how to naturally / organically de- worm your birds

[heartsizedfarm]

People who include natural products into their animals health plans aren't working with large quantities because you're not aiming for a total purge, as you would with the veterinary product. You're just trying to create beneficial gut conditions so that the worm load stays manageable.

Lots of people all over the world traditionally add nettles to horse feed in spring as a cleanser and fenugreek seeds in the fall to build coat condition. I think those too probably have a secondary effect of improving gut world. Also, having a nice mix of stuff in your pasture, like dandelions and buckwheat as well as Timothy alfalfa clover etc.

There will always be a place for purge wormers and I do believe we're very fortunate to live in a time when we've got that tool. But there's no reason to throw out the useful traditions of the past that were aimed at supporting an animals overall well being so it could manage the occasional parasite or two.

 

[casportpony]

Four horses, four individual samples to the vet every spring. Fenbendazole if needed. Ivermectin late summer for bots, and four individual samples after the first frost to see if winter worming needed.

AVC in the water all summer long (keeps the water nice too) and a handful of dried marigolds in the winter bran mash once a week.

They're healthy horses, aged 10, 15, 28, and 30. Even the 30 year old came through this atrocious winter in good body condition.

Okay, so the horses are done properly, but what about the chickens? Do you do proper fecals on those, too?

Kathy

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Okay, so the horses are done properly, but what about the chickens? Do you do proper fecals on those, too?

Kathy

No I've never taken a chicken's fecal sample to the vet, but she'd probably be up for it. I know not all parasites show up in the poop, but I do look at it every day, and with only ten chickens I know whose is whose, mostly, and can spot when things look different. I joined this thread to learn more about the whole subject.

 

[casportpony]

Okay, so the horses are done properly, but what about the chickens? Do you do proper fecals on those, too?

Kathy

No I've never taken a chicken's fecal sample to the vet, but she'd probably be up for it. I know not all parasites show up in the poop, but I do look at it every day, and with only ten chickens I know whose is whose, mostly, and can spot when things look different. I joined this thread to learn more about the whole subject.

I think roundworms and tape segments are the only worms that would be visible if they happened to poop one out, but cecal and capillary worms, I think those are way to small unless you're actually picking the poop up and looking for them, even then I think they are easy to miss.

-Kathy

 

[dawg53]

I think roundworms and tape segments are the only worms that would be visible if they happened to poop one out, but cecal and capillary worms, I think those are way to small unless you're actually picking the poop up and looking for them, even then I think they are easy to miss.

-Kathy
x2 You can see adult cecal worms in feces. But we know birds carry worms without seeing them in feces. Why would a parasite want to leave the host?
Tapeworm segments in the 1st pic, large roundworms in the 2nd pic, cecal worms in the bottom pic.

 

[seminolewind]

Thanks a lot Dawg. No spaghetti this week.

 

[dawg53]

Thanks a lot Dawg. No spaghetti this week.

Meat on the table mmmmm!

 

[Urucubaca]

I thought Marigolds were poisonous.  I better look that one up.

No way! You can eat Marigolds in a salad!

 

[rockingbearanch]

I picked up a second hand microscope to do my own check up. I believe at the time it was $100-300 for a new one which would be paid for in a couple of vet checks assuming I could find one who was willing which is near impossible. The closest vet is an hour and a half away. I haven't done it in a few years though so I'd have to look up a how-to if I needed to do it again. I'm keeping up on everything buggy and wormy with the herbs ya'll mentioned, ACV, DE, pumpkin and essential oils. We are free range organic which makes a huge difference in the amount of chemicals needed.

 

[dferg36]

tapeworms???!!! is this noticable when you crack the egg?