De-Worming Chickens when and how often

[Dimples7]

I am a newbie still to the whole chicken keeping do's and don'ts. My chicks are 6 months old and I have not de-wormed them yet because I did not know when you should start or what the best meds to start with were. Looking for recommendations to the best de-wormer is to start with and how often should they be de-wormed? I am assuming I can purchase these at a local feed store or do they need to come from a veterinarian?

 

[Morrigan]

Different chicken-keepers have different views on this topic. Some routinely de-worm, others do not. Personally, I have never wormed my chickens.

If you keep your chickens in uncrowded conditions, in reasonable dry conditions, you may never have a problem with worms. That is not to say that your chickens will not be exposed to worms, and might even harbor a few. But most healthy chickens can handle small worm loads with no ill-effects. So my rule is that if my chickens are all in good health -- active, normal droppings, good egg laying -- I'm not going to worry.

I have a few reasons for not doing routine de-wormings. First, there no official approved broad-spectrum dewormers on the market in the US for poultry. There are wormers approved for other farm animals, and many people on this forum have used those drugs with success on chickens as an off-label use. However, not everyone is comfortable with off-label drug use (including my husband). You are also looking at throwing away a couple of weeks worth of eggs after each treatment. Selling eggs treated with off-label drugs can also present issues.

Second, a dewormer will only work to kill worms presently inside your chickens. It will not protect them going forward. So, if you have worms in your soil and environment, the worms will return within a week or two after the deworming, unless you change that environment (moving the chickens or treating the soil).

Finally, drug-resistant worms are a growing problem in the agricultural world. Routine de-wormings on otherwise healthy animals are believed, by some, to be part of the problem.

So, on the balance, I see more downsides than upsides. Other people might have different opinions. If you think you chicken may be suffering from problems with worms, my advice would be to take some fecal sample to your vet and, if there is a problem, you can then work with the vet to target the appropriate medication to deal with the worm involved.

 

[Dimples7]

Different chicken-keepers have different views on this topic. Some routinely de-worm, others do not. Personally, I have never wormed my chickens.

If you keep your chickens in uncrowded conditions, in reasonable dry conditions, you may never have a problem with worms. That is not to say that your chickens will not be exposed to worms, and might even harbor a few. But most healthy chickens can handle small worm loads with no ill-effects. So my rule is that if my chickens are all in good health -- active, normal droppings, good egg laying -- I'm not going to worry.

I have a few reasons for not doing routine de-wormings. First, there no official approved broad-spectrum dewormers on the market in the US for poultry. There are wormers approved for other farm animals, and many people on this forum have used those drugs with success on chickens as an off-label use. However, not everyone is comfortable with off-label drug use (including my husband). You are also looking at throwing away a couple of weeks worth of eggs after each treatment. Selling eggs treated with off-label drugs can also present issues.

Second, a dewormer will only work to kill worms presently inside your chickens. It will not protect them going forward. So, if you have worms in your soil and environment, the worms will return within a week or two after the deworming, unless you change that environment (moving the chickens or treating the soil).

Finally, drug-resistant worms are a growing problem in the agricultural world. Routine de-wormings on otherwise healthy animals are believed, by some, to be part of the problem.

So, on the balance, I see more downsides than upsides. Other people might have different opinions. If you think you chicken may be suffering from problems with worms, my advice would be to take some fecal sample to your vet and, if there is a problem, you can then work with the vet to target the appropriate medication to deal with the worm involved.

 

[Dimples7]

Thank you - great advise. I see so many mixed messages and want to be sure I keep them as healthy as I can. I have learned so much about chickens and they are so fascinating So far no poops that look out of the ordinary and they are all doing well from what I can tell. They are actually laying like crazy the past couple of weeks... Back Yard chicken has helped me so much in the 6 months. Thank you again

 

[Eggcessive]

A lot can depend on what part of the country or world you live in, since warm humid climates may require more frequent worming. If you can develop a good relationship with your regular vet, they may be willing to do a fecal float test to look for worms or coccidiosis on occasion. Say for instance taking some fresh droppings in a freezer bag the next time you take a pet in for vaccines, would be something I would do. That way you would know if and what type of worms they have. There is a commercial test kit you can oder, and send in as well:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J5SOZ4/?tag=backy-20

Most of us use either Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer for worming. Valbazen is available in a few stores, but found online easily. SafeGuard is usually found in most spfeed stores. Dosage is Valbazen 1/2 ml orally for a 5 pound chicken given once orally, and again in 10 days to get most chicken worms. SafeGuard dosage is 0.25 ml (1/4) ml per pound of weight given once and in 10 days for round worms and cecal worms. To treat for capillary and gapeworms, give for 5 consecutive days.

Some worm once a year if they live in a cool and dry area. In some places many worm twice a year. Some of our friends in Florida and more tropical areas may worm every 2 months or more. It is a personal choice, and you will find that there are varied opinions on the subject. Only roundworms, and the more rare tapeworm segments, are seen in droppings without a microscope. There may be large amounts of worm larvae present.

 

[sweetfieldsfarm]

Hi, I am new here, and a friend of a friend once recommended using prohibit levamisole drench powder to worm my flock. I have around 80 chickens, ranging from LF to bantam, and I just want to make sure I am giving the right dosage in their drinking water. I have a 5 gallon waterer that they all drink from, and I gather they will all need to only drink from this water source over a 24 hour period, but I am just not sure how much of the powder should be added to the 5 gallon waterer first. I have read all sorts of conflicting information online for proper dosage with this and am just feeling confused now! I just am nervous and don't want anything bad to happen to them - thank you all so much in advance for the help with this! This is the product that I purchased:

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...MI9fqVr7X_5gIVbRitBh1hBwYsEAQYASABEgLH1PD_BwE

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hi, I am new here, and a friend of a friend once recommended using prohibit levamisole drench powder to worm my flock. I have around 80 chickens, ranging from LF to bantam, and I just want to make sure I am giving the right dosage in their drinking water. I have a 5 gallon waterer that they all drink from, and I gather they will all need to only drink from this water source over a 24 hour period, but I am just not sure how much of the powder should be added to the 5 gallon waterer first. I have read all sorts of conflicting information online for proper dosage with this and am just feeling confused now! I just am nervous and don't want anything bad to happen to them - thank you all so much in advance for the help with this! This is the product that I purchased:

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail...MI9fqVr7X_5gIVbRitBh1hBwYsEAQYASABEgLH1PD_BwE

Welcome To BYC!
You may want to check out this thread for dosing information, hopefully that will help.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/levamisole-wormer-info-needed.1217453/page-2#post-19448106