Worm Killer

[kaylakala]

How can you tell if they have worms???

I'd rather not use de-wormer unless necessary

 

[Gindee77]

Does food grade DE work as a dewormer? I know it gets rid of other parasites. I just bought a 50lb. bag of DE today and hope it helps with a lot of problems! I may even start taking some myself!

P.S. Great article on chicken worms Pa!!

 

[CUDA]

Signs of worms are runny poo, with traces of blood, and severe weight loss, which shows up mostly by the breast area thinning out. DE works decent as an external application, but never had much luck with it for worms myself. Worming should be done regularly if your birds are on the ground, and is no different than how you treat your dog for heartworms as a preventative measure. I have more information about this on my site HERE . Good luck!

 

[Cetawin]

Thanks CUDA

 

[earthnut]

wilds of pa, thanks for that article! I put a link to it on my website. Great resource!

 

[Dawn419]

Quote:
Some say yes...some say no. :|

This link explains what food grade DE is and how one can use it...

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html

This link is for using it to worm...

http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/diatomaceous_earth.html

I was eating it with yogurt for awhile and need to get back on it again. When I was taking it daily, my bowels worked better and monthly cramps weren't as bad as usual. I'm not saying it's a cure-all, by any means, simply stating my personal observations.

Hope this helps!

Dawn

 

[earthnut]

Quote:
The best and only 100% reliable way is to get a fecal test done by your vet.

 

[starshrike]

I'm interested in keeping my (future) chickens organic, would I be better off just using DE instead of a commercial dewormer?

as a side note.. this thread went from worm killer to killer worms!

 

[chikndave]

starshrike,

This one of very few areas where Cuda and I disagree.
I ONLY use Diatomaceous Earth! I don't believe in too many of the chemicals out there. For my flocks and my family I prefer to keep it as chemical free as possible. I mix DE into all of my feeds at no more than 2% by weight and my flocks stay worm free year round. They also stay free of other pests such as lice and mites because I sprinkle a 50/50 mixture of wood ash and DE in their favorite dusting areas.

To us, (humans), DE may seem like a powder when it is dry and a bit like mud when wet, but to something the size of most parasites it is like a desert of broken glass! when wet, (when ingested), it simply becomes a flowing river of broken glass! LOL It really does those buggers in!

Again, I never use any commercial dewormers, only DE and an array of herbs, including mint and basil, and my fowl stay worm free the year round.

Hope this helps a bit,
Dave

 

[CUDA]

LOL Dave, it's OK, I forgive you...