A Question About Worming

[Bantamgirl715]

No, but you can send a single sample in to be tested. It's not that expensive.

 

[aart]

Right now we are on an intensive round of cayenne, garlic and ground pumpkin seed in their feed (garlic goes in their water too). When butchering birds we have never come across one with a serious parasite load (and we check) so it must have some effect. My chickens free range sunup to sundown.

You can't see them with the naked eye...but at least your birds are pre-seasoned.

No, but you can send a single sample in to be tested. It's not that expensive.

A single sample might not show anything, read the link that @dawg53 provided about multiple fecal tests being a good idea.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

No, but you can send a single sample in to be tested. It's not that expensive.

Um. Okay, send it where, please?

 

[dawg53]

If your chickens spent any time pecking at the ground and it's spring, chances are they have a parasite load of some sort.
Safeguard (fenbendazole) is toxic to chickens, and can cause newly grown feathers to be deformed. Same as I don't use glyphosate on my garden, I won't use fenbendazole on my chickens.
Right now we are on an intensive round of cayenne, garlic and ground pumpkin seed in their feed (garlic goes in their water too). When butchering birds we have never come across one with a serious parasite load (and we check) so it must have some effect. My chickens free range sunup to sundown.

You're absolutely correct about chickens pecking the ground all the time. When they peck the ground, they pick up worm eggs from the soil and swallow them. This is called the worms "Direct Lifecycle."
When they eat an infected insect or earthworm, it's called the worms "Indirect Lifecycle."
All wormers are toxic, to worms. Wormers arnt toxic to chickens unless overdosed and most wormers have high tolerances in poultry. They have been thoroughly tested through scientific research.
Safeguard aka fenbendazole, can cause newly growing feathers to be deformed in MOLT.
Safeguard is probably the safest wormer on the market...hence the name "Safe"-guard.

Your environment determines how often chickens should be wormed. If your soil is cool or cold, has rocky/mountainous or sandy soil, you may need only to worm birds once or twice a year.
If your soil is warm, wet or moist most of the year, you may need to worm birds often, once every 3 months, every 2 months or every month like I do.
Garlic, cayenne pepper, DE etc will not prevent nor treat poultry worms. Chickens would need to eat a truckload of crushed pumpkin seeds in order to release curcurbitin in the seeds in order to be an effective wormer.
https://the-chicken-chick.com/the-truth-about-chickens-pumpkin-seeds/

 

[Bantamgirl715]

To a vet. You just have to enquire if they will accept a chicken sample.

 

[Bantamgirl715]

"Safe" Guard was named by the people marketing it to you, the consumer. You're not going to buy something called Liquid Toxicity, now, are you? And the Chicken Chick is a lawyer by trade, not a veterinarian. She also states in that article that she feeds her chickens pumpkin with seeds once a year (and even provides a recipe) and that her chickens don't carry worms, so isn't she making a case for the efficacy of pumpkin?
As I've stated before, my 100% free range chickens do not have issues with worm loads, and I explained what I do. You don't have to do it too.

 

[Ebony Rose]

Your environment determines how often chickens should be wormed. If your soil is cool or cold, has rocky/mountainous or sandy soil, you may need only to worm birds once or twice a year.
If your soil is warm, wet or moist most of the year, you may need to worm birds often, once every 3 months, every 2 months or every month like I do.

My environment is hot and humid with rain thrown in daily for half of the year. The soil is volcanic, clay and sand mixture, and drains well. My birds spend their entire day grazing the huge fenced yard (about a quarter acre). They also have access to chicken feed at all times and I've been known to treat them to some raw meat on occasion, like hamburger, for a protein boost (so being proactive on worming seems prudent to me). I rotate between Piperazina 53% and Coccigan Amprolio 20% in their water when I am worming them. One covers almost all worms and parasites while the other targets coccidiosis. I do not offer vitamin supplements when using the Coccigan, as it specifically works by blocking vitamin absorption. After medicating my birds for anything, I mix in some unsweetened yogurt with some of their normal feed for a day or two to ensure good gut bacteria, the dairy can give them diarrhea but so does the worming medicine... **shrugs**
I thoroughly examine all of the birds inside and out that I process for my freezer because it gives me information on the health of my entire flock, and I've not had worms in all of my 13 years of raising birds. I don't worry about the withholding of eggs because I feed THOSE eggs right back to the chickens while they're on the worming medicine in their water (kind of like doubledipping the medicine).

 

[dawg53]

"Safe" Guard was named by the people marketing it to you, the consumer. You're not going to buy something called Liquid Toxicity, now, are you? And the Chicken Chick is a lawyer by trade, not a veterinarian. She also states in that article that she feeds her chickens pumpkin with seeds once a year (and even provides a recipe) and that her chickens don't carry worms, so isn't she making a case for the efficacy of pumpkin?
As I've stated before, my 100% free range chickens do not have issues with worm loads, and I explained what I do. You don't have to do it too.

Do what you feel is best for yourself and your chickens, good luck.

 

[cmom]

I have had my bird poop tested and no worms. I do use DE. About 3/4 times a year I put some in their feeders. I don't know if it's the DE or that they just don't have worms but always shows negative.