Do you need to worm birds less than a year?

[Knock Kneed Hen]

My birds are just 9 mos. old. Since they're not laying much I thought I'd worm them. However, do they need it the first year? They've been in a brooder for half their lives so I'm thinking I should just wait and do it next year.

What would you suggest? Thanks!

 

[jerseygirl1]

I'd wait, mine turned one in June and I just started THINKING about worming them..............

 

[kathyinmo]

I worm mine twice a year, and am considering more often. The reason for that is that our soil here is just rich in worms and parasites. My 8 week old meat birds even had worms.

 

[dawg53]

I worm quarterly. Our soil here is worm soup....wet, warm and swampy.

 

[sharol]

I asked my vet if he would analyze a fecal sample for me, and he said to gather fresh poop from several pullets and he would look at it for me. He suggested that we not worm without checking, and it makes sense to me. It will also tell me if they have picked up cocci too. I need to do that, like yesterday would be good. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[davony's chicks]

I have never wormed mine. How do you know if they have worms and need worming?
Everybody I know who has chickens says they have never wormed their chickens.

 

[grandmaof5]

Should birds be wormed if there are no signs of worms; do ALL birds get worms or does it depend on where you live (or other factors)?

 

[kathyinmo]

This is a quote from a Florida Extension Service article.

The chickens pick up the parasite eggs directly by ingesting contaminated feed, water, or litter or by eating snails, earthworms, or other insects (intermediate hosts) which can carry the eggs. Further down it mentions earthworms and grasshoppers as intermediate hosts for roundworms.

Just for the record, here's a link to the article. The recommendations look like they are more for commercial growers than for me so read them and apply to your situation. I'm personally not going to use insecticides to try to kill insects that might come into contact with chickens.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/VM015

Unless you keep your chickens in solitary confinement, away from earthworms, insects, and wild birds, there is a great chance they have worms. The contaminated feed, water, and litter means that it has bird droppings in it, like when an infected bird perchs above a feeder or a wild bird leaves a deposit in the run.


Parasites literally scar the digestive tract as they burrow into it. Each scar in the digestive tract is one more place where nutrients can't absorb. I highly disagree that this is the way to go. I also disagree with constant worming (unless there are constant infestations). Additionally, worms decrease the immune system of birds, steal the nutrients, irritate the digestive tract, make the bird more susceptible to other digestive tract illnesses by stressing the good bacteria of the gut, increase incidences of coccidiosis (even in adults), and spread to healthy birds.

I totally believe in ecological balance, but in moderation. If you wait til you see worms, you're waiting too long.

The ideal way of doing things would be to test three or four random birds in a flock using a "fecal egg count" from a vet to see if you need to worm two or three times a year. That way it's less invasive and lets you know when to treat. For someone trained in that, it would be the best way. Or if you have a good vet who will let you just bring in a few fecal samples and charge you for that, not the visit.

 

[davony's chicks]

Thanks for the information Kathy.

 

[PatS]

I feed my chickens organic food. If I worm them (they free range and eat a ton of earthworms), then I can't really call them or their eggs "organic" can I?

I have killed and processed year old birds and didn't see anything unusual. What should I look for if they have a infestation?