Information for Worming my Chickens

[I Love Lucy]

I bought my first chickens around October of last year, and I'm still learning! I have 4 bantams, and I managed to get them dusted for Spring, now I'm trying to figure out how to worm them. Sadly, I'm quite clueless in this area, so please, bare with me!

First off, how do you worm them? Do you just add it to their water?

How often do you worm them? Would you worm them even if you're not sure they have worms?

Can worms cause a chicken to lose weight?

I heard Valbazen is a good product for treating all the worms, so I'm interested in it but know nothing about it. Where's a good website to get it from? How much do I need to order for my 4 bantams?

Sorry for all the questions, but I really want to get a better understanding of this so my chickens can be happy and healthy!


Thanks so much!!

 

[BuffOrpington88]

Different brands of dewormers have different instructions, but that is probably the most common way.
There is much discussion on this, and in the end, it is up to the owner. If you know they have worms you should definitely worm them.If they are exposed to a lot of worms, deworming should be considered.
Yes, worms can definitely cause a chicken to lose weight.
Sorry, I have not had experience with that dewormer.
Good Luck!

 

[Judy]

Valbazen is the only wormer that gets all types of worms, and it is relatively easy on them; that is, even if they hae a heavy worm load, it won't cause problems with getting rid of dead worms as some other products will. It's about $40 for the smallest bottle you can buy --- which unfortunately is more than you need. You will probably want to worm at least once a year, though. You can buy ir from Amazon, or Jeffers Livestock is a good reliable company as well; that is where I ordered it from and I received it in about 3 days with their standard shipping. Safeguard, a goat wormer, is also a good product, and you may be able to buy a fairly small bottle in your feed store. It won't kill tapeworm, but tapeworm is not that common.

Yes, worms can cause chickens to lose weight. A heavy enough load can even kill them. Valbazen is given by dropping some on a bit of bread or something else like that, that will absorb it and they will eat, and giving it to them individually. This may be easiest to do at night off the roost. I don't actually know how you give Safeguard, but the thread below should tell you, or you can do a search, or check out the stickies in the Emergencies forum.

http://healthybirds.umd.edu/Disease/Deworming Birds.pdf

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/538241/roundworms

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/...ts-is-not-coryza-or-crd-parasites-are-rampant

 

[I Love Lucy]

Thanks! Very helpful.

I see Tractor Supply carries Safeguard for goats, and it's $20 (for 125 mL).

 

[dawg53]

Thanks! Very helpful.

I see Tractor Supply carries Safeguard for goats, and it's $20 (for 125 mL).

The Safeguard liquid goat wormer works well. Administer it orally undiluted. Dosage is 1cc for giants, 3/4cc for large fowl, 1/2cc for standards, 1/4cc for smaller birds. Repeat dosing again in 10 days. There's a 24 day withdrawal period from start to finish.

 

[I Love Lucy]

The Safeguard liquid goat wormer works well. Administer it orally undiluted. Dosage is 1cc for giants, 3/4cc for large fowl, 1/2cc for standards, 1/4cc for smaller birds. Repeat dosing again in 10 days. There's a 24 day withdrawal period from start to finish.

Thank you!

 

[OR4-hmom]

I was getting ready to worm my girls last year but couldn't find any that were for use on laying hens. I was given Wazine at our local feed store, but it is really for use on larger live stock.
I collected fecal samples from each coop and took them into my vet. They ran the sample and everything came out clean. They couldn't find any worms to treat, and I didn't lose any egg sales.

 

[dawg53]

I was getting ready to worm my girls last year but couldn't find any that were for use on laying hens. I was given Wazine at our local feed store, but it is really for use on larger live stock.
I collected fecal samples from each coop and took them into my vet. They ran the sample and everything came out clean. They couldn't find any worms to treat, and I didn't lose any egg sales.

Wazine is approved for chickens, turkey's and pigs....it's on the label. Glad you got a clean sample.

 

[DCasper]

I bought three broad spectrum de-wormers and rotate between the three. I am not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I have never had a problem with worms.

 

[dawg53]

I bought three broad spectrum de-wormers and rotate between the three. I am not sure if this is a good idea or not, but I have never had a problem with worms.