Topic of the Week - Deworming chickens

[Fancychooklady]

In the US, many people do yearly wellness exams. Lol, the various vets I use send reminders via postcard or email saying "your pet X is due for his/her yearly check up".

-Kathy

I guess there's a ' market ' for everything. Considering the majority of vets aren't specialised in avian medicine I would be a little skeptical about that. You don't go to a gynaecologist for a tooth ache. We have an Equine vet for our 10 horses , an Avian vet in case of chicken emergency or disease and a regular old 'farm visit ' vet for our cattle and goats. For the cats and dogs it's a trip into town to the regular vet.

 

[KernH]

I bought a crystal from a metaphysical shop... makes one bulletproof... never been shot in 10 years... it works...

Very appropriate statement! I am smiling from ear to ear. I have a friend that golfs twice as much as I do and has never gotten a hole in one. I have gotten three. I use Callaway clubs and he uses TaylorMade. If he used Callaway clubs he would have more holes in one even though he is a 20 handicap and I am an eight handicap and am really lucky. Kern

 

[casportpony]

All my animals get a yearly check. Chickens are only ones that don't. Dogs and cats have not had worms for last 7 years or so. Vet always sends a notice. There are several other things that help keep chickens healthy and they are called Herbs and the oil from them placed in water helps also. I will continue using DE and other organic products. If it works leave it alone.

One cannot know if it's working or not unless you have routine fecals done. Please show me one properly documented study that shows that any of these products people use are effective.

-Kathy

 

[Ravynscroft]

One cannot know if it's working or not unless you have routine fecals done. Please show me one properly documented study that shows that any of these products people use are effective.

-Kathy

Kathy, aren't most worms genre specific? I know that mammals and poultry get similar types, like roundworms, capillary, etc... but aren't they usually different families (?) for poultry than mammals get?

*sorry if I got my families, groups, or species terms mixed*

My point is, aren't most worms poultry get not ones that mammals would get and vice versa?

 

[casportpony]

One cannot know if it's working or not unless you have routine fecals done. Please show me one properly documented study that shows that any of these products people use are effective.

-Kathy

Kathy, aren't most worms genre specific? I know that mammals and poultry get similar types, like roundworms, capillary, etc... but aren't they usually different families (?) for poultry than mammals get?

*sorry if I got my families, groups, or species terms mixed*

My point is, aren't most worms poultry get not ones that mammals would get and vice versa?

You are correct. There might be a few exceptions, but chickens get chicken worms, not dog, cat, horse, cattle, or goat worms.

-Kathy

 

[Ravynscroft]

You are correct. There might be a few exceptions, but chickens get chicken worms, not dog, cat, horse, cattle, or goat worms.

-Kathy

Thanks, Kathy! I thought I remembered reading that in all your in depth and amazing research...

My happy, thriving, now worm-free flock thanks you for all that you do for our community!!

 

[Fancychooklady]

One cannot know if it's working or not unless you have routine fecals done. Please show me one properly documented study that shows that any of these products people use are effective.

-Kathy

Absolutely! One cannot assume that because the vet hasn't advised you to have a fecal test done that your animals are worm free. Vets are only human , they can only act on the information you give them.
I don't do fecals as it would be far more expensive for me to do so, than just have a practical worming regime. Most people are happy to worm their kids, dogs ,cats , horses etc, but struggle with the concept that their chickens need to be wormed. They feed from the ground and pick through poop, of course they are going to pick up parasites.

 

[Pyxis]

Been using DE for about 7 years now and Vet has yet to say use worm med. in other words no worms found. that is in all my animals and birds. I use DE in feed every day it is mixed in each time I open a new bag. So I will stick with what I know that works.

Just FYI DE doesn't even work when ingested. To work it needs to be dry. It's not dry once it's eaten. It kills bugs by drying out their exoskeleton and absorbing fats and oils from the cuticle of the insect's exoskeleton. It is ONLY effective if it remains dry and undisturbed.

If you were thinking it was absorbed into the bloodstream when eaten and was killing worms that way, that's also not the case. When eaten, only a trace amount is absorbed. The rest is rapidly excreted.

Additionally, it is abrasive and has sharp edges, which can help speed up the above process. You may be thinking that perhaps when the chickens eat it then it cuts up the worms and kills them that way. Well, if that was the case, it would also be cutting up the chicken's digestive systems as it passes through. This obviously doesn't happen, and if it did, it would be doing more harm than good. It will do nothing for worms.

You're lucky you've had no problems (that you know of), but it's not the DE that's preventing or killing them.

Additionally, DE can actually be a bit of an irritant. If the chickens breathe it in, it can irritate their nasal passages. If it gets on their skin, it can cause irritation and dryness. Of course, it can also irritate the eyes.

Sources to back all this up:

http://equusmagazine.com/article/diatomaceous-earth-dewormer-15880

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/degen.html#howwork

That top one is written by a veterinarian.

 

[Isay Willow]

How does the Vet make money? They charge for visits and they charge a high price for the meds they want you to buy. I will continue doing what I am doing. If I were a Vet I would do what they are doing.

 

[casportpony]

How does the Vet make money? They charge for visits and they charge a high price for the meds they want you to buy. I will continue doing what I am doing. If I were a Vet I would do what they are doing.

Keep doing what you're doing, but maybe consider having routine fecal done on your poultry, 'cause the all the DE and herbs in the world are unlikely to keep them parasite free.

-Kathy