worming and eggs

[Rocky Top Chick]

I am getting ready to worm my chickens because everyone seems to think it should happen a couple times a year. My DH does not want to because our girls are laying so many eggs. Has anyone eaten eggs after deworming?

 

[cmom]

It depends on what wormer you use. I use a natural wormer on my birds. I don't routinely worm my birds. I only worm them if I see evidence of worms. If you use Wazine, they suggest you don't process meat birds or eat eggs from you layers for at least two weeks after you worm them. Now if I need to worm I use Verm-X. It's all natural and there is no eggs withdrawal period. After I have used it I saw no worms.

http://verm-x.com

 

[briteday]

I worm mine with fenbendazole and discard the eggs for two weeks. But I live in an area where parasites are rarely a problem and only worm if there is something suspicious or a twice yearly fecal float comes back positive.

 

[mstricer]

I'm trying to word right dont want to seem mean or rude. Why would you want to put poisons in your chickens unless you see worms? I use Food Grade DE In coop, dusting area and you can mix some with feed. Its natural. It takes care of lice, mites,fleas and worms. I also read that you can use pumpkin seeds ground up as a natural wormer. I've not used any meds. on any of my chickens from day one, even used non-med. chick starter. I have probally just been lucky, not having any health issues with them, but I dont want any of that in my chickens or eggs.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

Quote:
I don't really want to worm them because they seem just fine, however, they free range and eat worms and such. BYCers have said to worm a couple of times a year just to be safe. They also say if you see worms in the poop they have a major problem. I do feed my girls pumpkins a couple times a month as a treat. Sometimes too much information confuses me

 

[gsim]

Earthworms are a favorite of most birds, and chooks are no exception. However there parasites in many types of earthworms called Nematodes. These can infest chickens. I don't know if they cause a problem for indigent wild birds tho. I understand mealworms do not have parasites. Chooks love crickets and roaches too. If I lived in deep south where palmetto bugs are, I would use sheet metal coated with corn syrup and place it in run to trap palmettos for treats. Might get a few hundred ants too, which is ok as long as they are not fire ants.

 

[PatS]

If the chickens are healthy and happy, I wouldn't treat them.
The idea of worm infestation is upsetting to all of us. None of us want to get worms, or want our food animals or pets to have them. But treatment without evidence may cause more problems than they solve.

This is a little off-topic, but some may find it interesting. There is a new wave in medical care called helminic therapy. It means worm therapy. Folks with MS, terrible allergies, asthma, and other immune disorders are purposely being infected with worms to relieve the symptoms of their disease. Many swear it works. The thought is that human beings have, until the last few generations in developed countries, been infected with parasites throughout their lives. Our immune systems evolved with a much greater exposure to parasites and more bacteria and viruses than we are exposed to now in our artificially clean homes and workplaces. So, the theory seems to be, our immune system doesn't have enough to fight, so it turns against us, and we develop an autoimmune disorder. The doctor gives you a slight case of worms, the immune system calms down (or has something else to concentrate on?), and the symptoms of an autoimmune disorder are lessened. It makes sense, in an "idle hands are the devil's workshop" kind of way.

I know, gross. But interesting.

 

[Lady_Cluck]

Very gross, but very interesting!!!

 

[Kittymomma]

If you're undecided about this take a sample in to your vet and have a fecal float done. It usually runs around $20 and many vets will do a float without an office visit. This way you know if you need to treat or not.

I don't have a problem medicating my animals when they need it, but I do try to avoid "just because" treatments. If I had fecal floats come back positive on a regular basis I probably would start a worming schedule, but as long as I'm not having problems I'll stick with having floats done a couple of times a year.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

Quote:
Well a fecal float it will be. Thanks for all the opinions.