Parasite prevention in chickens

[sophieethompson]

I'm worried about things like lice, mites and worms in my future chicken flock. How to you guys prevent these things? Also, can you eat an egg from a chicken that has worms? Are there any health things in chickens I should be aware of?

 

[CascadiaRiver]

You shouldn't worry <3 Its our third year of chickens and we JUST got our first two major problems, one being a tiny comb peice that got bit and bloodied from a 3v1 attack, and the other being a minor case of stupid simple mites because we were too busy with chicks to catch it early enough. Its really a lot of just "Keep an eye out for bugs" "Be careful integrating new birds" "wash your hands/boots/ect"
I don't think you can eat a egg with worms or with the worm medication, nor would you want to!

As far as chicken health issues, (they sneeze in the cold) they have a pretty poor respiratory system and also cannot be sedated (like by a vet, so I've heard they're allergic) and mine seem to be prone to feet injuries because they are silly feather footed clumsy weirdos!

 

[Ardj]

Keep your coop clean , ventilated, don't overcrowd with birds. I wash my coop once a month with water and soap, and I spray everything with poultry protector, change the hay in the nesting boxes ect. The one thing that I can't stand is a dirty coop. YUK !

 

[Folly's place]

Healthy chickens come from healthy sources; it's good to be paranoid about where your birds come from! Major hatcheries try hard to have healthy chicks, while 'random source' birds may bring is awful problems. That's one issue. If you have enough space per bird, and a nice dry coop, and feed a good diet, your birds will have a good life. Lice, mites, and intestinal worms will occur at times unless your flock is totally indoors at all times. Most of us have chickens in an outdoor environment, on dirt, exposed to wild birds, so parasites will happen, and have to be dealt with. Right now I'm treating for mites, ugh! Mary

 

[slingshotandLAR]

I'll add a little bit of advise...

All chickens that live outside have worms, can't be avoided. You can deworm them but you need to induce chemicals to do so.

I attended a necropsy class given by the head of animal sciences from UCONN. Once he got to the digestive tract he said I want to show you all something, and opened it up. In a one inch section it was packed with worms. He explained that any birds that forage outside have them.

Kinda random fact, but now you know. Don't worry about it though as it's just part of the deal. I have hundreds of chickens that are pastured and ALL of them have worms. Being as we believe in all natural products and animals they will never be treated with any sort of chemical or anything else. They still produce excellent eggs and have great lives. That's good enough

 

[aart]

I'll add a little bit of advise...

All chickens that live outside have worms, can't be avoided. You can deworm them but you need to induce chemicals to do so.

I attended a necropsy class given by the head of animal sciences from UCONN. Once he got to the digestive tract he said I want to show you all something, and opened it up. In a one inch section it was packed with worms. He explained that any birds that forage outside have them.

Kinda random fact, but now you know. Don't worry about it though as it's just part of the deal. I have hundreds of chickens that are pastured and ALL of them have worms. Being as we believe in all natural products and animals they will never be treated with any sort of chemical or anything else. They still produce excellent eggs and have great lives. That's good enough

Did he say what kind of worms and whether it was 'normal load' or a debilitating load that should have been treated?

 

[audy5000g]

I wonder if giving the chickens the herb wormwood or black walnut would help with worms ?

 

[Folly's place]

Or poison the chickens? Mary

 

[slingshotandLAR]

Did he say what kind of worms and whether it was 'normal load' or a debilitating load that should have been treated?

He said all outdoor birds have similar load and its normal. Because it was a pastured poultry convention all producers that were attending keep thier birds one full season, a few do 2 but that's rare. it didn't hurt the birds production, she has plenty of eggs inside and laid extra large.

As far as treating, he said there's a wormer that's safe for humans and there fore no withdraw period on the eggs. Can't remember the name, wouldn't use it anyway. All of my birds are all natural, we have excellent production rates (97% currently) and healthy birds. Apparently they all have worms. I'm ok with it

 

[jeansweezey]

What do you use to treat for lice, mites and worms?