How to worm chickens

Hello!
I am a newbie to chickens and I was wondering how to worm them appropriately. I have been looking at posts and I am a little confused. So I need to worm them twice a year?
To start use Wazine 2tbsp per gallon for 24 hrs and then ivermectin pour on (cattle brand) 4 drops to back of their necks once. Then keep using the ivermectin twice a year for prevention.
I also have already used Corrid to 5 days once they hit the ground for the first time, and will repeat every three-4 wks until they reach about a year.
Does this sound right to you guys? Thank you so much!

shelleypiat said:

Hello!
I am a newbie to chickens and I was wondering how to worm them appropriately. I have been looking at posts and I am a little confused. So I need to worm them twice a year?
To start use Wazine 2tbsp per gallon for 24 hrs and then ivermectin pour on (cattle brand) 4 drops to back of their necks once. Then keep using the ivermectin twice a year for prevention.
I also have already used Corrid to 5 days once they hit the ground for the first time, and will repeat every three-4 wks until they reach about a year.
Does this sound right to you guys? Thank you so much!

Click to expand...

Consider dropping the wazine and ivermectin pour on. Purchase safeguard liquid goat wormer and/or valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer, they are truly more effective wormers.
There's really no need use corid unless there are symptoms in chicks, but it can be used as a preventative. Older birds normally build immunity to cocci protozoa.

Ok great! What are the dosages for those two? Do I use them both? At what age do I start and do I wait the two wks to eat eggs? Thank you!!

shelleypiat said:

Ok great! What are the dosages for those two? Do I use them both? At what age do I start and do I wait the two wks to eat eggs? Thank you!!

Click to expand...

Administer either wormer using a syringe without a needle orally undiluted to each chicken. Use one wormer or the other. Dosage for the safeguard liquid goat is 1cc for giants, 3/4cc for large fowl, 1/2cc for standard size birds, 1/4cc for smaller birds. Give them the safeguard liquid goat wormer 5 days straight. It's best to worm birds first thing in the morning before they eat their feed. The worms will be hungry as well as your chickens...feed them the wormer.
Administer valbazen the same way using a syringe without a needle, orally undiluted. Dosage is 1/2cc for standard size birds, 1/4cc for smaller birds. Redose again in 10 days unless treating for tapeworms which will require different dosing instructions.
Whichever wormer is used, there's normally a 14 day withdrawal period after the last dosing.
It's best to use valbazen as a first time wormer. Valbazen slowly kills worms over several days preventing blockages which can cause toxic dead worm overload. The toxicity can cause death. Chicks can be infected with large roundworms as early as 6 weeks old if raised on soil. It's soil conditions that dictate how often you should worm. Warm moist or wet soil requires frequent wormings. Cool or cold soil may require less wormings, same with rocky mountainous or desertlike soil.
The best way to worm birds is to have someone hold the bird for you. Preload the syringe with the wormer, then pull the hens wattles down and she will open her mouth. Hang on if she struggles, she'll tire. Then shoot the wormer in her mouth and immediately let go of her wattles. If you dont immediately let go of the wattles so she can swallow the liquid on her own, she could aspirate and then there would be big problems.
Worming orally like this ensures that the birds get properly wormed, no guesswork about it. Wormers that are added to water is guesswork simply because you dont know if your birds drank it, or drank enough of it to be effective. Also, birds drink less in cooler/colder months.

Amazing info! I can't thank you enough! Do you recommend starting my first worm at 4 months? They are on pine shavings in the brooder and go outside in yard once a day. They will move to coop in a wk or two. Sand and pea gravel on bottom of run. They will only free roam when heavily supervised. Lots of predators around. We live in nc but hasn't been too hot yet. Thank you!

Instead of doing the syringe thing you can get a can of soft cat or dog food, portion it out into small servings and mix the appropriate amount of wormer into the servings, then one by one isolate each chicken and give them a serving of medicated food... In almost all cases the birds will immediately gulp it down without any hassle....