For small backyard flocks (4-5) Do you recommend deworming healthy looking chickens

Lori J

Songster
5 Years
Jun 18, 2017
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I have had a couple hens in the backyard free ranging for four years. They are not confined to a coop. I have never dewormed them or actually had any health issues other than bumble foot. Should I be deworming them? If so, do you recommend a natural method or a store-bought method? Again, they are not showing any signs of worms I just had read a post from someone about deworming the chickens and thought, hmm, Should I have been doing this?
 
If you have a microscope, it is not hard to learn to do fecals (most kids love to do it, and it counts as a science project) and then you'll know if you should treat or not.

If you do find worm eggs in the fecal, use the store bought remedy. Unless the kids really want to get into it, an do before and afters.
 
If you have a microscope, it is not hard to learn to do fecals (most kids love to do it, and it counts as a science project) and then you'll know if you should treat or not.

If you do find worm eggs in the fecal, use the store bought remedy. Unless the kids really want to get into it, an do before and afters.
don’t have a microscope but thanks for the suggestion!
 
If you have a microscope, it is not hard to learn to do fecals (most kids love to do it, and it counts as a science project) and then you'll know if you should treat or not.

If you do find worm eggs in the fecal, use the store bought remedy. Unless the kids really want to get into it, an do before and afters.
Hmm. Microscope, huh? Sounds like a good investment. I’ve had chickens for 6+ years and have only wormed once.
 
Hmm. Microscope, huh? Sounds like a good investment. I’ve had chickens for 6+ years and have only wormed once.
I think so, especially with kids in school. And I got a really good one, but they go on sale surprisingly often so even that was just over a hundred. I use it on the farm and the kids use it for college and grade school. It was actually technically a present for my youngest, who is fascinated by it and loves searching for tardigrades.
You can also talk to a vet about doing a fecal float. I personally don't treat for something without verifying that it needs treatment.

For me, at my vet, a fecal float costs 45.
There are a lot of microscopes out there in the $40 range and 40x and a bottom light is all you need to do fecals
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07QD84H1W/ref=sspa_mw_detail_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That, a little container, a slide, and some sugar to make a flotation solution. It pays for itself in one test.
 
For me, at my vet, a fecal float costs 45.
There are a lot of microscopes out there in the $40 range and 40x and a bottom light is all you need to do fecals
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07QD84H1W/ref=sspa_mw_detail_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That, a little container, a slide, and some sugar to make a flotation solution. It pays for itself in one test.

That works fine as long as you know what you're looking for. The important thing is to verify that there is a problem, before treating for said problem.
 
And maybe a centrifuge....oh and a good book showing all the things you might see...
.... and how to ID them(this is the hardest part, IMO)

A centrifuge might be nice, but it's by no means necessary.

A good book might be nice, but there's this thing called YouTube. Once you've seen one worm egg - even on YouTube - with poultry, you really don't need to get into the exact species of worms. Ivermectin will work on most things a chicken will have, except a tapeworm, and you don't need a fecal to see tapeworm eggs.

Here you go, Texas A&M doesn't use a centrifuge;

Another method showing the eggs and counting them. Again, no centrifuge.

Seriously, guys, it's not hard. Look for the long ovals. I've taught any number of 9 to 15 yo FFA and 4H kids how to do this. I have great faith in the ability of the capable adults on this site to count ovals. I believe in you!
 

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