WAZEN and eating eggs

[ChickEchick]

I have been told to worm my Chickens every 4 months with Wazen. OK! I mix one Tablespoon in their Gallon Drinker and leave it for a couple of days and then rinse the drinker and call it done. I only have a couple of chickens......

Questions -
Is this strictly necessary? I have seen no evidence of worms and didn't worm them at all for the first year I had them. I've wormed them a total of 4 times now - over this last year - they are "due" again in May.

How long should I wait to eat the eggs? I've read I can never eat the eggs again - Mind you I've been eating the eggs the whole time - never had any issues. I certainly don't have worms.....

Thoughts?

Thank you!

 

[MrsBrooke]

Wazine is good for round worms but doesn't treat for ALL worms. Only Valbazen does that.

Mixing a wormer in their water isn't a great idea... It can settle and lose its efficacy over time, and you have no way of knowing which bird is getting how much, if any.

When you worm, it's a better idea to dose each bird individually via oral administration with a syringe, so you know *precisely* how much each is getting.

The presence of worms may not be indicated by their poops. If you see a bird pass a worm, they have a very heavy internal parasite load. Most of the time, you won't see worms at all... But will see a lethargic, hunched chicken that can't keep weight on.

I personally worm about every six months... or as needed if it's particularly rainy and warm.

Only you can decide what is best for your flock. Some people have a strict regimen for their birds, some NEVER worm, and some swear by natural oils and what not. Your mileage may vary!

I hope that helps!

MrsB

 

[ChickEchick]

Thank you!

I think I might look into a more natural method - Oils or some such at least then I don't have to worry about what might be in the eggs!

 

[MrsBrooke]

Make sure you do your research and look for efficacy of oils on worms.

(That's almost a trick statement - ou won't find many results, because it doesn't really work, though some people swear by them... until their birds are overburdened with parasites, and they just can't figure out why feeding pumpkin seeds and oregano extract with ACV and garlic in the water didn't work.)

In the end, all we can do is make the best choices we can for our flock. I totally get where you're coming from with not wanting to use harsh chemicals... but if I turned up with a worm, I'd be on my way to the doc to get a prescription to kill it. I wouldn't dabble in essential oils in the *hope* that it worked.

Good luck!

MrsB