worming question

[hensonly]

Hey, all,

My flock of layers is in a coop at all times. The run is roofed, so they have no contact with other birds. I haven't had a mouse or rat problem that I'm aware of. Do I need to worm my birds? I only ask because some of them are pretty thin - I think. I never had chickens before, and these are sex links, which of course are not supposed to be as meaty as, well, meat birds. They are all healthy looking, have nice feathers, and I have never seen any worms in the poop. Should I worm them just on principle? I don't like to feed chemicals unless it's necessary but I'm not a fanatic about it - if I need to, I need to. Should I pay the vet ten bucks to test a sample of bird poop when I take my dog in for his shots next week? Or does that not work for chickens? They're just coming up on two years old...I have ten hens and am getting only 3 - 5 eggs a day. Is this ok for their age and breed, or should I be getting more (last year they never stopped laying at all, all winter long they were dropping 6 -8 eggs a day...)

Thanks for your thoughts/opinions!

They have food all the time, layer crumbles, and oyster shell and grit, got extra protein (BOSS) all winter which I am now reducing with the warmer weather...

 

[dawg53]

I recommend you take a sample to your vet and have it tested for worms. I think Golden Buffs look thin also, even awhile after worming them. You should be getting more eggs it seems,however sometimes they slow down egg laying after a year or so. Since your hens have never been wormed and have had contact with the soil, I'd say yes, it's most likely they have roundworms,the most common worm found in chickens. You wont see worms in their stool unless they are infested with them. Chickens will look lethargic,cut back eating,ruffled looking,unkempt and cut back laying their eggs. I've used wazine17 for worming my chickens. It takes care of the roundworms and you usually see a difference almost right away. You have to wait 2 weeks before the eggs are edible again. First though, get their stool checked by your vet. I hope this helps.

 

[hensonly]

Quote:
Yes, thank you, it does help. My chickens look and act fine, their feathers are nice and smooth, they all eat and drink well, sunbathe, dust bathe, do all that chicken stuff. That's why I wasn't sure...they all act fine, they just seem thin to me, but I have no real experience in judging what's normal and what's not. I will take a sample for testing, then take it from there. Thank you for your input!

 

[Lollipop]

dawg has some good advice, but I have a slightly different approach. I don`t medicate for anything unless I`m sure it`s needed. The color and condition of the comb is a good indicator as to the birds condition. If the comb is pale and /or flopped over more than normal, chances are something is going on, like worms, for instance. I`ve found most vets to be totally useless and way overpriced for what they can do for chickens. Testing for worms might be OK. However, I treat worms with cayenne pepper. Birds don`t have heat resceptors like other things do. They eat cayenne pepper like candy. Pepper in the front, worms run out the back. Far as I know, it works on most internal parrasites and you can eat the eggs with no interruption. Just my 2 cents. Something to think about........Pop

 

[dawg53]

I think cayenne pepper, DE, VetRx etc... are great worm preventatives. However if there's a worm infestation, wazine needs to be used.It is a very safe/mild wormer that only paralyzes roundworms and are expelled by the chicken. I follow up in 2 weeks with Ivermectin pour on or safeguard or valbazen. I worm my chickens twice a year. In between semi annual wormings I mix cayenne pepper in their feed and sometimes food grade DE. Here in southeast Georgia the soil is always wet and damp and very condusive to all types of parasites. I'm just now completing treatment with valbazen for tapeworms, I found one in a nest about 3 weeks ago.