Anyone tried molasses for deworming?

[Haleyrbloom]

i saw an article about giving chickens molasses for deworming every once in a while to maintain for worms.

Has anyone tried this?

I was thinking of deworming my chickens. They all seem healthy, but a few have their breast bones protruding, even though they eat a ton. They are a year old now.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Take a fecal sample to any vet (o get yourself a microscope), get a fecal egg count/parasite check....type and load should guide treatment....molasses will do nothing

 

[sylviethecochin]

i saw an article about giving chickens molasses for deworming every once in a while to maintain for worms.

Has anyone tried this?

I was thinking of deworming my chickens. They all seem healthy, but a few have their breast bones protruding, even though they eat a ton. They are a year old now.

It's about as effective as pumpkin seeds and garlic, which is to say, not very. It won't hurt, but the only thing it really does is prevent the population from growing if there's a small population. It won't do much against a large population.

If you're worried, go to a vet and get a faecal float done. They can check for worm eggs using a microscope and tell you if there actually are worms, and if so, what kind. Different types of worms need to be treated different ways.

And make sure they'll tell you what kind before wasting your money. Dad brought a vet some goat poop once to be told, 'yep, the goat has worms.' 'Gee. Thanks. The pale gums and boniness were sort of a giveaway. What kind? You know, so we know what wormer to use.' 'Oh, that's not something I can tell you.'

 

[Fishkeeper]

If your chickens are that underweight, you need to give them a strong, proven worm killer. Home remedies like that are for chickens that DON'T have a current, dangerous infestation. They can possibly stop a worm population from establishing and growing, but once it's established, you need a proper anti-parasitic medication before your chickens start dying.

 

[Eggcessive]

All giving molasses will do is give them diarrhea. That is what people use as a flush to get rid of toxins quickly. A fecal float may be helpful to look for different types of worm larvae. But if you want to worm your chickens, you can use a proven wormer such as fenbendazole (Safeguard Liquid Goat Wormer) or albendazole (Valbazen.) Worm larvae cannot be seen without a microscope.

 

[Haleyrbloom]

Thanks everyone. Great feedback.

So if I have one tested and they find something, should I treat the rest, too? Or test separately?

They are usually in the run. Sometimes I let them out in my back yard. Not sure what kind of parasites they could have pick up. They have eaten earthworms and I am sure bugs I haven’t seen.

Dumb question...how do chickens get parasites?

 

[Fishkeeper]

If one has something, they all have it. They may not be showing symptoms yet, but will if stressed.

Parasites come from other animals. Mostly I think chickens get parasites either because a human went somewhere with chicken parasites and tracked some back, or a wild bird pooped the parasites out. Some parasites are carried by insects. Then the chickens ingest those parasites, and they start multiplying.

If your birds have access to the outdoors, it's best to worm them frequently. Just assume they're ingesting the occasional parasite, and treat accordingly to stop those from multiplying. Pumpkin may work okay as a semi-frequent treat to stop them multiplying, I know some people swear by it. Any actual infestations should be treated with actual remedies.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thanks everyone. Great feedback.

So if I have one tested and they find something, should I treat the rest, too? Or test separately?

They are usually in the run. Sometimes I let them out in my back yard. Not sure what kind of parasites they could have pick up. They have eaten earthworms and I am sure bugs I haven’t seen.

Dumb question...how do chickens get parasites?

You can collect samples from several or all the birds, mix together and have that tested. Then you get results for the flock with just one fee.

 

[Eggcessive]

You can take several fresh droppings from different chickens, and mix them in a freezer ziplock bag when you take the sample in. Treat all your birds since they will most certainly all have them if one has them.

SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer dosage is 1/4 ml per pound of weight orally to each chicken. Give it once and in 10 days for treatment of roundworms. Give it 5 days in a row for difficult worms such as gapeworms and capillary(threadworms.)

Valbazen dosage is 0.08 ml per pound (0.4 ml for a 5 pound hen) given orally to each chicken once and again in 10 days to get newly hatched worm larvae.

 

[Haleyrbloom]

Is there an egg withdrawal with the workers that you all are referring?