Worm now before they are laying?

[nuttyredhead]

My girls are 16 1/2 weeks old. I have heard to wait till they are 4 mnths old to worm (not sure if that is true) but anyhow. I was wondering if worming now, before they are laying would be best. That way i wont have to throw away eggs later on!

Note-- i am not having a worm problem, this is precautionary. And I will be using ivermectin.

 

[chicken grandma]

Why don't you take a ziplock bag and some poop from your chickens and have a vet tell you if you have any worms at all?
Because if you don't have worms in your hens, don't worm them.
And if you do have worms in your flock, choose a wormer that actually kills that type of worm. Ivermectin does not kill all types of worms.
Use your eyes to determine if you have lice or mites.
Use a stool sample to determine if you have an internal parasite. Don't guess and don't give medicine to animals without a diagnosis.

 

[nuttyredhead]

Quote:
But i had heard that it is good to worm them regardless? No? It does make sense to have the poop tested, but will a reg vet do it? The nearest chicken vet is a ways away.

 

[chicken grandma]

Why is it good to give medicine regardless?
Are you treating for gapeworms?
Round worms?
Cocci - Ivermectin won't kill that parasite.
Just like you diagnosis your children and other pets before giving medicine, you should diagnose your chicken flock.
It is cheaper to do a fecal check for $15-20 than to guess what kind of worms you MIGHT have - hope you guess correctly - and treat with medicine that might or might not work on the type of worms you might or might not have.
You don't have to take a chicken in. Just call around for an avian vet or ask vets if they can tell you what worms you do or don't have. Then if you have worms they can tell you where to get the medicine and give you the correct dose also.
People on this site are not always correct in their advice. Sometimes getting some professional advice is wise. Just like we do for our dogs, cats, horses and children.

 

[nuttyredhead]

Quote:
THank you for your honesty, and you are 100% correct, I dont give my kids meds without knowing what is it for!

 

[chicken grandma]

Well, I hope I have helped save you money in the long run.
And saved you losing eggs too.
I check my flock once per year. I test new chickens BEFORE adding them to my flock.
Hope this saves you much unnessary worry and treatments.

 

[DevineChickens]

Yes, thank you, Chicken Grandma, for the honesty. I was under the impression that I should wait until I suspect a problem, but it makes much more sense to be proactive.