To worm or not to worm that is the question.

[KuneKune]

I give my chickens apple cider vin once a month and it helps prevent worms and other disease.

 

[casportpony]

I give my chickens apple cider vin once a month and it helps prevent worms and other disease.

You might want to think about having routine fecals done.

 

[lovemychickies6]

When I first started raising my chickens I had a silkie that had some worms. I didn't know what was wrong with her so I took her to a vet. He gave us some medicine for her and it worked but it was hard to give her. I had read that feeding your chickens cucumbers will help prevent worms. I tried it and I have had no worm problems with any of my chickens since. They love them. That was 8 years ago!

 

[MamaNGiz]

I give my birds a good diet of 20% protein feed. Offer table scraps several times a week. Clean the coupe about 5 times a year and clear out old bedding frequently. And I add organic apple cider vinegar to their daily water (1tsp/gallon). I give them pumpkin in the fall/early winter months as well. I have never seen signs of worms. Is what I am doing sufficient? or should I be trying something else/more?

 

[Beekissed]

I give my birds a good diet of 20% protein feed. Offer table scraps several times a week. Clean the coupe about 5 times a year and clear out old bedding frequently. And I add organic apple cider vinegar to their daily water (1tsp/gallon). I give them pumpkin in the fall/early winter months as well. I have never seen signs of worms. Is what I am doing sufficient? or should I be trying something else/more?

Only you can be the judge of that, really. If your flock is healthy and laying well, then I'd say what you are doing is sufficient. If it ever ceases to do so, you may want to explore further into other ways to improve those things.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Only you can be the judge of that, really. If your flock is healthy and laying well, then I'd say what you are doing is sufficient. If it ever ceases to do so, you may want to explore further into other ways to improve those things.

X 2 - I like to take a common sense approach to this stuff.....aka, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Teila]

I have been lurking for a while and even gone back to the beginning and read again and now I am a little confused.

Slightly off track in that we got onto puppies but there was the suggestion that they should be gotten rid of by any means available.

If,

• Culling is not always killing
• Treating them for worms is increasing resistance and
• Giving away or selling worm laden animals is not an option

What other ways are available of getting rid of the affected animals?

If I have summarized it correctly, a healthy chicken can manage a reasonable amount of worms. However, a sick or stressed bird has the potential to have an overload of worms?

As we all know, chickens are very good at hiding signs of illness. So has this worm laden not yet showing symptoms chicken not already increased the risk to the rest of the flock? Is culling them when they can no longer hide an illness not just closing the gate after the horse has bolted?

Edited for grammar.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have been lurking for a while and even gone back to the beginning and read again and now I am a little confused.

Slightly off track in that we got onto puppies but there was the suggestion that they should be gotten rid of by any means available.

If,

• Culling is not always killing
• Treating them for worms is increasing resistance and
• Giving away or selling worm laden animals is not an option

What other ways are available of getting rid of the affected animals?

If I have summarized it correctly, a healthy chicken can manage a reasonable amount of worms. However, a sick or stressed bird has the potential to have an overload of worms?

As we all know, chickens are very good at hiding signs of illness. So has this worm laden not yet showing symptoms chicken not already increased the risk to the rest of the flock? Is culling them when they can no longer hide an illness not just closing the gate after the horse has bolted?

Edited for grammar.

PM..... Here's my take on it: The flock is exposed to worms every day. Many of the insects that they enjoy eating are intermediate hosts for roundworms. I once killed a grasshopper, and it's entire abdominal cavity was FULL of roundworms. Many other insects are also hosts to parasitic worms of all kinds. Snails, earth worms.... and the list goes on. Do I keep my birds in a bubble, and not let them eat those insects? Nope! My birds gladly devour every grasshopper and other insect they can chase down. So, in terms of the one bird in the flock that is shedding worms... IMO she's no more likely to infect the rest of the flock than the flock is to get infected from the insect buffet. But... they all partake equally in the buffet. The worm shedder most likely has an underlying problem.

 

[shortgrass]

PM.....    Here's my take on it:  The flock is exposed to worms every day.  Many of the insects that they enjoy eating are intermediate hosts for roundworms.  I once killed a grasshopper, and it's entire abdominal cavity was FULL of roundworms.  Many other insects are also hosts to parasitic worms of all kinds.  Snails, earth worms.... and the list goes on.  Do I keep my birds in a bubble, and not let them eat those insects?  Nope!  My birds gladly devour every grasshopper and other insect they can chase down.  So, in terms of the one bird in the flock that is shedding worms... IMO she's no more likely to infect the rest of the flock than the flock is to get infected from the insect buffet.  But... they all partake equally in the buffet.  The worm shedder most likely has an underlying problem.

X2

 

[casportpony]

PM.....    Here's my take on it:  The flock is exposed to worms every day.  Many of the insects that they enjoy eating are intermediate hosts for roundworms.  I once killed a grasshopper, and it's entire abdominal cavity was FULL of roundworms.  Many other insects are also hosts to parasitic worms of all kinds.  Snails, earth worms.... and the list goes on.  Do I keep my birds in a bubble, and not let them eat those insects?  Nope!  My birds gladly devour every grasshopper and other insect they can chase down.  So, in terms of the one bird in the flock that is shedding worms... IMO she's no more likely to infect the rest of the flock than the flock is to get infected from the insect buffet.  But... they all partake equally in the buffet.  The worm shedder most likely has an underlying problem.

X2

Then doesn't it make sense to have a proper necropsy done to find out what the underlying problem is? Wouldn't one want to know? Many talk about culling the weak, or just letting them die, but no one seems interested in finding out what the cause of the illness was. Maybe I'm in the minority for wanting to know?