How do I know if my girls have worms??

[cackleberries]

a handful of my RIR have begun to lose weight. There feathers on there bottoms are all matted with poop my girls get 16% Egg Ration w/chops plus i give them a good helping of plain yogurt weekly. I change the straw out in there coop weekly. They free Range all day and are locked in the coop at night. What are the signs of worms and how do I treat them? Can I treat as a prevenative? Are the eggs good to eat?

Thanks for any help

 

[jab91864]

Could be mites or worms. I would dust the coop and the gals with food grade DE for starters.

I would also add Apple cider vinegar (with the mother in it, not the plain old grocery store kind) into their water along with some chopped fresh garlic.

I also like to dress the feed with cayenne pepper every now and again to help as a wormer.

Best of luck !!!!!!!!

Julie

 

[Chicken Rox]

Quote:
I also give my girls apple cider vinegar, but what do you mean, "with the mother in it"?
Do they eat the cayenne pepper feed? I use It to repel bugs in the garden! LOL But will try it on the feed if it is good for them. Thanks
Priscilla

 

[OPIE]

Good question.. What is food grade DE?

 

[erinm]

the mother means the unfilterd cider vinegar. It retains all pf the beneficial elements to maintain healthy gi tract. Good luck. I lost two to worms last year. I had to treat with a pharmaceutical grade stuff. By the time we got back frm vacation they were so far gone and my sitter did not notice therewa sanything wrong. There is a natural wormer i cannot remeber the name. Anyone? I put the mother in every water change and garlic sometimes also. ErinM

 

[erinm]

and food grade DE is not the stuff used for pools. ask the clerk at the farm and garden store if it is food grade. They should know.. ErinM

 

[chickenzoo]

If they are losing weight I would go ahead and worm them with a chemical wormer, such as Ivomec, Fenabendazole(sp) etc. I would then use the other suggestions as preventatives. With chemical wormers you can not eat the eggs for 3 weeks, but you have a better chance of curing your birds faster.

 

[cackleberries]

Quote:
HELP!!!!! My farm & garden clerk is like 16 and has no more clue what DE is then i do. How much garlic should i use in there water and how long before i change back to plain water??


You are all so helpful THANK YOU

 

[marcel]

Don't try to get too fancy with the worming protocol. If you use piperazine, you can continue to eat the eggs. Chicken Zoo was right about the Ivomec. If no piperazine, try liberal amounts of Diatomaceous Earth topdressed on the feed. Takes a little longer but is very safe.Worm them every 60-90 days for best results. FWIW,regards Marcel

 

[gallusdomesticus]

If you want to use a non chemical wormer that does not affect the bird's meat or eggs, this product is recommended:

www.verm-xusa.com

It's a British product that has been in use in England for some time and is now available here.