This is NOT intended as a recommendation or medical advice at all, but I thought I'd share what I did for my chickens and why. I thought one might be developing gapeworm, and while the one local vet is not taking any more patients, I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I read up a lot on these forums and online and talked to some folks at the feed store and Tractor Supply. I checked my chicken's throat, seemed fine, although it was not easy and she was not happy. I'm used to bathing and pilling cats. I've never tried to open a chicken's mouth before. LOL I checked for mites (nope) and their poop looked fine.
I did buy some Safeguard paste but then read up on Verm-X. She didn't look that bad, some mouth breathing and I thought she gaped once and shook her head a little and I know she eats snails; I just wanted to keep her healthy. So I decided to go with prevention since I don't think she has an actual case of worms. She is my largest chicken and it has been hot, and just after I got home with the Safeguard, she foraged in a pile of leaves happily with the others in the cooler part of the day so I calmed down.
Now I see some folks here are okay with plant medicines and some not so much, so I'll just throw this out there: there are plants and minerals that act as vermifuges/anthelminics. That's usually where compounds are isolated and then synthesized into the chemical medicines we use today. I am a firm believer that if you (or your animals) need western/chemical medicine definitely use it!
But I will also say that I have seen (as a trained herbalist and forager) plant medicine (properly prepared) work as well as any western medicine. That said, NO MEDICINE WORKS 100% OF THE TIME. Neither western, eastern, chemical or plant based.
I read the ingredients of Verm-X and realized I had a lot of it already on hand. I can't find my bag of dried cleavers so that will be added when I can, I added some DE and ground pumpkin seeds, and I did read nasturtiums also help and I had some growing so I added a bit fresh. I made a powder and then, using a bit of bacon grease, made little treats for my four ladies. Only one went for the treats. Not the one I was aiming for, so today I gave them some banana sprinkled with a little of the powder, and I sprayed their feed with a fine water mist just to get it to stick and put a little homemade verm-X on their feed. They ate it up.
I can't say it will solve all problems, but it can't hurt and they are all vermifuges or nutritional supports, so I'll add it occasionally to their feed. And I still have the tube of Safeguard paste just in case. I think Verm-X is a liquid, but I decided not to make an infusion or decoction and use dried as a liquid would not be stable for long even in the fridge.
Has anyone else done this? I'm curious about your natural chicken ways!
I read up a lot on these forums and online and talked to some folks at the feed store and Tractor Supply. I checked my chicken's throat, seemed fine, although it was not easy and she was not happy. I'm used to bathing and pilling cats. I've never tried to open a chicken's mouth before. LOL I checked for mites (nope) and their poop looked fine.
I did buy some Safeguard paste but then read up on Verm-X. She didn't look that bad, some mouth breathing and I thought she gaped once and shook her head a little and I know she eats snails; I just wanted to keep her healthy. So I decided to go with prevention since I don't think she has an actual case of worms. She is my largest chicken and it has been hot, and just after I got home with the Safeguard, she foraged in a pile of leaves happily with the others in the cooler part of the day so I calmed down.
Now I see some folks here are okay with plant medicines and some not so much, so I'll just throw this out there: there are plants and minerals that act as vermifuges/anthelminics. That's usually where compounds are isolated and then synthesized into the chemical medicines we use today. I am a firm believer that if you (or your animals) need western/chemical medicine definitely use it!
But I will also say that I have seen (as a trained herbalist and forager) plant medicine (properly prepared) work as well as any western medicine. That said, NO MEDICINE WORKS 100% OF THE TIME. Neither western, eastern, chemical or plant based.
I read the ingredients of Verm-X and realized I had a lot of it already on hand. I can't find my bag of dried cleavers so that will be added when I can, I added some DE and ground pumpkin seeds, and I did read nasturtiums also help and I had some growing so I added a bit fresh. I made a powder and then, using a bit of bacon grease, made little treats for my four ladies. Only one went for the treats. Not the one I was aiming for, so today I gave them some banana sprinkled with a little of the powder, and I sprayed their feed with a fine water mist just to get it to stick and put a little homemade verm-X on their feed. They ate it up.
I can't say it will solve all problems, but it can't hurt and they are all vermifuges or nutritional supports, so I'll add it occasionally to their feed. And I still have the tube of Safeguard paste just in case. I think Verm-X is a liquid, but I decided not to make an infusion or decoction and use dried as a liquid would not be stable for long even in the fridge.
Has anyone else done this? I'm curious about your natural chicken ways!
