Hot/Cayenne Pepper Powder/Flakes for Worm Treatment

[Sarah RN]

Gaping doesn't mean worms. 9 times out of 20 it means trouble breathing...most likely respiratory disease.

Can you get a necropsy on your next loss so you know what you are doing with, please.

Yes I am aware that gaping doesn’t always mean worms as I have mentioned in previous post. Day 4 with hot pepper powder and they all look happy, perky, no constant gaping, no constant shaking of head and no more weird noises while gaping as of now. I lost the chicken 2 months back and my kids buried it somewhere...thought of getting a necropsy done but we didn’t. Maybe a coincidence that symptoms went away after fenbendazole 3 separate times. And I don’t know why the hot peppers helped...beats me too.
I will keep updated if anything changes though!

 

[cooingdove]

Yes I am aware that gaping doesn’t always mean worms as I have mentioned in previous post. Day 4 with hot pepper powder and they all look happy, perky, no constant gaping, no constant shaking of head and no more weird noises while gaping as of now. I lost the chicken 2 months back and my kids buried it somewhere...thought of getting a necropsy done but we didn’t. Maybe a coincidence that symptoms went away after fenbendazole 3 separate times. And I don’t know why the hot peppers helped...beats me too.

cool, interesting, it could be that they had a mineral and/or vitamin deficiency that was making them have issues, so they craved the pepper. any way regardless of what really caused the gaping I'm gonna try giving it too my girls! thanks for posting this!

 

[keeper 1960]

if your hens free range at all they will have some worms. if they are healthy that should not be a problem. i have used pepper flakes before. once a month i give them big pepper flakes for a few days, . they seem to like them.

 

[Sarah RN]

if your hens free range at all they will have some worms. if they are healthy that should not be a problem. i have used pepper flakes before. once a month i give them big pepper flakes for a few days, . they seem to like them.

Yes they free range 1-2 times a day for about 30 min to an hour at a time...and they spend most of their day in the chicken run. We also had a lot of wild birds before coming in as well because we had bird feeders in the past... so my chickens and the wild birds shared the yard for awhile. Whether they just fought the worms off by chance or whether the hot pepper flakes helped them boost something in them, I don’t know. Only more time will tell and I’ll keep posted on this.

 

[dawg53]

Trust me. As much fenbendazole you gave your birds, they would not have worms. Yet the symptoms kept reappearing. That is typical for some type of respiratory disease or something in the environment causing the symptoms. Examples could be; inhaling feed dust while eating, dust from dust bathing, pollen, pesticides, ammonia fumes from soiled bedding, improper ventilation, fungus or mold spores, smoke.
If it's some type of respiratory disease, it will show symptoms in birds when they are stressed. Birds that survive are carriers for life and will spread whatever disease it is to other birds.

Also just for your information, birds that are kept on the same soil are more susceptible getting worms than birds that free range. If their feet touch the ground, they will get worms. So, it's a good thing that you have wormed your birds. It is true that wild birds can easily introduce parasites to your soil. I've had it happen with migrating birds. The only thing you can do is worm your birds on a regular basis and fenbendazole is a very good wormer. However if you have doubts about the product, it's very easy to gather up fresh fecal samples and put them in a ziplock bag and take them to a vet and have them look under a microscope for worm eggs. It doesnt cost much at all. Then, the results will verify whether the fenbendazole was effective or non effective. Then you'll have your answer. As always, it's best to give wormers orally to each individual bird. That way you know they got properly wormed.
Putting wormers in feed or water isnt very effective at all. You dont know if all the birds ate or drank it, or if they ate or drank enough of it to be effective, and sick birds rarely eat or drink at all.

I also recommend that you thoroughly inspect your coop/pen for any of the deficiencies I mentioned regarding environmental issues which can be taken care of on your part.

 

[Sarah RN]

Trust me. As much fenbendazole you gave your birds, they would not have worms. Yet the symptoms kept reappearing. That is typical for some type of respiratory disease or something in the environment causing the symptoms. Examples could be; inhaling feed dust while eating, dust from dust bathing, pollen, pesticides, ammonia fumes from soiled bedding, improper ventilation, fungus or mold spores, smoke.
If it's some type of respiratory disease, it will show symptoms in birds when they are stressed. Birds that survive are carriers for life and will spread whatever disease it is to other birds.

