Eggs after worming

[Heychickchick]

I understand to hold eggs after treating chickens with Equimax...my question is...can those eggs be safely fed back to my chickens?....or do I have to throw them away period?

 

[1muttsfan]

If you feed them back to the chickens, you will give them more of the dewormer, in incrementally smaller doses as the days go by. Best not to feed them back, or you would have to hold them for longer.

I usually deworm in the late fall, as they are producing far fewer eggs then, and since it gets dark earlier they are easier to catch and deworm without having to stay up late.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not familiar with Equimax. You can try to contact the manufacturer and see what they say. If anypne knows they should.

 

[1muttsfan]

Since Equimax is not labeled for use in birds, there is no official withholding time. While 14 days is generally extrapolated from other animals, it is not official, nor does the company provide withholding information for chickens.

You might consider Valbazen next time, it's more broad-spectrum, and while not officially approved, a 14 day withdrawal after 2 treatments 10 days apart is generally considered safe.

 

[Folly's place]

Since neither ivermectin or praziquantel are approved for use in chickens in the USA, the official egg withdrawal time is forever.
Using unapproved products has you deciding how to handle those eggs and chickens in the future, all off label. Many people withhold eggs for two to four weeks, when levels of those drugs will be much lower. Feeding the eggs back to anyone just lengthens withdrawal time, and gives those parasites chances to develop immunity.
Wonderful drugs, but not supposed to be used for chickens.
Mary