Diseases

[TheresaE]

How can you treat egg laying chickens? All the drugs I read about say not for use on egg laying chickens.
I want something to treat the chickens for worms. Any suggestions? Also, I continue to find spots in the whites of the eggs, it almost looks the size and shape of their food, Layena, crumbles.

 

[77horses]

You can naturally treat chickens and other animals(such as horses, dogs, cats, and even humans) for worms with DE(Diatomaceous Earth), a powder made from fossil shell. It's safe for them and all natural. Make sure it's FOOD-GRADE, not POOL-GRADE(which has a high amount of silica in it and is made t clean pools). You can buy DE at a local feed store or order it online. It can also be used to kill mites, lice, etc. and can be sprinkled in coops/stalls to reduce odors. It can be put on plants to keep bugs away(but can kill the good ones, too, such as bees, etc.) Here's a wonderful website about DE:
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html
__________________________________________________________



Sometimes white spots on egg yolks is normal. Does it look like this:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/nonpwdpubs/introducing_birds/images/pg_09_egg_yolk.jpg


Or this?


http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/explore/embryology/day01/graphics/37fertilizedegg.jpg

If so then that's normal. The first pic shows an infertile egg(the white spot means that it's not fertile) and the second pic shows a fertile egg(white bulls eye circle means it's fertile). Also, the cloudy stuff on the side is normal; it's called the chalaza, and it holds the yolk in place by connecting it to the shell:
http://www.thechickentractor.com.au/eggdata.jpg

Hope this helps!

 

[77horses]

Also, you already posted the same thread here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=217580

 

[conroy]

i use the food grade DE as well... Good stuff I give it to my dogs as well.

 

[Judy]

Here are two good websites about problems with eggs:

http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/ep127.pdf

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/

Is it possible you are washing them in water that is too warm, and partially cooking the egg white?

Many on here use some of these products to treat chickens for worms, and simply discard the eggs for a week or two. This warning on these drugs is required by federal law. A bit of research will reveal that it may not necessarily mean you can never eat your own eggs again. If you sell eggs, you might need to research even more carefully.

Not everyone on here agrees that DE is adequate to prevent an infestation of worms in chickens. (I am not saying it is or is not.) Here is a good thread about worming:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2525157#p2525157