Also just for your information, birds that are kept on the same soil are more susceptible getting worms than birds that free range. If their feet touch the ground, they will get worms. So, it's a good thing that you have wormed your birds. It is true that wild birds can easily introduce parasites to your soil. I've had it happen with migrating birds. The only thing you can do is worm your birds on a regular basis and fenbendazole is a very good wormer. However if you have doubts about the product, it's very easy to gather up fresh fecal samples and put them in a ziplock bag and take them to a vet and have them look under a microscope for worm eggs. It doesnt cost much at all. Then, the results will verify whether the fenbendazole was effective or non effective. Then you'll have your answer. As always, it's best to give wormers orally to each individual bird. That way you know they got properly wormed.
Putting wormers in feed or water isnt very effective at all. You dont know if all the birds ate or drank it, or if they ate or drank enough of it to be effective, and sick birds rarely eat or drink at all.

I also recommend that you thoroughly inspect your coop/pen for any of the deficiencies I mentioned regarding environmental issues which can be taken care of on your part.

I appreciate all this info, I have wormed them all orally directly .2mls per pound for all 14 chickens...it has been a huge hassle and I didn’t even know it could even be mixed in water. I am also aware that they are more susceptible to worms because they free range in a not so big back yard + having shared yard with wild birds before. Coops are very well ventilated, cleaned out regularly and disinfected. No issues with mold. I just might take a poop sample to the vet one of these days if I get the chance.

 

[dawg53]

Some folks make the mistake of adding the safeguard liquid goat wormer in water. You did the right thing by giving it orally.

 

[Gurlparty]

Interesting! Thanks for that nutritional profile! I think I will continue to feed them some every morning as I also heard that the peppers give them a warm feeling during colder months and encourages them to lay (although I don’t have that problem yet they still lay almost everyday). I don’t know if that’s true but I will definitely update on whether they get re infected with worms or not!

I’ll be curious to know as well.

 

[Old flock yet new]

I seen some negative things said to a person giving their experience. Be NICE. Some symptoms said by some was not what was wrong with my flock ..it took losing 3 and 1 happened to die sitting on a egg before i found my issue. 1 of them in my arms. I Don't just clean my coop I clean my yard getting as much feces clean up as I can. My problem was mites. I was late picking up eggs so it was dark. I put my hand in the laying box and when I pulled my hand back I had them all up my arm. That's also when I found my Last chicken that passed away. I went to feed store bought perythen ( probably spelled wrong) scrubbed every thing. Then mixed the solution heavily sprayed. Then dusted my girls with dusting powder. Ohhhh and when I changed the bedding I bagged it in a bag that was Burnable and tossed in a fire. I am pretty sure 1 has worms now . Late last night one pooped and it shot out shocking the snot out of me . Looked to be 3 red looking worms.

 

[Kiki]

I seen some negative things said to a person giving their experience. Be NICE. Some symptoms said by some was not what was wrong with my flock ..it took losing 3 and 1 happened to die sitting on a egg before i found my issue. 1 of them in my arms. I Don't just clean my coop I clean my yard getting as much feces clean up as I can. My problem was mites. I was late picking up eggs so it was dark. I put my hand in the laying box and when I pulled my hand back I had them all up my arm. That's also when I found my Last chicken that passed away. I went to feed store bought perythen ( probably spelled wrong) scrubbed every thing. Then mixed the solution heavily sprayed. Then dusted my girls with dusting powder. Ohhhh and when I changed the bedding I bagged it in a bag that was Burnable and tossed in a fire. I am pretty sure 1 has worms now . Late last night one pooped and it shot out shocking the snot out of me . Looked to be 3 red looking worms.

I'm glad you figured out you had a serious mite issue.

Are you here looking for something to treat your flock with to cure the worm issue?
Did you happen to take any pictures of the worms?

No amount of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes is going to cure a worm problem.