Pullets ate a mouse - should I deworm now?

[Trish1974]

To my horror and disgust I saw one of my girls catch a baby mouse yesterday, and her and another pullet pulled it apart and ate it.

I frequently have to deworm my barn cats for tapeworms from eating rodents; should I go ahead and deworm these girls or wait until I see tapeworms in their poo? I'm sure the nasty little rodent was already infested. I did start them on garlic yesterday after the incident but didn't know if I should pull out the big guns (a name brand dewormer) and if so, what would you recommend? If it matters, I do keep them on ACV and oregano daily, and they get probiotics for a 3 day run every week, so they are healthy girls!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I'm personally not big on preventative worming, so I would wait and only worm if they develop symptoms. There's a BYC thread with discussion that you may find helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/722479/wormer-preventative-deworming.

While it may be repulsive to us, mice are just another protein source to chickens.

 

[Trish1974]

Thank you!

 

[aart]

Agrees with FFN......plus mammalian parasites usually cannot live in avians.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I'm personally not big on preventative worming, so I would wait and only worm if they develop symptoms. There's a BYC thread with discussion that you may find helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/722479/wormer-preventative-deworming.

While it may be repulsive to us, mice are just another protein source to chickens.

Agrees with FFN......plus mammalian parasites usually cannot live in avians.

X 2 on both counts -- those are some good girls you have there, OP!

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Thank you!

You're welcome! I'm with you on the probiotics - keeps them healthy.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

I had to link to this thread because it really floored me when I read it...a rat-catching Muscovy! https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/994286/duck-ate-a-rat. She'd give a barn cat a run for her money!

 

[Trish1974]

Agrees with FFN......plus mammalian parasites usually cannot live in avians.

So chickens can't get tapeworms??

 

[aart]

Quote: They can..... but I'm not sure they would get the same type of tapeworms that mammals may carry.

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm personally not big on preventative worming, so I would wait and only worm if they develop symptoms. There's a BYC thread with discussion that you may find helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/722479/wormer-preventative-deworming.

While it may be repulsive to us, mice are just another protein source to chickens.

I had no idea chickens liked mice until one time a cat caught a mouse in the chicken coop and the chickens chased the poor thing around until they got the mouse from her!

It was the funniest thing to watch, but I felt kind of sorry for the cat.