De-worming

[pawsplus]

Do most of you just de-worm on a schedule, rather than having fecal samples checked? I get fecals checked a few times a year and my hens have never been positive for anything, so I have never de-wormed. I operate the same way w/ my dogs and horses -- there is no reason to give toxic chemicals if there is nothing wrong in the first place.

I can see if one has a lot of chickens that this wouldn't work, but for you guys w/ small flocks like mine (currently 2, used to be 3), do you randomly worm w/out checking first? Are there any chicken parasites that will not show up on a fecal?

 

[tammye]

I have never wormed my hens, I have had them for two years. I agree with you, if I were to suspect worms I would get a fecal check done first, unless of course I saw worms in their poop whick I check every day. different views here on worming, alot of people worm for every symptom there hens have. I personally feel, only my uneducated thoughts, that alot of these pesticides are very toxic and more toxic to a very sick hen. Like you said, large scale farming is much different than a small backyard flock

 

[chkn]

No, I've had fecal tests and they come up negative. All chickens have worms, they have to, if they have any contact with the soil at all or if they've had contact with the feces of other birds that do.

 

[dawg53]

Your chickens can have worms without seeing them in poop. One roundworm lays thousands of eggs a day to be shed onto the soil, to be picked up by other chickens, continuing their lifecycle. One worm is one worm too many. Taking a fecal sample to a vet is the best thing to do, I've done it. I've also learned about our soil conditions here after discussing it with our county extension agent and learned it was worm soup. This is why I worm quarterly. The results are that my chickens are parasite free, no immune system compromised to allow CRD or other diseases to invade their systems. My Barred Rocks and Hamburgs are 6 years old and still laying almost daily, as healthy as can be just as are the others. It is a personal choice whether one wants to worm regularly or take a sample to a vet or not worm at all.
Toxicity levels in wormers are low, it doesnt take much to paralyze or kill them. That's why you see discussions whether an individual abides by the recommended egg withdrawal times or not. There are some antibiotics for respiratory diseases as well as cocci (sulmet) that have withdrawal times...some even longer than the wormers.

 

[pawsplus]

Quote:
That's kinda my point, though.

If you get fecals run by a vet, why do you de-worm quarterly?? Or are you saying that you have the fecal run quarterly, there is always some parasite present, and you de-worm accordingly at that point?

All other things aside, there are different anti-parasitics for different parasites. That's why it is very much NOT recommended to de-worm dogs w/ anything over the counter--you need an anti-parasitic that will actually kill the specific parasites your dog has (no such thing as broad spectrum, LOL, at least not safely). It seems to me that the same thing should be true in chickens. Since none of my fecal samples has ever been positive I haven't had to give anyone anything yet, but if/when I do I'll get the correct substance from my avian vet.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
That's kinda my point, though.

If you get fecals run by a vet, why do you de-worm quarterly?? Or are you saying that you have the fecal run quarterly, there is always some parasite present, and you de-worm accordingly at that point?

All other things aside, there are different anti-parasitics for different parasites. That's why it is very much NOT recommended to de-worm dogs w/ anything over the counter--you need an anti-parasitic that will actually kill the specific parasites your dog has (no such thing as broad spectrum, LOL, at least not safely). It seems to me that the same thing should be true in chickens. Since none of my fecal samples has ever been positive I haven't had to give anyone anything yet, but if/when I do I'll get the correct substance from my avian vet.

Due to our soil conditions having heavy worm oocysts, it's cheaper to worm on a regular basis. For example; a tube of safeguard equine paste (fenbendazole) only costs $10. Since you have horses and probably know all the equine wormers, you know a tube of this stuff will last me a very very long time just dosing chickens with it. It's a matter of money in my case. My vet charges $10 per sample. ETA: I dont have a dog. You are correct about broad spectrum wormers; Valbazen (albendazole) kills all known worms that chickens get. Safeguard is good too, but doesnt kill tapeworms. An avian vet would prescribe panacur. Panacur is fenbendazole=safeguard. He also would prescribe praziquantel or albendazole for tapeworms in chickens. Praziquantel is in alot of horse wormers along with ivermectin...zimectrin gold for example...dosage for a chicken would be a small "pea" size amount.