New chickens are shy

[rosemarythyme]

Hi - I don’t know how to tell if they have worms . These are my first chickens . The farmer I bought them from had all the pullets out in a pasture running loose - he told me to just feed them medicated feed and they’d be fine .. I think they ate mostly cow poop over there - … but now I’m seeing controversy over medicated/non medicated . They look great and act happy - so

Medicated feed has a thiamine inhibitor to kill off coccidiosis (a parasite), that's all. Chicks are more susceptible to issues with coccidiosis as they're smaller and can go downhill faster, and if brooded without any exposure (or conversely, brooded in poor conditions) they can get overwhelmed by it.

At 11 weeks they probably don't need medicated feed, but if you want to continue using it that's up to you. I don't do medicated feed but I do keep Corid on hand to treat it (in case) when I have chicks.

As far as worming, the best way would be to call a vet and ask if they'll do a fecal float, so they can ID if there's worms and if so, what type of worms, as the treatment varies depending on what's found.

Obviously if you actually see worms in their droppings (if there's a roundworm or tapeworm load you can spot it in droppings with your naked eye) then you should treat for that/those worms. Most of us use a paste type wormer in that case, so birds are weighed to calculate the dose and the paste then gets squirted into their mouths.

 

[Jensride09]

Ok - I will do that - Thank you! oh boy, paste wormer - like I give my horse I guess ? They don’t let me hold them yet - should be interesting I’m out of my lane here- sorry for all the questions! But I want them happy and healthy !!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Ok - I will do that - Thank you! oh boy, paste wormer - like I give my horse I guess ? They don’t let me hold them yet - should be interesting I’m out of my lane here- sorry for all the questions! But I want them happy and healthy !!!

If it turns out you do need to worm your chickens, the emergency forum should have plenty of info about best treatment and dosages. I've only treated for roundworm so far, and used Safeguard for goats to do so, 0.25 ml per lb of chicken, given 10 days apart with a 14 day egg withdrawal.

Best way to give dosages is have someone help you out, and grab the chickens off the roost when it's dark. One person picks up and holds the bird, the other measures and administers the dose.