Garlic for deworming?

[Dephora]

There are lots of studies on broiler chickens and garlic.

I also know it is out of fashion, but I do feed my chickens chunks of garlic on occasion, which they gobble down. I had a neighbor that fed garlic weekly, with no deaths.

The following studies are just from a quick search on the effects of garlic on chickens. There are literally hundreds out there. Not really arguing for or against garlic, I just don't think it is harmful.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27057106/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26049796/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32777893/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31437688/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27678135/

Here is a really long review going over 30 research studies, the tables are especially nice.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6940947/
I will admit though, few studies look at raw garlic. Though there are a few on there, garlic in powder form seems to be the method of supplementation of choice.

Edit: I also forgot to mention that I think the longest study under the review is only 22 weeks of daily garlic feeding. So that is a limitation. Also none of these studies mention an effect on parasite load... which was the original question.

 

[Greg Mann]

I kept a Moluccan Cockatoo for a few years and he loved raw garlic and dried red chile peppers too. In this case the raw garlic didn't seem to be a problem. Once I married he had to go and he went to a breeder that had a female Moluccan.
ymmv so be cautious,
Greg

 

[centrarchid]

There are lots of studies on broiler chickens and garlic.

I also know it is out of fashion, but I do feed my chickens chunks of garlic on occasion, which they gobble down. I had a neighbor that fed garlic weekly, with no deaths.

The following studies are just from a quick search on the effects of garlic on chickens. There are literally hundreds out there. Not really arguing for or against garlic, I just don't think it is harmful.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27057106/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26049796/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32777893/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31437688/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27678135/

Here is a really long review going over 30 research studies, the tables are especially nice.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6940947/
I will admit though, few studies look at raw garlic. Though there are a few on there, garlic in powder form seems to be the method of supplementation of choice.

Edit: I also forgot to mention that I think the longest study under the review is only 22 weeks of daily garlic feeding. So that is a limitation. Also none of these studies mention an effect on parasite load... which was the original question.

This information should supersede that based on Psittacines (Parrot Family). I am animal scientist that on occasion deals with issues where boundaries for assumptions between species tolerances are sometimes in need of verification / determination. It appears most of the work has already been done, just that the vets contacted so far have maintained focus birds of economic interest to them and as those birds are likely to consume garlic / onions / leeks at rates likely to be harmful in confinement with foods provided by keeper.

I would not advocate the use of any de-wormer (wormer) agent unless the birds are known to carry a worm load that negatively impacts health. Improper / overuse of de-worming agents has resulting in worms becoming increasingly immune to the agents. Worms in chickens can be managed through other means such as limiting exposure to concentrations of worms, removing chickens unable to resist worm burden they carry, and when worms doing no harm do nothing. The interaction between worms and chickens has a major genetic component for both parties and can be impacted by selection.

The improper use of de-worming agents has been advocated for a long time on this site. It is time to make informed cultural changes to manage worms instead. The problem is de-wormer recommendations are easy to do with information from suppliers easy to reference.

 

[Aapomp831]

I have been giving my chickens garlic water on a daily basis for 3 years... they are all perfectly fine. As a matter of fact, my sour crop afflicted chicken didn’t start to improve until I gave her nothing but garlic water for 2 days. I think it has a wonderful medicinal effect, and it does not effect the taste of the eggs.

 

[misshell]

Thank you

I have been giving my chickens garlic water on a daily basis for 3 years... they are all perfectly fine. As a matter of fact, my sour crop afflicted chicken didn’t start to improve until I gave her nothing but garlic water for 2 days. I think it has a wonderful medicinal effect, and it does not effect the taste of the eggs.

From my personal experiences, pharmaceutical products come with risks too. My border collie went into convulsions 45 minutes after a rabies vaccine. She died not long after. When my son was 18 months old, he got a super bug and pooped out the lining of his colon with tons of blood after taking a round of antibiotics. Not saying these should not be given, just that everything comes with risks... even garlic I guess

 

[Folly's place]

Garlic? Love it, for me, in cooking. For the chickens, not so much. And the studies mentioned above were interesting, with very low levels of garlic powder in diets, short term, for broiler chicks, all concentrating on their growth rates, and E. coli resistance, again, short term.
Management differs so much between those birds and mine, who knows if any of it translates into a home flock, or long term, or trying to figure out 5grams/ kilo of total diet?
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

Garlic? Love it, for me, in cooking. For the chickens, not so much. And the studies mentioned above were interesting, with very low levels of garlic powder in diets, short term, for broiler chicks, all concentrating on their growth rates, and E. coli resistance, again, short term.
Management differs so much between those birds and mine, who knows if any of it translates into a home flock, or long term, or trying to figure out 5grams/ kilo of total diet?
Mary

What does this add to making informed decisions. It confuses. I am not aware of deworming regimens where they would used to cause chronic exposure. Expense alone would preclude that.

Dosage appears to be 0.5% of total diet based on either dry weight or as fed basis. That is easy to do if you have a way to weigh your feed. I bet you do not have to be super accurate.

 

[Folly's place]

Yes, the articles were discussing meat birds and the use of garlic, and some other items, in place of antibiotics in the feed to promote weight gain. NOTHING to do with parasite control!
Mary

 

[centrarchid]

Yes, the articles were discussing meat birds and the use of garlic, and some other items, in place of antibiotics in the feed to promote weight gain. NOTHING to do with parasite control!
Mary

That was a test of chronic exposure from perspective of using garlic as a possible de-wormer. The data have value in that context. If I were to use something like that as a de-wormer, then ideally the exposer through diet would only be a few days at most.

 

[yakitori]

For what it's worth, garlic was part of my grandpa's home remedies for sick chickens. It's been done for generations, in the olden times when the idea of buying medicine for chickens was ridiculous. It's worked for them, and it'll probably be one of my first go-tos in a pinch. While I can't tell you anything about the scientific link between garlic and deworming, I highly doubt it being toxic.