Worming Necessary? And Preference Between Valbazen or Safeguard?

[Krazy4Chicks]

All of my chickens are under a year old. I have 6 Silkies, 1 Wyandotte, and 1 Ameraucana. I wormed all of them for the first time about 10 days ago with Wazine. I didn't see any worms in their poops. Their run area is on the ground, and they do come out daily in our grass and plant areas, where they eat grass, worms and bugs. With me not seeing any worms in their poops, is it really necessary to worm them again with a product like Valbazen or Safeguard? I want to do what's best for all of them, but I'm wondering if it would be overkill (and hard on their bodies) to worm them again with either Valbazen or Safeguard when I didn't see any worms. And what is everyone's preference -- the Valbazen or the Safeguard? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dawg53]

All of my chickens are under a year old. I have 6 Silkies, 1 Wyandotte, and 1 Ameraucana. I wormed all of them for the first time about 10 days ago with Wazine. I didn't see any worms in their poops. Their run area is on the ground, and they do come out daily in our grass and plant areas, where they eat grass, worms and bugs. With me not seeing any worms in their poops, is it really necessary to worm them again with a product like Valbazen or Safeguard? I want to do what's best for all of them, but I'm wondering if it would be overkill (and hard on their bodies) to worm them again with either Valbazen or Safeguard when I didn't see any worms. And what is everyone's preference -- the Valbazen or the Safeguard? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Normally worms are digested as protein once a bird is wormed. That's why you didnt see them in feces after being wormed. If you see worms in feces, it means there was an infestation most likely causing birds to get sick with alot of internal damage occuring. Wazine only gets rid of large roundworms. Follow up now with either valbazen or safeguard to kill large roundworm larva missed from the initial wazine worming. The valbazen and/or safeguard will also kill other types of worms your birds may have.

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

Thanks for your reply, dawg53. Do you recommend one over the other, or do those two wormers kill all of the same types of worms? And from what I've read, the dosage for the Valbazen is as follows (which I believe is from you):

Valbazen -one half cc/ml for standard size chickens, one quarter cc/ml for smaller chickens including silkies. You can use an oral syringe to squirt it down their throats individually or you can inject it into a small piece of bread and give each chicken a piece of bread....they gobble it up. - dump the eggs for two weeks.

If I use the Safeguard, what would you recommend for the dosage?

Thanks!

 

[dawg53]

I prefer valbazen if I'm worming birds for the first time in their lives or if I'm dealing with tapeworms. Dosage for the safeguard liquid goat wormer is the same as valbazen dosages.

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

Thanks again, dawg53! I don't currently have the Valbazen, but I can order it online. With only 8 chickens, I don't really need so much of it. Most places sell it in a 500 ml; but I found a place that sells it in a 60 ml - http://www.wholesalekennel.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=29 . I'm thinking about just ordering it there. I would guess there's an expiration date on the product, so there's no need for me to order so much of it. And I know I was supposed to give the Valbazen 10 days after the Wazine, so I hope a few extra days won't hurt.

Then I will just worm them with the Valbazen every 6 months -- correct?

Again, thanks for all of your help -- I really appreciate it!

 

[dawg53]

I've seen that website before. It's a good price for the valbazen for a small flock. Valbazen normally has a 2 to 3 year expiration date, it should be on the bottle. How often you worm depends on your soil conditions. Warm moist/wet soil may require frequent wormings. Mountainous/rocky cool or cold soil, or desertlike soil may only require once a year wormings.

 

[Krazy4Chicks]

I have the Valbazen on order, so it should be here in about 2-3 days. Our climate is more like the desert, but not quite that dry, so I will plan on worming maybe every 8 months to be safe. Or if I see they need it sooner, I will do it sooner. And would you recommend me alternating with the Safeguard? I've also read other posts that recommend alternating, but I'm not sure if it would apply in my situation.

One last question with regard to the Valbazen -- the dosages that are recommended: one half cc/ml for standard size chickens, one quarter cc/ml for smaller chickens including silkies -- these are given straight (not diluted), correct?

Thanks again!