San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I deworm mine once a year. Everyone who owns chickens should.

 

[crazy huhn]

Quote:
I do get the picture, but there is no way that what you see is what you think it is.... I have a feeling that you might have a parasite problem in your chickens digestive system. Even though you may just have seen the occasional one, it does not mean that there are not more. I remember you mentioned that you were feeding redworms or grubs and those will carry parasites and will pass it to your chickens. That was another big reason for me to breed my own mealworms just to have a safe source of protein for my chickens. Of course they do free range and they eat bugs, but at least I can minimize the risk.
You mentioned that you only have two chickens at this point. If you like to come over and get some dewormer for your girls, just give me a call, because I seriously doubt it that what you see are non-digested mealworms.

Flower: I will be more than happy to get your chickens some mealworms. Just let me know..... (haha, was just thinking of something {evil me

}: I just had a movie producer asking me if I would be able to provide enough worms to fill up an entire car....... maybe that is what we should do with your neighbor......)

Hi! Yes I got some others saying the same thing. It's my inexperiance! I've been checking today and her poo is fine. A little mucus but that may be normal according to pictures I checked out. Both they're vents are nice and clean and they're eating and drinking great. I will continue to check her poo.
Thank you so much for the offer. Some of the things I've read have said to treat all your birds for worms just for health reasons. What do you think?

Dee

I am absolutely not a fan of chemicals, but in your case, if you have never dewormed your birds, you probably should do it now, especially because you have seen "something". The bad part is, that you have to toss the eggs away for about 2 weeks and you need to deworm again after about 7 to 10 days to kill all the worms/larvae/parasite eggs. But better that than loosing a bird due to parasites. It is always recommended to treat all your birds. Just because you do not see worms in your birds droppings does not mean that they do not have them. I usually start with "Wazine" first and after 10 days use something different like "Ivermectin" or "Valbazen". Unfortunately the so called "organic" dewormers have not been proofed to be sufficient (do a search on BYC here and see what "threehorses" has posted on these issues).
If you do not want to do it now, you can also take a fecal sample to a vet to determine what you are up against. That will not be very expensive (last time I did that it was about $12). There will always be parasite eggs in the sample, so you want them to do an egg count to find out how severe your problem is and to treat with the appropriate medication.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Quote:
X2

 

[dfdesigns]

What about using (food grade) diatomaceous earth? That's what I give my horses in lieu of chemical wormers, and their fecals are worm free. It's safe for humans, animals, etc...

I've got to say that my chickens went NUTS for Huhn's worms, too; it was like I had chicken crack! They wouldn't leave me alone...

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

DE is a preventative... not a cure once the already have it. They will need an actual dewormer.


Same with pumpkin seeds, cayenne pepper, and everything else that people use.

 

[dfdesigns]

Why not? (Not being argumentative - just curious!) The sharp edges of the DE slice open the worms whether they're inside or out, right?

This is from dirtworks.com, where I buy my DE:

Livestock:
All livestock, Horses, Cows, Pigs, Sheep, Goats, Rabbits, Chickens and others will benefit from the use of Diatomaceous Earth. It is completely safe and nontoxic.
Benefits

Feeding Rates

* Control of fleas and ticks,
* Stimulates basic metabolism,
* Converts feed better,
* Reduces odor and moisture in barns and stalls, results in better coat and hoof condition,
* Keeps fly larvae from developing in manure, noticeably reducing the fly population,
* Reduces annual vet bills,
* Controls worms and internal parasites without chemicals,
* Better egg production, stronger eggs, and reduces overall animal stress.



* Cows/Horses get 1-2 oz per day
* Sheep/Goats/Hogs get 1/2 oz per day
* Cats get 1/2 teaspoon per day
* Large Cats - 1 teaspoon
* Kittens - 1/4 teaspoon
* Dog 100 lbs + - 2 tablespoon
* 50 - 100lbs - 1 tablespoon
* Under 50 lbs - 1 teaspoons
* Mini dogs - 1/2 teaspoon

Feed Grade Diatomaceous Earth can be mixed right in with the animals feed for deworming Feed once and check stool for parasites the following afternoon or next day. Collect stool when you find it and discard it safely. It can contain eggs and partially dead worms that can re-infect your pet or any other animal that comes by to smell it. They can infect you too so, wear gloves when handling animal manure of any kind. If you suspect that your lawn and property may be a source of parasites, you can mix DE with dry sand and apply it like fertilizer to your lawn areas. Wear a dust mask and don't do it on a windy day. Water it in after application. DE does not adversely effect earth worms.

Feed again if worms are still present in the stool. If you continue to experience problems with parasite infestation, you'll need to put some thought into where they might originate Another dog or place where they hang out can often be the source.

For daily maintenance on cats and dogs, cut portion by half. Small dogs and special breeds can be sensitive to any change in diet. Use common sense and consult with your vet if you have any concerns or questions.

For Chickens and other livestock you need to weight the feed and add 2% of that weight in Diatomaceous Earth Your livestock will also get the benefit of over 14 trace minerals that make up Diatomaceous Earth.

