Natural remedies for worms???

[AZchickens17]

My friend has a flock of about 20 chickens plus some various chicks in an outside growing pen. He just had one of his frizzle hens die this morning and is worried about a few others, particularly one of his roosters ...

Yesterday he used a medication to de-worm all of them, but I don't think it has been working.


I am planning on going over to his place later on today and wanted to bring some natural remedies. What are your opinions and thoughts? What has worked for you? I heard cayenne peppers, pumpkin and garlic in water work well...

 

[junebuggena]

Winter squash seeds work well for some types of worms, but a chemical deworming medication is more effective. Whenever several birds in a flock start to show signs of illness, going back to basics can help rule a few things out. Start with the feeding regimen. What kind of feed is offered? Is it balanced? Is appropriate for all ages, stages, and genders, or is it for actively laying birds only? Could it be old or moldy?
What about symptoms? Is it just lethargy? Any respiratory symptoms? Any evidence of mite/lice? Does the coop have adequate ventilation? Has he treated for coccidiosis? Just a few of the things you should be considering.

 

[AZchickens17]

He stores his feed in a huge bucket but it isnt bagged, it is just poured in. He is also keeping his teenagers in a pen that previously housed a sick Phoenix rooster... Overall, he may just have not kept them very sanitary. When I head over to his house I will have a look and see what symptoms his chickens have.

 

[junebuggena]

If he's feeding layer feed to everyone, it could be behind some of the issues. The high levels of calcium in layer feed can be fatal to young birds and males. If he's just feeding a scratch mix, there could be nutritional deficiencies at fault.
When trying to figure out health problems in a flock, start with nutrition then work from there.

 

[AZchickens17]

His mix looks just like layer feed mixed with scratch. That may be the problem. He has a breeding pen with a BO rooster and a RIR hen and the rooster has been sick, and I think it is because of what he is eating... He also has a Cochin rooster in with about 10-15 other hens and he was acting sick. Plus something is wrong with his leg because his dog stepped on it.

This makes so much more sense now!!

Should I still bring over some peppers or squash seeds in case they do have worms?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

My friend has a flock of about 20 chickens plus some various chicks in an outside growing pen. He just had one of his frizzle hens die this morning and is worried about a few others, particularly one of his roosters ...

Yesterday he used a medication to de-worm all of them, but I don't think it has been working.


I am planning on going over to his place later on today and wanted to bring some natural remedies. What are your opinions and thoughts? What has worked for you? I heard cayenne peppers, pumpkin and garlic in water work well...

Maybe consider getting a fecal float sample to determine if worming is needed and a repeat to see if indeed your remedies had an impact on the worm count.

Why do you think the medication your friend used isn't working? Not all worms will be visible to the naked eye. And not all medications will treat for all types of worm. Treat for the wrong type and just wasted your $ and time.

Also, I wouldn't throw a bunch of stuff at a flock that just got wormed as it can weaken the immune system... be sure what your friend did didn't work and give it time, according to the directions. Better safe than sorry.

 

[junebuggena]

His mix looks just like layer feed mixed with scratch. That may be the problem. He has a breeding pen with a BO rooster and a RIR hen and the rooster has been sick, and I think it is because of what he is eating... He also has a Cochin rooster in with about 10-15 other hens and he was acting sick. Plus something is wrong with his leg because his dog stepped on it.

This makes so much more sense now!!

Should I still bring over some peppers or squash seeds in case they do have worms?

Bring him a big bag of unmedicated starter. Most likely the problems are nutritional.