Wormers

[featherfooted]

What do you use besides DE to worm your birds and how is it given? I've been using DE for my girls but have noticed that some of them are thin, so I think I need to give them a good wormer. They have layer pellets available at all times and are let out of the run to free range several hours a day. I don't like the idea of them going into winter so thin. Any suggestions?

Georgia

 

[greyfields]

Anything that actually works you'll have to get from your vet. My vet won't give me wormers prophylacticly unless something shows up in a fecal. I haven't researched it tons, but for all the dewormers I've looked at using they all required a significant withdrawal period before you can use the eggs. It's easier to find things for meat chickens than hens.

 

[Lunachick]

I mix DE in their feed with a mixture of flax seed. Also lately people on here are saying pumpkin seed is a good natural wormer. And give them a sandwich for gosh sakes, winter is coming! J/K This is the time of year for scratch treats and such to fatten them up.

 

[allen wranch]

If your birds are thin, take a fecal sample to your vet and have them check for worms or other parasites. They can also be thin from coccidiosis. Blood doesn't always show up in the poop with cocci.

Eprinex cattle wormer works well for chickens and there is no withdrawal period for the eggs. 1/2 cc on the back for standard size birds, and 1/4 cc on the back for banties.
It is expensive but you might be able to share a bottle with someone else.

I wouldn't fatten a bird up for winter. Fat hens get eggbound. They will eat what they need for energy and warmth as it gets colder. A handful of cracked corn before they go to roost for the night provides a little extra heat when it is really cold.

 

[SandraChick]

I have a couple questions first...

Do they look thin because they're molting?

Are their poops normal or overly runny or foamy?

It's really hard to say a bird is thin just looking at it (unless it's really extreme). Have you checked the breast area (keel)?

How much DE do you give them? How much feed do they eat?

Sandra

 

[featherfooted]

The hen I was worried about was a 6 months old speckled sussex . She died this afternoon. Up until last night her poop was normal. I had isolated her several days ago when she started to act lethargic and sat all ruffled. At this time she was still eating and drinking normally. Last night I noticed that she had runny poop and that she had stopped eating. She also had started to stagger like her equalibrium was off. This morning she just laid in the cage and this afternoon I found that she had died. I'm hoping that she is the only one I lose. Any ideas as what it could be? There isn't a vet around here that works on chickens as I live in a small town.

Thanks for all your help.

Georgia

 

[allen wranch]

I am so sorry she didn't make it.

It would be hard to tell what was wrong without a necropsy. Sometimes chickens have internal problems we don't know about and it eventually kills them. However, since you said some of the other birds were thin too, it may be something else.

Worms or coccidiosis still come to mind. Even though your vet doesn't treat chickens, he/she should be able to read a fecal sample if you took it in. It would be worth it to eliminate those problems.

There are plenty of good coccidiostats and wormers you can get at the feed store or a Tractor Supply if the fecal is positive.

 

[featherfooted]

Thanks for the advice. I'll talk to my vet about a fecal test. Most of my flock are a good weight and all are eating great. I hope that this is an isolated case.

Georgia