AT wits end with these girls PLEASE HELP!

[NHchicks]

Is Valbazen and Safeguard the same ingredient?

I need to be a chemist. My chickens would be wormed (preventatively) right now if I was just sure what exactly to get. I would think different worms would be more likely in different climates, too?

 

[lynnolekas]

All of this discussion about wormers and I am so new at this chicken thing
but I do have an opinion...here on BYC I read about using apple cider vinegar
and food grade diatomaceous earth as a natural preventative (NOT a wormer).
I have since found other info supporting the idea so my babies get both -
ACV in their water every other day so far and DE in their feed (and later i will
offer for their dust baths). Any feedback? I am sure this remedy would not
kill an infestation of worms but anything to gently and naturally prevent
them is good, yes? Also, isn't it true that most wormers advise that you wait
a certain length of time before eating the eggs or meat from treated birds?

just learning...

Lynn

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
No they aren't yea you end up using a wormer that is for sheep or cows but it does work. The Valbazen seems to kill all the worms that chickens get. I am going to order it off line from where Dawg53 said and use that next year. I was able to buy the safeguard paste from the farm store so I will use this again this year. Once you do it once it does get easier. Just really scary the 1st time.

 

[kla37]

Quote:
I didn't even think about the probability of us having a more severe worm problem down here in the south because of our mild winters. Thanks for the tip!

 

[Mervin]

Quote:
I'm also curious about this. Can someone explain what Olive Oil does? If it's that beneficial, I'm going out to the pen and going all Rachel Ray on them with EVOO.

 

[chickendude]

Quote:
Differing opinions on this one. Some do yearly whether it's noticeably needed or not. Others don't believe in treating something that's not there. I've not wormed my girls before either (had them 2 yrs too), but am constantly wondering if I should as a preventative...

I agree. The jury is still out on whether I will worm or not. Any other opinions?

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
I use DE in dust bath area in the coop to dry out poop but since it says does not work when wet I don't see how it will help to kill worms since the inside is wet. I do use ACV but this also does not kill or prevent worms just helps keep their system cleaned out. I do worm once a year. I have read all the information on garlic, hot peppers, pumpkin seeds, ect. I think those are great but I am still not sure they work and I don't want my birds to be harmed by carrying worms either. I want the worms dead. So I do use a wormer. You do have a 14 day withdraw of eggs. I didn't understand when I got my chickens and when I saw worms in the poop I was scared luckily a byc member gave me dawg53 name and he talked me through the whole process. I now will make sure to worm once a year that was a scary time and I felt so bad for now doing a simple thing for my girls. Since then I have read everything I can and worked out a schedule. On the acv I found the kind with mother is the best plain acv really dose not doing anything.

 

[klmclain1]

Dr. Bragg's is the only ACV I've found with the "mother" still in it. It's the only one to use. Good for us humans too!

For those of us with just a few chickens, I've found Valbazen i a 60 ml bottle for under $15. Not as cost effective as 500 for $35, but I only have 8 chickens! http://www.wholesalekennel.com/petcare/product_info.php?products_id=29

 

[lynnolekas]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=522019
http://poultrykeeper.com/common-articles-to-all-poultry/health/diatomaceous-earth-for-poultry.html
(poultry keeper is a site from the UK)

Above is where I read about the ACV and the DE. It is good for you too and I do use
either the Braggs or Spectrum Organic ACV. The Mother is the cloudy stringy stuff in there
and that is where the good is. I realize that neither the ACV nor the DE will KILL a parasite
infestation but I think that indeed both will make your birds less likely to be a good host for
the parasites. I like the idea of doing something proactive towards maintaining their good
health daily so hopefully it will minimize the times that they need to be chemically treated.

It is all a great experiment to me! I LOVE all of the input here on BYC!!
Lynn

 

[dawg53]

For those who have never wormed or are contemplating worming; if your chickens feet touch the ground, they will get worms.... eventually. As I alluded to in post #7, it is not necessary that chickens will show "signs" of having worms. Your chickens can have worms without them showing up in poop. If you see them in poop, it means your chickens are infested and there's no more room for them inside their innards. They are also laying thousands of eggs to be deposited on the soil ready to infect and reinfect your chickens. To stop the worms' lifecycle, you should worm twice...an initial worming, then followed up 10-14 days later with a different wormer to prevent wormer resistance. Then set up a worming schedule that is suitable for your environment ie...once a year, semi annually, quarterly, every 9 months etc...it's up to you how and when you want to run your program.
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is an acidifier which helps in calcium absorption and lower gut PH to help with bacterial issues. It is not a wormer.
DE doesnt work when it is wet, only until it dries. It is not a worm preventative nor a wormer. The insides of chickens innards are wet, therefore DE wont work.