Should I de-worm?

[TheOddOneOut]

I have 6 hens, all are 2 years old. Different breeds. I have one hen with some chronic issues, but other than that, I have a healthy, happy backyard flock. I do not consider myself a noob at all, however, there is ALWAYS more to learn. And I have never de-wormed before. I always thought it was a “we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it” thing - if you see symptoms, de-worm!

But I have seen no symptoms.
And NOW I’m wondering…should I just do it anyways? Is that a thing? I’ve seen people talk about de-worming just to be safe and I admit, I was a bit bewildered. Why de-worm if you see no evidence of worms?
But hey, I want what’s best for my birds. So I just want opinions.

 

[dawg53]

If their feet touch the ground, they'll get worms.
You wont normally see evidence of worms. Why would a parasite want to leave its host?

 

[TheOddOneOut]

If their feet touch the ground, they'll get worms.
You wont normally see evidence of worms. Why would a parasite want to leave its host?

Hmm.
On one hand, I get what you are saying. It’s definitely possible they have worms. But on the other hand…I check their weight, droppings, everything..I have seen 0 evidence of internal parasites.
So with that in mind…is there reason to spend time and money on dewormers if I can only speculate about whether they have worms?

 

[dawg53]

Gather fresh fecal samples from several of your birds and put it in a ziplock bag. Then take it to a vet and have them look at it under a microscope for worm eggs. Then you'll know for sure. It shouldnt cost much.