deworming chickens????????????????

[cluckychick]

I have never dewormed and have had my chickens for over a year. I just took a randam fecal to the vets last week to be checked and it looked good

I use ACV, DE, and pumpkin seeds. Everytime I clean I sprinkle DE inside and outside everywhere. I always use ACV in their water when we fill and that's usually every other day, depending on consumption. Pumpkin is given during the fall when it's plentiful.

I do have Wazin on hand in the event I need to use it but I'd rather not have to has theirs a 2 week withdraw time on it. I'm usually at the vet regularly for our pets or my parents pets. I take samples from my animals when I go. She charges me $8 to run tests that's the best preventative. My vet will tell me exactly what she sees and what exactly I need to use, which is better than me guessing.

 

[Bridgette1221]

OK, so now I'm really confused. I'm have no idea what all the DE/ACV and whatever else is to start with. I have 5 day old chicks. Do I deworm them now? Is it bad for them? If I want to try to keep them from getting worms, is there a safe way for the chicks to do that? How often do you do it and what do you use? Also someone mentioned mite dust or something.... is there something, safe, that I can put on them or give them to keep the mites from bothering them?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
IMO, you don't need to worry about the mites beyond regularly checks and if you see a problem - feather picking, excessive scratching, etc. I do a routine check of my chickens about once a week. I would not just routinely dust them for it, but that's me.
You'll need to decide on what works best for you in regards to worming. There's lots of posts on the subject, just do a search keyword: worming. Some folks never worm, some stick with strictly natural methods and hope for the best. Others only worm after a postive fecal float from the vet and others worm on a regular schedule. Only you can decide what's best for you and your chickens.

 

[sdgdh1]

No one will answer the actual freaking question though.

What do people who routinely deworm with an actual dewormer use?

 

[Bluebyrd]

Ditto!!

+What is the best thing to use to deworm? there are many kinds of worms does one work for all kinds? and at what age can you start it? do all dewormers affect the eggs. and what is ACV?

Thanks

 

[gritsar]

ACV is apple cider vinegar, said to have many health benefits for chickens. You want the kind with mother (sediment in the bottom).
I used valbezen (albendazole) to worm. It's a cattle/sheep wormer used "off label" for chickens.
It covers liver flukes, tapeworms, stomach worms, intestinal worms, and lungworms.
You give 1/2 cc undiluted orally for standard size chickens, 1/4cc for the bantams.
I personally would not use it unless your chickens are grown or nearly grown and only if you strongly suspect worms.
Since it is used off label there is no set withdrawel time. I discarded eggs for two weeks, since that seemed to be the consesus amongst the folks I talked to about it.

 

[Intheswamp]

Gail Damerow in her book "The Chicken Health Handbook" suggests not to give a wormer unless the chicken is looking rough and poorly. Basically she states that the worms and the chickens have to create an equilibrium between them and that stress or sickness is usually what tips the scales in favor of the worms. It appears to me that she leans to the "don't worm unless needed" mentality.

Something else she states is that worms will eventually get resistant to certain drugs which makes sense to me. So I wonder if routine worming is actually helping the worms get resistant to the drug. She does caution against switching wormers to quickly because in doing so you might actually be letting the worms get resistant to yet another wormer.

Damerow states a one week withdrawal period for *approved* wormers. She states that non-approved wormers (wormers intended for other animals, etc.,) should NOT be used on chickens and that if they are used for chickens that those chickens should not be used for meat or eggs.

Here is a list of wormers she has listed in a sidebar in her book. The book also gives descriptions and specifics:

Coumaphos (Meldane)
Piperazine
Phenothiazine
Levamisole
Thiabendazole
Mebendazole
Iveremctive

Since I've shared some of her information here I guess I need to put a plug in for her book, The Chicken Health Handbook, published by Storey. Excellent book and highly recommended.

As for ACV...hmm, maybe it doesn't really kill the worms but gives the chickens a bit of a "kick" like "joggin in the jug" and helps give them the edge over the worms.

Ed

 

[1birdlady]

Quote:
In that case then, what is your recommended worm control/treatment? Of course, we would prefer to use "natural" treatments, but what are the alternatives, other than fecals to vet, and pharma drugs?

Thank you.

 

[Bluebyrd]

Thank you intheswamp and gritsar!! a place to start at the very least!!

 

[moduckman]

I use Wazine every year with the first serious thaw of winter and after the first serious frost in the fall here in Missouri. This is especially true for turkeys. I really do not care if there is a two week withdraw, because if the birds get a large infestation, then it could be a permenant withdraw of those birds. As for natural deworming... do what you want, but I like the tried and true methods. DE can help, but really does not treat. As for vinegar, I add it to my water to keep the green slime out of the water bowls and it does help with digestion. This is my opinion and I have done this for 20+ years.