Our flock of twenty 4 1/2 month old chickens was diagnosed via stool sample as having gapeworm. We've drenched each chicken individually for 5 days with Fenbendazole (Panacur). Everyone is (thankfully) doing well. In 2 weeks the vet said to treat again. They should be just fine.
However, our soil is contaminated with gapeworm larvae from the wild turkey population that was running around our yard prior to our fencing it for the chickens. Gapeworm can last in the intermediate host - earthworms - for 4 1/2 years! And now our infected chickens have just added to the soil contamination problem.
We're trying to raise an organic flock. Fenbendazole is definitely NOT organic! But better to use it than have dead chickens. Does anyone know of anything herbal that could be planted in the chicken yard for them to eat to help them develop a resistance to the gapeworm? What I'm looking for now is control, there will probably not be a cure since it's in the soil of our property. From what I've read, eventually chickens will develop a resistance to the gapeworm. I'd like that to happen sooner rather than later. We will drench them every so often with Fenbendazole as long as we have to, but it is traumatic for everyone (not to mention throwing all those eggs away for a week) and I'm looking for a prevention of the disease by increasing the chickens' resistance.
Any herbalists or organic farmers out there?
Gosh, I read someplace online (via a Google search) to give them a saline or tobacco solution orally. Hold their nose and mouth closed for 30 seconds. Then turn them upside down, hold them by the feet and let them cough the worms up. No. Not an option. Not gonna do that. (So nobody tell me to!)
However, our soil is contaminated with gapeworm larvae from the wild turkey population that was running around our yard prior to our fencing it for the chickens. Gapeworm can last in the intermediate host - earthworms - for 4 1/2 years! And now our infected chickens have just added to the soil contamination problem.
We're trying to raise an organic flock. Fenbendazole is definitely NOT organic! But better to use it than have dead chickens. Does anyone know of anything herbal that could be planted in the chicken yard for them to eat to help them develop a resistance to the gapeworm? What I'm looking for now is control, there will probably not be a cure since it's in the soil of our property. From what I've read, eventually chickens will develop a resistance to the gapeworm. I'd like that to happen sooner rather than later. We will drench them every so often with Fenbendazole as long as we have to, but it is traumatic for everyone (not to mention throwing all those eggs away for a week) and I'm looking for a prevention of the disease by increasing the chickens' resistance.
Any herbalists or organic farmers out there?
Gosh, I read someplace online (via a Google search) to give them a saline or tobacco solution orally. Hold their nose and mouth closed for 30 seconds. Then turn them upside down, hold them by the feet and let them cough the worms up. No. Not an option. Not gonna do that. (So nobody tell me to!)
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