Worming confusion.

[KimberlyJ]

I have to say the whole worming issue is the most confusing thing about keeping chickens. So let me see if I am understanding this correctly.....

Worm in November, after the chickens molt and while egg production is down.
Use Valbazen, which may be purchased at TSC or Jeffers on line. (saw that in another post)
Use 1/2 cc in a syringe for standard size hens and give to orally. (maybe put on a piece of bread and feed to each chicken individually)
Do not use eggs for human consumption for 10 days, but they can be fed back to the chickens or to my dogs.

Here's the part I'm not sure about....... Dose again in ten days??? (which would mean no eggs for 21 days?)


Thanks for your input.

KimberlyJ

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
24 days start to finish. Dont feed them back to your chickens, there's residue in the eggs.

 

[dawg53]

I quit using ivomec products, they seemed to be losing effectiveness. I know that ivermectin injectable is useless in chickens as a wormer. Pyrantel Pamoate doesnt kill all the worms that chickens can get. Valbazen gets them all.

 

[ntink17]

De-worming is confusing, and there is more than one way to go about it and multiple drugs you can use. I am not trying to sound rude at all, but I have read some posts on this website that make me cringe- biologically they are completely inaccurate. I'm certainly NOT a veterinarian, but have been a zookeeper for 12 years and our avian collection veterinarian was the only board certified avian vet in our state (I don't live there now). So, I've been trained by a great avian vet! he was fascinating to listen to! (I am really hoping this does not come off as snobby, just trying to pass some knowledge along I have gleaned).

Basically- the purpose of de-worming is to cut back the load of internal parasites you birds are possibly carrying to a level that it is not detrimental the their health. Unless your birds are kept indoors in a sterile environment it is impossible to prevent their exposure to parasites. It can be transmitted by wild bird feces, other animals (rats and raccoons are the worst), and even off your shoes if you visit another friend/zoo/barnyard that has other birds in it. If you see worms in the birds feces, they are heavily infected. The parasites have been there for a long time!

From a biological standpoint- the more often you de-worm, the more parasites you kill, and the healthier your birds are. But, obviously you also have to balance that with real life! Working in a environment with a petting area that was open to the public, we de-wormed once per month, and rotated between 2 medications to prevent the parasites from building up a resistance to just one medication. We also didn't eat these eggs (well, we did in the winter when we weren't hatching out chicks).

Disease prevention- basics for animal parasite prevention is 1. waste management (no use de-worming the birds if their environment is not cleaned often and thoroughly as possible, it's just a wasteland of infective eggs laying around). From the time an egg is expelled in feces until it is actively infective is generally about 24 hours. 2. controlling the hosts that transmit these disease as much as possible (biting insects, rodent control, worms, slugs, etc) 3. monitoring health as much as you can- routine fecal checks 1-2x per year if possible by vet, blood work, necropies- especially if a multiple birds die in a short time frame. 3. de-worming program you choose.

Medications and how they affect the eggs you eat is something I don't know much about. But I did just check up some information on ivermectin- it kills both internal and external parasites, and is something we used a lot because of that. Ivermectin is also given to humans. Maybe someone can weigh in on this, but it makes me think this is something I would feel much safer using. That's just my 2 cents anyways! Hope that was a little helfpful t

 

[chicken grandma]

I think the best thing I have read in these comments is to do a fecal float. Which means find a vet who will do a check on a sample of your chicken's poop. Take it to him in a small ziploc bag. Throw a few fresh poops in there one morning from your flock and drop it at a vet. Then let them call you and tell you if you have any worms at all.

I have had a back yard flock for 11 years. And they have a coop, a run and free range the yard. And in 11 years of doing a once yearly fecal check, I have only had a positive result 3 times.
So I sure am glad I did not lose 24 days of eggs each Novermber. And I sure am glad I did not spend $35 for wormer each year. For many of us who have backyard flocks, it is nice to check and know that the birds we love are healthy. Go ahead and check your chickens poop for worms and then decide what to do.

 

[so lucky]

ntink17, yes, it was helpful. Must have been a great job, working as a zookeeper!

 

[ntink17]

Just remember with a fecal a negative result just means that they are not shedding eggs at the time that float was done. If 2 weeks later you are at a different point the life cycle of the parasite, that can be now be shedding eggs, and it will show up positive. Just keep in mind one negative fecal for a big flock of birds can give you a false sense of security. (speaking from experience here, lol).

I know this is not very relevant to someone have backyard chickens and vet expenses (myself included), but I cannot tell you how many times I have had a new animal in quarantine at work. We required to get 3 negative fecals, each being done two weeks apart. Fecals 1 and 2 are clean, #3 turns up positive for something. And that is frustrating!! They had the parasites the whole time, just weren't shedding eggs at the time fecals 1 & 2 where taken.

Or if you have multiple birds, grab little piles of poo from multiple samples poop piles to add the bag you are collecting for your vet. You get better 'feedback' from you flock, because your birds may have something, but if you get poo from multiple birds you are more likely to hit (or not hit which is awesome) someone shedding the eggs out in their feces at that particular time.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Well said. This is why a regular worming schedule should be implemented, including wormer rotation. Most if not all wormers have a 2-4 year expiration date, saving money from trips to the vet including the expense of testing samples.

 

[nuttyredhead]

You are right, this worming thing is very confusing! I thought i was supposed to worm every 4 months....then i hear twice a year...then i hear only if needed!!! AAUURRGHGHGH!!!! Im more confused now than i was before!!!

 

[chicken grandma]

I don't take chickens to the vet for worms.
I take a ziploc bag with multiple poop samples in it from several birds to the vet and drop it off.
It costs me less than worming and it saves me throwing out 24 days of eggs.
We don't treat humans unless they are sick. For most of us who order chicks and then raise them in our backyards, a fecal check is enough. We are not a zoo. We do not need a regular worming schedule. Treat animals with worm medicine only when you know what kind of worms they have IF they even have worms at all.