Do you need to worm if no signs are present?

[ellie32526]

I started out using DE because I read some good things about it, but I have stopped using it with my chickens. I know I will probably catch holy h-*&$ from all the diehard DE fans but I do not believe it works as claimed. Also, I have been doing additional reading and searching and find that DE is hazardous if inhaled for me and the hens, and subjects us both to respiratory infections, so I have decided the risks far outweigh any benefit that may have been provided. Just my two cents worth. That and two bucks will get you a cup of coffee.

 

[dawnjerrene]

I'm kind of new here, but do I dare mention feeding pumpkin to your birds? It is supposed to be a natural and effective de-wormer, and you don't have to throw away any eggs. It's a win-win, yeah?

 

[drlcb]

I mix the feed in a five gallon bucket. Two parts scratch, one part crushed corn, about a cup of grit, one cup crushed oyster shell, then fill about half way with layer feed crumble, sprinkle to taste with pepper (DE), mix it all up, then add enough layer crumble to about the top, sometimes add a big handful of mealworms, top it off with scratch grains then out to the coop and fill up the 5 gallon feeder. It last 20 layers and a few meat birds 4-6 days. They free range all day and have been filling up on cicadas this week so it will last a bit longer than usual. I also give them any stale leftover bread, vegetables, rice, fruits, hard boiled (old) eggs and occasionally a big handful of red worms and bsf larva. They always have feed available but usually only fill up from the feeder when they return to roost in the evening and in the morning when I open the coop...
So to answer the question of how much de, I go with less than 1% of their feed.

 

[foreverhome]

Maybe just contact one of the commercial egg farms and see if they would be willing to sell you some 'spent' hens before they go to slaughter. No loss to them, getting rid of unprofitable stock anyway....just a thought Over here you just make a small donation to cover the charity costs of pick up and so they can pay for feed for hens they get to rehome afterwards if they haven't been allocated yet. I paid £3.50 each hen x

Guess I'm ambivalent about that because I hate the idea of working with them in any way. Cynic that i am i wonder if the big farms get some kind of good publicity from that... I did buy my firsthens from an organic farmer whose spent hens had been treated relatively well. Rescued birds + rescue organization would be ideal though. Lately I have adopted chickens from people wanting their birds to go to good no-kill homes.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Guess I'm ambivalent about that because I hate the idea of working with them in any way. Cynic that i am i wonder if the big farms get some kind of good publicity from that... I did buy my firsthens from an organic farmer whose spent hens had been treated relatively well. Rescued birds + rescue organization would be ideal though. Lately I have adopted chickens from people wanting their birds to go to good no-kill homes.

It's nice to know that there are other people out there ready to give these birds a " foreverhome"
Lol. I remember when I first brought my ex battery hens home they wouldn't leave the pen. They had spent their entire existence in a 50x50 cm cage. They had never felt the grass under their feet. Now they free range over a couple of acres, while they have long stopped laying, they are happy and they don't eat much.

 

[foreverhome]

It's nice to know that there are other people out there ready to give these birds a " foreverhome"
Lol. I remember when I first brought my ex battery hens home they wouldn't leave the pen. They had spent their entire existence in a 50x50 cm cage. They had never felt the grass under their feet. Now they free range over a couple of acres, while they have long stopped laying, they are happy and they don't eat much.

It must be wonderful to watch them as they learn how to be chickens. Reminds me of some cats that our rescue took in. They came from a hoarder and were so withdrawn that we were sure they were feral. Not so, they were just mentally shut down from not being able to really be cats. Now they are outgoing and happy-happy-happy.

 

[johnmclaren]

I wouldn't worm unless its needed! First, its a poison. Two, you cant eat any eggs for 2 wks from your laying hens. If they look and act healthy they probably are!

I agree to that. Also i would advise to get a regular vet assistance for any developing symptoms to keep a check on these.

 

[yolka doodle]

Hi
I worm my girls with Flubenvet 1%, there is no egg withdrawal period. we get a lot of pigeons and other wild birds in our garden so I just do it as a precaution. when I bought 3 hens about 8 months ago they had worms.

 

[LDev]

We don't get to know where our hens are from to stop vigilante animal rights going there and setting them all free....they tend to not want the publicity at all because it still doesn't look good for them that despite still laying, the hens are disposed of after 18months.....mine are laying every day

 

[BuckeyeFoodie]

I'm a little late to this party, but as a horse owner (and my coop is at the horse barn) I feel the need to relay that our vet has actually had us stop preventative worming of our horses - commercial wormers are becoming less and less effective because people are worming unnecessarily and the worms are developing resistance to what is currently available. We do fecal's three times a year, and have been worm and wormer free for a little over three years.

We looked into DE for the horses, but there's honestly not enough conclusive information out there for us to merit having it added to our feed mix.