How often do you worm your chickens?

[Wildsky]

Quote:
Pedro, I mixed DE in with wet food for my cats, not sure how they'd like it much on dry food.
I put in a teaspoon for one of those tiny can's of food.

 

[CovenantCreek]

If you want to use DE in your feed, I've been told (and eventually got around to reading it on the label) that it should be added at a rate of 2% -- or 2 lbs DE per 100 lbs feed. Here are two online resources to get the food grade DE: countrysidenatural.com and 7springsfarm.com

Pedro, you can use the DE for your cats as well. The same 2% ratio applies (2 oz DE per 6.25 lbs dry food).

 

[greyfields]

If you really want to research the research, visit your County Extension agent. They are constantly asked questions about DE, so they are used to pointing people where to go. Or, got to ATTRA ( http://www.attra.org/ ) which had 48 articles when I searched the term Diatomaceous Earth.

I happen to have a hard copy of this one in my office and found the electronic version through Google.

http://129.186.41.143/research/gran...ve_Parasite_Control_for_Sheep_[_Organic_].pdf

This trial was ran by Iowa State University, so I guess you can say the public paid for it. If you think well "sheep are sheep, we're talking chickens" then I also found articles for cows, goats and pigs... so I'm sure you can find some chicken specific trials if you just google for awhile.

Like I said above, I reallywish DE worked.

But, there are thousands of variables as to why someone could claim sucess with DE. The largest, of course, is weather! If you live somewhere with cold winters and hot summers, you've probably never had to deworm more than twice a year, and Coccidiossis is unheard of. Here in wet coastal Washington, it rarely freezes and never gets hot in the Summer. The parasite cycle is year round and I deworm at least 6 times per year on my goats and sheep. But, I do fecals at least twice a year to be sure I'm not going overboard with it. So, with such variables, how can anyone really say it works? Maybe they just have clean pastures to begin with?

 

[opihiman911]

I live in Hawaii with year round growing and insect season. My girls are kept in a coop with free access to a dirt run. The area I live literally has hundreds of wild chickens roaming around, plenty of chance for worms and disease to get spread between my girls and their wild cousins. I have rasied hens for the last 7 years or so and have never had to worm my girls.
During the first year or two I was taking stool samples down to the vet to check but they found nothing, yet I found a bill for $25. Since then I have occasionally given a sample to a hospital lab tech freind of mine who looks at it and hasn't ever found anything. So I never worm.
I agree with treating the cause of a problem. So if you don't see a problem I wouldn't do anything. Remember chicken have survived for over 300 years on American farms without wormers, vaccines and feed suppliments. Only in the last 50 years or so have those things have come around, and that was a response to the modern cage production raising eggs. That caused the problems so they create a drug or suppliment to counteract it. While I do agree that they do have a place in modern animal care, I feel if we just go back to the basics, then problem will either go away or take care of itself......JMHO

That said I'm now off to ask about a chick that has a problem....crookneck... and what to do about it.

Aloha,
Cory

 

[paganfish]

Thanks y'all. I will put it in their wet food. Just sprinkle a teaspoon and stir it up. I tried putting it on the dry food but it turned it a bit pale. They didn't eat it much...I think the coating didn't much do it for them.

Whew! You guys are the greatest...thanks again.

Again, sorry to hog the thread and good luck with your worm problems!

Peace-

Pedro

 

[Pine Grove]

IMO, DE is useless as a wormer, Ones just as well off feeding finely ground shivers of glass...

 

[sgray136]

DE is a very old known natural wormer. It is extremely absorbent and very abrasive on the microscopic level. It is harmless to the digestive track of higher animals but has a tendency to really mess up insects. Due to it's absorbent and abrasive properties it works as a good insecticide in the garden because it will first scratch the carapace or exoskeleton of the insect and then literally suck the moisture out of it.

DE is great for absorbing pet stains and odors from the carpet too. If the stain is soaked up as much as possible with a paper towel and then a very light sprinkle onto the stain will work wonders. Vacuum when dry.

 

[greyfields]

I just wanted to draw a clear line between external and internal parasites. There is some evidence that using DE will reduce the numbers of fleas, mites, ticks, etc. But, there is simply no evidence it works on internal parasites.

 

[silkiechicken]

Personally... I've never wormed my chickens ...

Never saw the need to and they all seem fine and dandy.

 

[Pine Grove]

Valbazen is proof that DE is not an effective wormer. For every ten birds wormed with DE, Worm behind it with Valbazen and you will see worms in 8 out of the ten birds droppings..
And to those that dont think their birds have worms, Put them in wire bottom cage and worm with Valbazen and examine the droppings for 3 days, the results will surprise you..