Stored Grain:
Just add 7-10 lbs. of Diatomaceous Earth to each ton of grain as it is conveyed into the storage. When added to grain, Diatomaceous Earth kills the bugs that are present, and protect the grain from further invasions. Bugs can not become immune and they are killed by physical action, not chemical.

Diatomaceous Earth is the primary active ingredient in these products to control numerous pests, particularly, ants, fleas and ticks.
You can rub this into your dog or cat's fur it's so safe. Insects cannot become immune to it because, it's a mechanical insect killer, not a chemical. Insects come in contact with this powder and die of dehydration within about 48 hours of contact. Safe for use in kitchens, on carpets and in the area where your pet sleeps. Diatomaceous Earth has been used in Asia to control insects for 400 years.
If you feed the fossil shell flower on a regular basis to your livestock, and use neem oil mixed with our natural pet soap when cleaning your animals, you can cut the fly population in your barn or shed by more than half. Your animals will be very thankful and your time in the barn will be a lot more pleasant.

 

[crazy huhn]

Quote:
Yeah, I have warned you....you will get mobbed.......

Glad to hear that your chickies are no exception.

I do use the food grade DE as well and love it. However, I personally think that DE is better to prevent and/or control parasites in chickens and other animals, but not effective fast enough if you have a severe problem. For that reason I would go the steps I have mentioned above.

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
I love a good discussion:

Yep it works on everything including humans. But... you have to look at the parasite lifecycle. For instance with horses (my own personal experience) the worms start out as flies they lay eggs that are ingested either by the horse scratching their hair or by eating infected grass. The Egg turn into a larva... or worm and lives within the body till its life cycle is time to go through the next stage. Whereupon it travels out through the poo to finish pupating and becoming what ever insect started the whole process.

Unfortunately the worms dont necessarily live in the intestinal tract all the time.... Some migrate to and fro through the muscles taking nurishment as they go. The Diatoms slice and dice the insect inside the gut but not in the body. So the DE works somewhat in the body and when it passes on through to the maneur it does a wonderful job there which is where it really does the work as an insecticide because now the worms are pupating or turning into insects which have hard shelld carpaces that are vulnerable to the DE. The poo dries or better yet gets composted and its removed from the lifecycle of what ever nsect.

Best to have a good modest worming program to back this all up. With the horse I get a once a year fecal worm count. and worm accordingly. But with chickens I would think it wise to de worm on a schedule to back up the DE. Especially if you havent wormed in quite a while or if you are bringing home new flock members who might carry their own flora and fauna.

this is just my opinion

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

DE is Diatomaceous Earth -- but because the chickens may eat it, you must ONLY use food grade (not the stuff you can buy at the pool supply store for cleaning your pool). Diatomceous Earth is the silicious skeleton of small sea creatures (their skeletons are made of silica, not carbonate like ours). The theory is that it is a mechanical insecticide -- meaning that either the surficial tension of the testes (skeletons) attract the bugs and removes them from the chicken or that it simply acts as like a dust bath and mechanically washes them off. BUT it does NOT kill them -- only a chemical can do that. If you use DE the mites will just climb back on. There is nothing about a diatom test that is lethal Amorphous DE kills, primarily, by adsorption of lipids from the waxy outer layer of the chitinous exoskeletons of nasty ectoparasites. It is very common for both the `marketeers' and users to confuse the primary mechanism of ADE with that of crystalline DE (kills insects primarily by mechanical action -cutting them up - why indiscriminate use by humans can result in silicosis). DE (abrasion) and ADE (adsorption of lipids) both result in desiccaction leading to death in insects. However, whereas DE's action ends with the death (friction/cutting/sans bug), ADE's action, adsorption of lipids, continues after the death of the insect. Several `sorptive dusts' possess this property. This subject has come up over and over.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=294680&p=2 Post #20
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=295586&p=2 Post #20, 22

Overall, ADE is a relatively effective, relatively benign insecticide/desiccant. The effectiveness is dependent on relative humidity (the higher the less effective), surface area of the body and thickness of cuticle. So, Slow death by desiccation (dehydration); some insects more intolerant to the action than others.

Bad infestations require something like Adams spray/Eprinex (tea tree oil can be used on roosts but not directly on chooks - as effective an acaricide as Eprinex, but toxic if applied directly on chooks).​

 

[perchie.girl]

Quote:
Tobacco is also a decent wormer. The Gal that taught me to ride used to feed a pack of non filter cigarettes to her horses about once every six months. She was very old school made her own salves Had had boarding stables all over the world. I wanted to make sure passing on this info wasnt just her idea of a wormer so I keyed in Tobacco and wormer and found this:

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Sustainable-Farming/1977-03-01/Worm-Your-Livestock-With-Snuff.aspx

Pretty interesting stuff out there if you look for it. By the way unless an organic is specified for chickens DO NOT USE it. Tobacco may be fine for horses and cows but it may kill chickens. Even Organic remedies can be dangerous so know what your using and what the dosage should be.