The majority of my flock is three years old and I have never wormed them. I have been looking for evidence of worms in all the gross places for the past few weeks and have not seen a single worm of any type. However, some of the girls are feeling thin to me so I think I will take the plunge and give them some type of wormer. I have read NUMEROUS posts on this subject to find the best solution and everyone has different advice. Not sure what to do at this point. Since I have not seen worms of any type, what is the best course for now? I don't want to give up several weeks' worth of eggs if I don't have to. Yes, I have read about all of the "natural" methods and would prefer to use them, however if they do have worms I want to get them taken care of and then use some of the other methods in between. I'm a believer in both types of medicine. All that being said, since I don't know what I'm up against worm-wise since I have not spotted any, what is your advice? Based on some of the posts, I am thinking Wazine then Ivermectin, both followed by the dietary goodies that should follow to right their gut. Will that take care of whatever they might have?
I'd slow this down a bit. You need more information. Is the only reason you want to worm because a couple of your hens "feel a bit thin?" Do you have any records of their weights over time? If you're dead set on worming your flock, then I'm sure you'll get the right advice from BYC members. I'm just bit reluctant on how you arrived at the decision to worm your flock. Dan
Dan, No, I do not have a record of their weight. Honestly, they are my backyard pet flock who provides us with eggs. I have not made a practice of weighing. Because I have never wormed them I thought it might be a good idea. I have read many many many posts here about worming and many folks make it a practice to worm every spring or have another such schedule. But everyone has their own opinion on what to use. Even though I have not seen any worms some of the girls are feeling thin(based on my opinion when I hold them) plus I have a few that have dirty backsides which made me wonder if there was something going on there. All seem healthy to me. "Im not a new chicken owner and have had birds for many years- when I was a teen and now have them as an adult. I would prefer not to medicate if I don't have to but after reading a zillion worming posts it seems that many folks worm routinely. Many said that if you actually SEE worms you have an infestation. guess I 'm trying to avoid getting to that point.
"Dirty backsides" sounds more like lice than like worms. I suggest collecting poop samples from your flock (not just one bird, but a sample from a number of them; not separate samples) and take it to any vet, asking for a faecal float test to see what is any internal parasites your animals have. Then you can actually treat appropriately.
All I have to say is Diatomaceous Earth! (the food grade kind) It works wonders, and it's all natural so it won't hurt any of your birds that may not have worms. I just mix it in with the scratch until it's coated in the powder, and feed it to them. The very first time I used it, about a year ago, one day after giving it to them, I saw my hen poop out a bunch of worms, and the next day again. (Pretty Gross!) And just to prove that it works, a few weeks ago, I noticed some worms in my dog's poop, so I immediately started mixing DE in with his food. Well, last week he had his yearly vet visit, and low and behold, his stool sample came back NEGATIVE! So in my opinion, DE is the way to go. You can actually just mix it in with their food all the time to prevent them from getting worms. It won't harm them. You can also use it to dust your chickens, and their coops, and your yard for that matter. If you'd like to read up about it go to earthworkshealth.com. It will tell you everything you need to know, and they sell it for a reasonable price. I hope this helps!
Gypsy, Yes, I have used DE for the past two years but didn't get any this summer. If you read many of the worming posts DE is so controversial. Some say it won't take care of worms if you already have them. I believe in prevention and "natural" methods whenever possible and would prefer to use those instead of anything else but with all of the "experts" here at BYC giving a zillion different pieces of advice I'm not sure what to do! Don't get me wrong. I have turned to this sight many-a -time for various things and appreciate everyone's expertise, however, like I said, the whole worm thing pretty heated. I will check into the lice issue. Thanks.
It's a simple microscopic exam (and shouldn't cost much) to have your Vet check the poo for worms. So, why not take a sample from several areas in the coop/run and take it in for examination? If the Doc says he/she sees no worms, don't worm them. If there are worms, Doc can tell you what type. Your Vet can advise you on the correct worm meds - just tell him/her you prefer to purchase it at the feed store. Nobody wants to give up eggs and nobody really wants to treat perfectly healthy birds, either. If yours do have worms, however, I believe the sensible approach is to use the chemical wormers prescribed by Vets and recommended by the poultry experts. They are fast-acting and give 100% results. The same can't be said for the "natural" remedies.
Well, I'll wade into this one. I wormed mine for the same reason the OP has concerns. I noticed a definite weight loss among the girls, by looks, feel and weight when picking them up. No scales for numbers but we could all tell the difference. I used Wazine followed by Ivermectin. Yes. lost a month of eggs to us but fed them right back to the girls. By the end of the month we could see weight gain coming back; after eight weeks, they really looked good and just seemed happier. They have not lost any weight since returning to their sizes before the worming. Good luck.
DE is fine for what it's fine for, i.e. killing bugs that may get into feed or the nest boxes or on the birds, but if you see worms or have good reason to believe they have a worm load that is making them lose weight, go for the most effective treatment to nip the problem in the bud. I use natural preventatives like pumpkin seeds on occasion, but those really just keep the worm load down to a manageable level-a healthy bird can handle a small worm load okay. When you see worms, it's time for the big guns.
Quote:The original post and the copied post are what I would go with... and this is where I am right now also (even as far as feeding the eggs back to the flock) . After finishing with this I will use DE as a preventative. After looking at all the many posts, this is the conclusion I came to. Hope this works for all of us.
