Safeguard Mash - Zero Day Egg Withdrawal

[dawg53]

That's outstanding information that @coach723 put out for you.
Additionally, keeping everything as dry as possible goes a long way in preventing birds getting worms.
Sand is best for keeping everything dry, think "beach." I have sand in all my pens, coops and some of the nest boxes. Sand dries quickly after it rains and doesnt wash away like dirt or mud. There are no nasty mud puddles for birds to drink out of. Sand also deters parasites.
Deep litter is a hot bed for capillary worms, especially if you live in a warm/humid climate.

 

[Saraschickens]

I'm not sure about the second round of mash, but when treating gapeworm or capillary worms with the five day treatment at full strength no repeat is needed after the five day run.
For getting rid of them in the environment, it's nearly impossible. Most of the species eggs (they have a very tough coating/shell) are very resistant to chemicals of all kinds, the meds kill the worms but not the eggs, which is why one treatment dose isn't enough, the treatments kill the worms in the birds, so repeat treatments are needed to get the eggs that continue to hatch, until they are all gotten. Burning the ground will work, but it's not really doable for most set ups (this is why in rural agricultural areas field burning is common every year). Rotating pastures/ground can help, but again for many that isn't doable either because of space or structures that can't move. So keep droppings cleaned up as well as you can, keep bedding and shavings etc as dry as possible. Deep litter works, but only if it stays dry. In an open run that gets wet a lot or stays wet, it will be a stinky mess. To truly control worms when they are in your environment the best way to deal with it is to worm regularly. Roundworm eggs can survive 10 years in laboratory conditions, and at least several years in even very harsh winter environments. If you worm monthly for several years, you may be able to get rid of them, or reduce the load. But every time a bird gets infected they shed 1000's of eggs in their droppings into the environment again. And wild birds can bring them in too the same way. I would just keep things as clean as you reasonably can without making yourself crazy, use feeders to discourage them eating off the ground (you will never stop them scratching around and finding things), keep feeders and waterers clean, and worm regularly for the type and load you have. Some people can do once or twice a year and that's enough, some will have to do more often, every flock and every environment is different. For some worms, like tapeworm, an intermediary host (cockroaches, earthworms, slugs, etc) is needed, so getting rid of, or reducing, the numbers of that host can help.

Thank you, thank you! That's so helpful! I really appreciate all the information!

 

[Saraschickens]

That's outstanding information that @coach723 put out for you.
Additionally, keeping everything as dry as possible goes a long way in preventing birds getting worms.
Sand is best for keeping everything dry, think "beach." I have sand in all my pens, coops and some of the nest boxes. Sand dries quickly after it rains and doesnt wash away like dirt or mud. There are no nasty mud puddles for birds to drink out of. Sand also deters parasites.
Deep litter is a hot bed for capillary worms, especially if you live in a warm/humid climate.
View attachment 3717368

Thank you so much! Ok, great to know! I live in California, and it's super dry here. We're officially out of the 4 year drought, but we're still waiting to see a good rain, lol! My dirt is definitely very sandy where I'm at, but very good to know about the sand. I will definitely be implementing Coach723's knowledge and yours as well! Thank you!

 

[Saraschickens]

Hi! I have a question to anyone who may understand the dosing of Safeguard.
So, I see that the dose can be .23 ml per pound of bird, for 1, 3, or 5 days depending on the type of worm. And again 10-14 days later, unless a 5 day dose was given.
In my case, (my bantam coop) at 127.4 lbs of flock weight, equals 29.302 ml of Safeguard (per day).
But, in the 5 day mash, with the equation given, 127.4 lbs of flock weight, came out to 0.5790909091 ml (rounded up to .60 ml) per day, times 5 days, equals 3 ml, altogether.
I just wanted to understand how the dose of 3 ml total over 5 days can be as effective as almost 30 ml in 1 day? (And as many as 5 doses/days of 30 ml = 150 ml total.)
Does anyone understand how that works?

At that rate, wouldn't a dose of 30 ml in the mash make more sense than 3 ml? Otherwise, if the 3 ml is effective, then it makes more sense to be savvy, and make the Safeguard last a lot longer? I kind of figured, if I was wondering about this, that others might be wondering the same thing.
Thank you so much to anyone who understands and is willing to explain!
-Sara
(I wrote this comment in another thread, but I thought this might also be a good place to ask it.)