Worming!!! Do you need to worm ur chickens?

[jj3502]

New to the chicken and loving it. Been looking on the site for info but just cant find it. Wasn't sure if this was needed or just feed store trying to make a buck.

 

[ll]

I read that adding organic apple cider vinegar with "the mother" to their water daily will prevent worms.
-shrugs-

 

[TwoCrows]

It is never a good idea to add medicines to a healthy chicken, so keep your eyes out for the signs of worms in your chickens..pale combs, watery diarrhea, a drop in egg laying, over all listlessness, dull looking feathers. But once a year it isn't a bad idea to worm your chickens. You can use a gentle wormer for maintenence like Wazine. If you think they are really infested, then you could follow up with Safeguard 2 weeks later to rid them of all worms.

I have heard that offering them whole pumpkin with seeds is a natural dewormer of chickens, and I plan on giving it a try come fall. Good luck with your new chickens!

 

[briteday]

Being a biochemist, I stick with products that have proven to be effective in published studies = chemical de-wormers. However I probably worm less than most because I won't de-worm unless I get a positive report (parasites present) from my vet on a fecal float test. I will take a specimen in any time something looks funny, otherwise about 2x per year. However, I live in a climate that is very hot and dry in the summer, freezing for several weeks in the winter. So parasites are not a regular problem here. But a fecal float is cheap enough that it totally outweighs the cost of regular de-worming and the loss of egg sales for 2-3 weeks.

My preferred de-wormers are Ivomec and fenbendazole.

 

[Chris09]

Worming your fowl can be done as a preventative measure, or only when your birds show symptoms. If you keep your fowl on the ground, a preventative program can help you keep worms from becoming a problem, and can keep your whole flock healthier. To use as a preventative measure, worm your whole flock twice a year.

Symptoms
Diarrhea with traces of blood in it
Weight loss, especially around the breast area
Excessive food consumption
Weak, doesn't want to stand much or always sitting on the ground.
Lethargic

Treatments
Ivomec
Piperazine
Levamisole
Wazine
Fenbendazole

Warning
Do not consume eggs for a minimum of 1 to 2 weeks after the end of treatment for worms.
Information above from Ultimate fowl

With that being said I do worm every 4 months with Ivomec (injectable) at the rate of 5 to 7 drops orally for adult size birds 3 to 5 drops orally for bantam size birds.
Ivomec treats for worms and external parasites.


Chris