Sponsored Post Why should you care about worms in your birds? What can you do about them?

[junebuggena]

I am even more confused now. in both, US and EU people eat eggs. I wonder if it is all about politics and money making...

btw, a vet from the veterinary pharmacy told me that doxycycline and tylan given together would heal almost any chicken disease. do you know anything about that?

Considering that most poultry illnesses are caused by viruses, those medications would not help much. They are effective only against bacterias. Chickens that contract a virus and survive infection usually become life-long carriers, able to infect other birds.

 

[chickengr]

Considering that most poultry illnesses are caused by viruses, those medications would not help much. They are effective only against bacterias. Chickens that contract a virus and survive infection usually become life-long carriers, able to infect other birds.

viruses usually are followed by secondary bacterial infections. that is where the antibiotics help. I hate to use them but have no choice with chickens.

 

[casportpony]

viruses usually are followed by secondary bacterial infections. that is where the antibiotics help. I hate to use them but have no choice with chickens.

There are also plenty of non-viral diseases.

 

[janz70]

Point 9 is just advertising a product, there are many other products out there but you dont seem to mention them!

In the UK we have layers feed that has Flubenvet pre mixed in it - makes worming so easy

A 20kg bag will feed 20 chickens for 1 week (the recommend period) here a link for some info https://www.farmandpetplace.co.uk/p...llets-with-flubenvet-chicken-wormer-20kg.html

 

[janz70]

Does anybody use vinegar to acidify their drinking water - reportedly good for preventiion

 

[chickengr]

Does anybody use vinegar to acidify their drinking water - reportedly good for preventiion

I do from time to time. I still have problems with worms. all the chickens where I live have the same problem.

 

[Bluechick2u]

I have not seen them I just started off doing that to prevent getting them in the first place. I have a lot of wild birds that eat from my chicken area as well, and they all get DE every so often, if they decide they to eat here. I do it regularly every few months. Maybe I have been lucky. Hope that helps.

Just to let you know, Ive always used DE in the coop, nesting boxes and food, and mites invaded this year first time despite all the DE, they totally ignore it.

 

[Birdinhand]

I have switched to a nipple waterer and use the deep mulch method and only muck out once a year and so far, no signs of worms. I'm on my third year of this approach. when I clean out the deep mulch I send it through an insulated tumbler composter made by Joraform, it raises the temp to near sterilization temps and renders the compost parasite and weed seed free.

 

[AmberAggie]

Nine ways to help prevent parasites in your flock

Taking proactive steps to minimize internal parasites is easier than treating sick birds.​

View attachment 1032872​

Lancaster, Pa. [May XX, 2017] – Do you find yourself throwing away eggs after treating your flock for internal parasites? Although it’s nearly impossible to keep your chickens completely worm-free year-round, proper management can help prevent parasite issues in your flock.

Why should you care about worms in your birds?

Worm, or parasite, infestations can cause poor growth, decreased egg production and in severe cases, death. Internal parasites can also make a flock more susceptible to diseases or make existing diseases worse.

Backyard birds can easily ingest internal parasite eggs while scratching the ground and foraging for bugs, including snails, slugs, grasshoppers, ants and earthworms. Insects can also harbour parasite eggs, which infect your birds when ingested.

If your birds are not behaving normally and seem distant from the rest of the flock, it could be a sign of parasites causing illness. Pay close attention to your birds for additional symptoms of internal parasites:

 Appetite loss

 Weight loss

 Watery droppings

 Dehydration

 Hens stop laying

 Separation from the rest of the flock

 Balance and coordination loss due to weakness

 Poor feather quality

 Dull combs, wattles and eyes

1 Tellez, G., Pixley, C., Wolfenden, R.E., Layton, S.L., Hargis, B.M., 2011. Probiotics/direct fed microbials for

Salmonella control in poultry. Food Research International. 45(2012):628-633.

While parasite infections can be serious, being proactive can help prevent parasites from ever
becoming an issue. Here are nine ways to help keep your birds happy, healthy and parasite-free:

1. Avoid overcrowding – Give birds plenty of room to be comfortable. Overcrowding can cause an abundance of germs in a small area.

2. Clean coops at least once a week – Cleaning and adding fresh bedding prevents infected droppings from accumulating.

3. Avoid introducing infested chickens to the flock – Purchase your chickens as newborn
chicks. If you purchase adult birds, quarantine them for a minimum of two weeks to monitor their health and assess for potential disease and parasite symptoms. 2

4. Avoid giving feed or treats on the ground – Ground pecking for feed and treats increases
the risk of your flock consuming parasitic bugs and encountering droppings from contaminated birds.

5. Keep chickens off freshly tilled ground – Chickens love to eat bugs and freshly tilled ground turns up insects possibly hosting parasite eggs. Keeping your flock away from freshly tilled areas can help limit their exposure to an overabundance of tasty bugs.

6. Keep wild birds away from your flock – Wild birds could be infected with parasites and shed parasite eggs through their droppings.

7. Use integrated pest management (IPM) practices to control insect populations – IPM practices are an eco-friendly way to eliminate or control factors required for pests to survive.

8. Test and sanitize drinking water – One sick bird can infect the rest of the flock simply by contaminating the waterers. Test and sanitise the water, and keep waterers and feeders cleaned to help control or reduce the chance of spreading infection.

9. Target worms – Use an all-natural supplement to help breakdown the natural defences of intestinal worms and their eggs. This makes parasites more susceptible to attack by the bird’s immune system, stomach acids and bacteria in the gut.

Naturally preventing diseases before they start is the best strategy to support the immune system of your birds, prevent expensive, time-consuming veterinarian visits and maintain a happy, healthy flock. For more information about poultry health, visit http://www.dbcagproducts.com and “like” the HealthyFlock Face Book page.

2 Agriculture Victoria. 2011. Quarantine advice for small poultry flocks. [Accessed April 24, 2017].
http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/agric...ry/quarantine-advice-for-small-poultry-flocks

DBC Ag Products delivers innovative, natural solutions that target intestinal health to overcome animal agriculture’s toughest challenges. Its unique, proprietary formulas focus on the optimal combination of new and proven technologies to prevent disease, save animals, improve feed utilization and deliver profitable results to customers. The Backyard Chicken® Health Pack, including Zyfend® A, has been successfully used for over 30 years in daily heath programs at modern operations, including organic-certified and natural-certified production systems.

Thanks for taking the time to post this great advice. Unfortunately the moment I dig over some soil mine are straight in there pulling out the worms! I've always added a capful of cider vinegar to their water to combat internal parasites, this seems to help.

 

[Kiki]

A current member who used to think that added AVC worked for keeping worms away too...until her chickens started pooping worms.
Feel free to read her story here:
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