Must You Always De-Worm?

[Petuniaismyfav]

Hi everyone,
I found what I thought were a lot of round worms in on of my creme legbar's droppings about ten days ago. She sleeps separate from the rest of the flock so I'm able to easy inspect her droppings in the morning, and I have not seen any worms after that first incident. She looks very healthy with a big bright comb, etc.

My question is, do I need to de-worm her and the rest of the flock or should I wait and see if I find more worms?

To note: although looking healthy and eating/drinking/behaving totally normally, she is only 18 months old and doesn't lay eggs. She started laying at around six months, layed for a couple of months, then started laying soft shell eggs, then stopped laying. I have not seen an egg out of her in over six months and wonder if it's related to the worms. All the other chickens in the flock seem health and happy and are laying.

Thank you for weighing in!

 

[Eggcessive]

It is possible that the dropping had been there and something laid eggs on it. Maggot larvae from flies or something from the soil could have been possible. It would have been good to have seen a picture. If you saw large roundworms, there could be a large infestation. There are many images online of the different worms. Your vet could do a fecal float to tell you if there are worm eggs and what types. Many people worm their flocks with Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer given orally. Levamisole (Prohibit) can be used in the water. Depending on your climate, that could be once or twice a year, or every 2 months in tropical areas. You would probably want to discard eggs for 2 weeks after worming.

Some people never worm their chickens. You will get a lot of opinions here about worming. Keeping your chicken area clean and dry as possible, and rotate the areas they are on can help in controlling worms. Worms can damage the intestines especially in young birds.

 

[Petuniaismyfav]

It is possible that the dropping had been there and something laid eggs on it. Maggot larvae from flies or something from the soil could have been possible. It would have been good to have seen a picture. If you saw large roundworms, there could be a large infestation. There are many images online of the different worms. Your vet could do a fecal float to tell you if there are worm eggs and what types. Many people worm their flocks with Valbazen or SafeGuard Liquid Goat Wormer given orally. Levamisole (Prohibit) can be used in the water. Depending on your climate, that could be once or twice a year, or every 2 months in tropical areas. You would probably want to discard eggs for 2 weeks after worming.

Some people never worm their chickens. You will get a lot of opinions here about worming. Keeping your chicken area clean and dry as possible, and rotate the areas they are on can help in controlling worms. Worms can damage the intestines especially in young birds.

Thank you so much. This is really helpful.