Please please help my chickens have worms!!! I don’t know what it is or what I should do!

[TropicalChickies]

It will not hurt them

And I just wanted to confirm this will not hurt them if they don’t have worms right?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

Yay! I’m so glad!

 

[Wyandottebantam]

you should treat your whole flock. With some dewormers you can put it in their water

 

[TropicalChickies]

you should treat your whole flock. With some dewormers you can put it in their water

There's no way to know if the chickens actually get enough medicine just putting it in the water. Plus dewormer solutions or powders tend to settle to the bottom of the bowl in water. The best way to deworm is to to dose each bird individually. With only 12 birds, it's not that hard.

 

[TropicalChickies]

Birds (chickens) are a different ball game than mammals.
I used to use Ivermectin years ago in my chickens. It has lost its effectiveness as a wormer in chickens due to its overuse treating mites in poultry when its main purpose is a wormer. I found that out after seeing a couple of large roundworms in feces a couple of weeks after using Ivermectin.
Valbazen and Safeguard are Benzimidazoles. They are safe and very effective wormers in poultry. Valbazen is my go to wormer.

I agree. Valbazen (generic Albendazol) is my go to as well. Easy to dose each bird individually the right amount and only needs one treatment plus a follow up in 10 days.

 

[Farmgirl283420]

So how many times do I need to give my chickens safe guard?

 

[Farmgirl283420]

And they are also molting is that okay?

 

[TropicalChickies]

So how many times do I need to give my chickens safe guard?

I live in South America. We don't have the same brands. That's why I always refer to a medicine with the generic medical name, not the brand.

What is the active ingredient in Safeguard?

 

[TropicalChickies]

And they are also molting is that okay?

No. Actually it's not a good idea to deworm birds while they are molting. Unless they are sick with worm overload symptoms like diarrhea, lethargy, pale combs, etc, I'd wait until their feathers come in.

 

[coach723]

Safeguard (fenbendazole) can cause feather issues if used during molt. Many have used it (including me) during molt with no problems, but some have said it did. So it's possible.
During molt I usually use Valbazen (albendazole). I know of one source that says that can also cause a fret mark on feathers, I've not seen it happen. Pyrantel Pamoate is also safe to use during molt. Dosing is a little different for all of them, so it depends on what you use.
If you choose to use the Safeguard, and you don't know for sure what worm you are dealing with, then you will need to dose them 5 days in a row, that will take care of everything except tapeworm.