What is De worming your chickens?

[BJ677]

I am a new chicken owner and I have 6. They are about 11 months old and so far it's going great. How exactly do you de worm your chickens? I've heard about diatomaceous earth, is that the best way to go? How much for just 6 chickens and how many times a year? And do chickens always get worms? Is it bad that you never de worm your chickens?

 

[redsoxs]

Greetings from Kansas, BJ67, and

! Great to have you aboard! There are quite a few folks who never worm their birds....and there are some who swear by it as keeping a healthy flock. Below is a link that talks about worms and at the bottom of the article are links about how to worm and with what products.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/internal-parasites-parasitic-worms-in-chickens
On the topic of diatomaceous earth, again, many swear by it's effectiveness while some say it does no good whatsoever. You can type DE into the BYC search box and read for opinions from proponents and detractors alike.
You might like to also visit the Learning Center - it is packed with great articles for the new chicken keeper: https://www.backyardchickens.com/atype/1/Learning_Center
And if you'd like to visit with poultry folks from your neck of the woods, find your state thread in the link below and say howdy:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/f/26/where-am-i-where-are-you
Best wishes to you and your flock and thanks for joining BYC!

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi and welcome to BYC - you have some great advice and links already so I'll just say hello!

All the best
CT

 

[drumstick diva]

I have never found DE to be good for anything - some folks agree, some do not. Some folks worm routinely. Others get a stool check first and worm only if positive and with the right type of wormer for the particular parasite.

Welcome to Backyard chickens.

 

[Teila]

G’Day from down under BJ677

Welcome!

Deworming chickens was a Topic of the Week and you might also find this thread helpful: https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/1136000/topic-of-the-week-deworming-chickens

I hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

If you would like to share pictures and stories of your flock, you have come to the right place. BYC’ers never tire of these and do not back away slowly or commence eye rolling when the photo album or home videos come out

 

[minihorse927]

Dewormer options vary and so do opinions! DE has been shown to cause silicosis of the lungs in animals it is being fed to. I personally would not use it at all without lots of research so you can make your own decision.

I personally we work my flock twice a year unless I see something then I will dose them all again.

 

[N F C]

Looks like you've been given plenty of links to check out so I'll just say hello and thanks for joining us!