Worming question

[Ady Road Chicks]

Do you need to identify the parasite or is there a broad spectrum wormer for chickens? Should you routinely worm your chickens even if there are no S/S of a problem? If so, how often and with what? The reason I'm asking is that I just found one of my 15 week old chickens looking really wierd this morning. He/She was just standing in the sun slightly puffed up with its eyes closed. Definitely NOT acting normal. I picked it up and it felt light. I put it in a cage and brought it to the house. Upon closed inspection I saw a long "string" hanging from its rear. It looks like it could be a worm. Definitely not vegetation. Thanks for any advice.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I recommend you use valbazen(albendazole.) It kills every known worm a chicken can get. Valbazen is a cattle and sheep wormer. It's a liquid and has to be given orally to each chicken. Dosage is 1/2cc/ml for standard size chickens and 1/4cc/ml for smaller chickens. It can be purchased online at jeffers livestock.com or by phone on their website. Egg withdrawal time is 14 days. Some people worm once a year, twice a year, once every 4 months and so on. It's really up to you when you want to worm. If you live in a place where the soil is warm and moist all the time, I recommend worming at least twice a year. Warm moist soil is very condusive for worms and their eggs. You'll want to reworm your chickens 2 weeks after using the valbazen with another second wormer, I recommend Safeguard (fenbendazole.) This is to prevent worm immunity and kill any leftover worm larva from the first dosage of valbazen. Safeguard is an equine paste wormer...dosage is a "pea" size amount given to each chicken. Withdrawal is 14 days for safeguard.

 

[Ady Road Chicks]

Thanks so much for your information. Would you use the Valbazen once a year as a general wormer?

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Yes. As a matter of fact, I use it 3-4 times a year due to our swampy warm soil here as well as other wormers.