Losing battle with roundworms

[Kfarm]

Been raising chickens for eggs and meat for over 6 years. NEVER had an issue before.

I've tried DE, garlic, and wazine but I'm still seeing roundworms in chicken poop. I've done SOOOO much research and seems like there is no good solution. Strike 3 is natural version now, I'm not going to pay a vet, and I hate the wazine treatment with the withdrawal period and besides it's an antiobiotic...kind of the whole point to having your own fresh antiobiotic free eggs.
Any last ideas before I throw in the towel and sell them?
And likely will get rid of these and come spring do a new flock. What's best way to keep this from happening again-tractor coop method or completely housed indoors?

 

[lazy gardener]

Where did you get the notion that Wazine is an antibiotic? It is an antihelminthic. To my knowledge it does not have any antibiotic properties.

As for getting rid of your current flock, and starting over, that is not going to fix the problem. Unless you got adult birds who were already infected when they came to your property. Did you treat only once with the Wazine? I've never had to treat for worms, so can't advise. But do know that some wormers should be repeated.

What I can do is suggest ways that you can improve your property and flock management so worms are not such an issue.

If you have a damp yard, do what you can do to improve drainage, get rid of standing water, put in drainage ditches. Be sure your chicken coop and run are on high dry ground.

Turn your run into a deep litter. That will attract beneficial organisms to help keep the pathogens in check.

Try fermenting your chicken feed. That will load their guts with probiotics so they are less prone to infection by parasites.

Be sure that you don't have an infestation of mice/rats. They can be vectors for worms, simply b/c they carry fleas. They also can infest your flock with mites.

Call your county agricultural extension office, and speak to the poultry agent. Ask what worming protocols prove to be effective in your area.

Are you positive that it's round worms? Are you familiar with tape worms? Just be sure you know what you're treating before treating!

 

[rebrascora]

Safeguard for goats or Valbazen are probably your next line of attack. If you do some research here you should find the dosage... I'm sorry, I've never had to use these products so I can't advise further but @casportpony is one of the resident experts on the subject and may be able to advise.

PS. I didn't realise that Wazine was an antibiotic..... are you sure?

 

[Kfarm]

I'll check out that member thanks. Maybe I'm wrong I could've sworn somewhere I saw piperzine was an antibiotic but I think you're right it's different classification. I've seen the posts about safeguard, and other wormers, it just seems everything I read is controversial and none truly approved for egg consumption without going to vet.

 

[rebrascora]

Yes I understand your frustration! To make matters worse, here in the UK the product licenced for use in poultry is flubenvet and there is no egg withdrawal period on that, but it is not licensed for use in the USA from what I understand.
The majority of people seem to use the off label stuff like Safeguard and discard eggs for a couple of weeks which seems an awful waste but understandable. If vets prescribe something off label, they may even tell you that you can never "officially" eat the eggs or meat from the bird.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

The only thing that DE (Diatomaceous Earth) will do is to diminish your pocket book and your chicken flock at roughly the same rate. Your land is already contaminated with thousands upon thousands of roundworm eggs and all a new unprotected flock will accomplish is to give those thousand and thousands of roundworm eggs new and unresistant baby chickens to invade and to colonise. Then you will have thousands and thousands and thousands and did i mention thousands of roundworm egg. I vote for treating now if not sooner. One thing that Lazy failed to mention is that chickens who free range are never free of worms. There are a world of creepy crawlies from crickets to grasshoppers, to snails, to slugs, to mealworms, to Earthworms that serve as vectors for infecting backyard chickens with roundworms. So maybe a little less free ranging may be in order until you get this sorted out..

 

[chickengeorgeto]

.... The majority of people seem to use the off label stuff like Safeguard and discard eggs for a couple of weeks... If vets prescribe something off label, they may even tell you that you can never "officially" eat the eggs or meat from the bird.

That is understandable because they can help your birds while keeping their hind ends out of reach of the most dangerous and destructive parasites on this planet, lawyers.