believe the birds may be heavily loaded as medications (not vinegar) can cause a rapid die off of parasites and make the bird toxic therefore killing it.

Unlike someone posted, I believe you will never have worm free birds, whether you use chemicals or homeopathic treatment. Most parasite eggs are transmitted by insects. They may be short lived but it is a continuous cycle of egg ingestion (bug) and parasite worm death. They have various lifecycles but only lay eggs for a short period of time. If you do fecal analysis they check for eggs. If there are little to no worms in the reproductive stage, the fecal may say negative even though it should really say no evidence of parasites seen. This means there is not an overload of adult parasites and the bird should not be affected from them.

Check out the U of MD website about backyard poultry.

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/Extension/a...les/Raising Your Home Chicken Flock_FINAL.pdf

dairycowgirl said:

Parasites are very unhealthy for any animal. If left go they can weaken the immune system and increase the chances the animal will die from a secondary problem. Same goes whether they are internal or external parasites. Apple cider vinegar (unpasturized or not) at 1-2 tablespoons per gallon of water. They is no withdrawl for eggs or meat with this. Not to mention it is all natural and works on all types of intestinal parasites on all different animals. It can be used several times per year or everyday however you desire. Vinegar changes the PH of the digestive tract, it does not kill the parasites, rather makes them want to leave and therefore does not carry the caution that other chemicals do. As someone else has mentioned there are a lot of other benefits for the bird by using it.

Without treatment you may see the parasites but not very often. If you do see them they are only the worms that have matured and are at the end of their lifecycle (dead/dying). There are still a lot inside breeding and feeding on everything the bird eats. Like the old saying about rats if you see 1 there are 1000. There are many different intestinal parasites some are microscopic like coccidia. This is the most common type for most species including chickens and the dewormers listed in another reply on here do not affect coccidia. You would need to use a product like Corid that is specifically designed for them and has an egg/meat withdrawl. If the chicken is highly overloaded it is possible for a worm to migrate from the cloaca into the reproductive tract. If this happens, chances are good you will loose that bird if not treated. Some parasites naturally migrate into the respiratory tract. These can cause great distress to the bird and destroy their lungs eventually killing them.

If you do treat with chemicals or vinegar it is important to repeat treatment several days after the intial treatment to ensure you limit the lifecycle. A lot of the treatments only affect parasites in certain stages. Doment eggs or immature larva may not be affected so you need to wait for them to come into the stage the treatment affects. Use strict caution if you believe the birds may be heavily loaded as medications (not vinegar) can cause a rapid die off of parasites and make the bird toxic therefore killing it.

Unlike someone posted, I believe you will never have worm free birds, whether you use chemicals or homeopathic treatment. Most parasite eggs are transmitted by insects. They may be short lived but it is a continuous cycle of egg ingestion (bug) and parasite worm death. They have various lifecycles but only lay eggs for a short period of time. If you do fecal analysis they check for eggs. If there are little to no worms in the reproductive stage, the fecal may say negative even though it should really say no evidence of parasites seen. This means there is not an overload of adult parasites and the bird should not be affected from them.

Check out the U of MD website about backyard poultry.

http://www.agnr.umd.edu/Extension/a...les/Raising Your Home Chicken Flock_FINAL.pdf

Click to expand...

To the part in bold,
Apple Cider Vinegar does noting to internal parasites. If we think about it Vinegar has a pH of 2.5 (the same as Coke) now normal average stomach acid has 2.0 pH and more acidic than any Vinegar.

Also keep in mind that like humans poultry have a Normal Blood pH level, by lowering the Blood pH you are lowering the birds ability to fight off health problems.


Chris