RootandRoost
Chirping
I have 30 chickens. I think they might have tapeworms. I'm familiar with tapeworms in cats and dogs and that is what I *think* I'm seeing. This may seem like an odd time for tapeworms, but we've been very warm overall here. Insects abound.
I have read several threads here. (Thank you to everyone who so kindly helps others with your experience, advice, and knowledge!)
Last week I treated each chicken with Equimax. I'm not getting many eggs right now, which is common for us at this time of year. I am tossing the very few that we get. I will treat with Equimax again next week.
Here's the thing....
I work outside the home and can't clean up every poop in their coop, covered pen, and 120'x25' yard.
They have "poop" boards under their roosts. I scoop those every morning before work. I use Sweet PDZ on the poop boards. I clean their coop 3 or 4 times a year, as in replacing bedding and nesting box material, etc.
After the tapeworm discovery, I started laying cardboard on top of the poop boards/Sweet PDZ during the day after scooping the poop in case any chicken would want to scratch through and look for tapeworms that may have fallen from the poop that I scooped. Then remove the cardboard at night.
Is it really necessary to kill all insects on our property? And here I've been giving them the insects that I find while gardening--grubs and whatnot. Extra protein, I thought. For years.
I feel like I've done everything wrong and don't know how to correct it.
I have large gardens. I add their droppings/bedding to new garden beds to breakdown in place for a few months before using the beds for veggie production. Their poop and bedding is EVERYWHERE in the garden. Along with tapeworms, I guess. There's no way to fix that now.
I can't imagine using a broad spectrum pesticide on my gardens either. I try to keep the good guys (ladybugs and others) alive to help keep the aphids and such in check in an organic way.
The chickens don't seem ill. None of them.
Can tapeworms get into their eggs? Because we've been eating them all along until the Equimax treatment.
Normally, beginning towards the end of February I sell their eggs and their egg money pays for their feed. Is this even safe now? What if I can't get rid of the tapeworms?
It's very overwhelming. IF I had a couple of hens that were simply pets, maybe. But 30 is a lot. (They do all have names and are well loved btw.)
Any advice? Thank you.
I have read several threads here. (Thank you to everyone who so kindly helps others with your experience, advice, and knowledge!)
Last week I treated each chicken with Equimax. I'm not getting many eggs right now, which is common for us at this time of year. I am tossing the very few that we get. I will treat with Equimax again next week.
Here's the thing....
I work outside the home and can't clean up every poop in their coop, covered pen, and 120'x25' yard.
They have "poop" boards under their roosts. I scoop those every morning before work. I use Sweet PDZ on the poop boards. I clean their coop 3 or 4 times a year, as in replacing bedding and nesting box material, etc.
After the tapeworm discovery, I started laying cardboard on top of the poop boards/Sweet PDZ during the day after scooping the poop in case any chicken would want to scratch through and look for tapeworms that may have fallen from the poop that I scooped. Then remove the cardboard at night.
Is it really necessary to kill all insects on our property? And here I've been giving them the insects that I find while gardening--grubs and whatnot. Extra protein, I thought. For years.
I feel like I've done everything wrong and don't know how to correct it.
I have large gardens. I add their droppings/bedding to new garden beds to breakdown in place for a few months before using the beds for veggie production. Their poop and bedding is EVERYWHERE in the garden. Along with tapeworms, I guess. There's no way to fix that now.
I can't imagine using a broad spectrum pesticide on my gardens either. I try to keep the good guys (ladybugs and others) alive to help keep the aphids and such in check in an organic way.
The chickens don't seem ill. None of them.
Can tapeworms get into their eggs? Because we've been eating them all along until the Equimax treatment.
Normally, beginning towards the end of February I sell their eggs and their egg money pays for their feed. Is this even safe now? What if I can't get rid of the tapeworms?
It's very overwhelming. IF I had a couple of hens that were simply pets, maybe. But 30 is a lot. (They do all have names and are well loved btw.)
Any advice? Thank you.