Found our first poop worm...

[Jeffross1968]

So, we have about 70 or so chickens, ranging in age from 2 years to a month. They are all outside and free range almost all day. I'm pretty diligent about watching poop for any issues. Today, one of our 6 month old blue laced red wyandotte roosters pooped a good sized worm. It's the first we've ever seen during our 1.5 years of owning chickens. I'll post the pic below.

Anyway, this rooster is very big, and very healthy. Does one worm in a poop mean a heavy infestation? What is the likeliness that the other chickens have a higher than normal worm load? We've never wormed, as most of the people around here do not. If I do worm with a chemical wormer, what is the schedule and what type should I use? I'm guessing I would be putting in their water supply? How about VermX...has anyone tried this with success? I'd be really interested in hearing about something that works that would not require throwing away eggs.

Really, any personal experience and info would be greatly appreciated!

Here is the pic....the worm was alive and moving...

 

[Judy]

I don't know of any natural product like VermX that has been proven to kill all the worms, as opposed to just reducing the load. And yes, usually if you see worms, there is a heavy load. Personally, I would bite the bullet and give a chemical wormer, which I do once a year. I try to choose a time when I'm not getting many eggs, anyway, due to winter or molting. I prefer Valbazen, which is good when there is a heavy load because of the way it works, in that it can't cause them to get their pipes clogged with dead worms. You put .5 ml for a mature large fowl bird on a bit of bread or whatever (bread works well) and feed it to them individually, then repeat in 10 days. Not difficult if you do it when they are roosting. Toss eggs for 21 days. It's a drug that is also given to humans which I find comforting. Of course the dose would be half or a quarter of that for the 2 month olds, or you could simply not worm them til they are older. Some people worm 5 or 6 times a year.

You can get Valbazen online, around $40 for 500 ml (about a pint) which is the smallest size they sell, last I checked. Fortunately it keeps for 2 or 3 years so you don't waste as much. Maybe you will find someone who will split it with you. Valbazen kills all types of worms. Safeguard kills the most common ones and can usually be bought in feed stores. One is a cattle wormer and one a goat wormer.

Here is just one of the many threads on here about worming:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...o-still-seeing-live-worms-in-poo#post_9315842

Or, look up Dawg53's posts. Good luck!

Good luck.