Worming with DE

[essie1219]

Got my sweet "girls" in July and am wondering if anyone out there uses DE as a wormer. If so, how do you mix it with their food? Have you found it to be effective? How often? Any advice appreciated!!!!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I doubt it is effective. It works on things as a desiccant so I doubt it would work in the moist environment of a digestive tract.

If you're looking for something organic, there are herbal wormers out there for chickens.
Here's one I've used.
http://mollysherbals.com/mollysherbals.php/goats/

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I can second Molly's Herbals.

I did quite a bit of research on herbal worming vs. traditional medicated wormers, and while the information is sketchy, I could find absolutely no research that supported DE as beneficial for worming. At best, it scours the intestines potentially causing problems for hen and worm. I did find information that DE is hazardous to respiratory tracts for hens and man.

I also found that pumpkin seeds and cayenne pepper actually have some evidence showing they discourage worms. So I make up my own "Verm-X" by grinding pumpkin seeds, adding cayenne pepper, fresh garlic, and then some of Molly's herbal wormer (with the active ingredient of wormwood). I give it to them about every 4 to 6 weeks. It costs me pennies as compared to the dollars I used to pay for the Verm-X. I do see a noticeable improvement in appearance and egg laying when I use my home-made with Molly's.

It won't be as effective as medicated wormers, but I don't have to worry about egg withdrawal or chemical residue.

I also keep ACV (raw, unfiltered, with the mother) in the water. It keeps the gut acidity up, which helps discourage worms as well.

If I am really concerned about worms, I use Rooster Booster Triple Action Multi-Wormer. It has hygromycin B and bacitracin. It is the only approved wormer with no egg withdrawal, if that matters to you.

Be sure to keep a really clean coop and run too.
Lady of McCamley

 

[gootziecat]

Lady of MCamley, how do you feed the Rooster Booster multiwormer? My chickens won't touch it if I put it in the feed, whether it is in crumbles or pelleted. I ruined a coffee grinder trying to grind the pellets up. They are very hard.
Also, what length of time do you feed this wormer? Thanks.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

No wonder there are no egg withdrawal periods or chemical residues lurking inside your eggs when you use Rooster Booster Triple Action Multi-Wormer to kill worms in your laying hens' gut.

Roosters don't lay eggs!!!!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I'm surprised there is no withdrawal when it has an antibiotic in it. Don't think I want that in my eggs. What is Hygromycin B? That sounds like an antibiotic also. Just curious how that kills worms.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Lady of MCamley, how do you feed the Rooster Booster multiwormer? My chickens won't touch it if I put it in the feed, whether it is in crumbles or pelleted. I ruined a coffee grinder trying to grind the pellets up. They are very hard.
Also, what length of time do you feed this wormer? Thanks.

I'm surprised there is no withdrawal when it has an antibiotic in it. Don't think I want that in my eggs. What is Hygromycin B? That sounds like an antibiotic also. Just curious how that kills worms.

Hygromycin B is the de-wormer. It was developed in the 1950's. Bacitracin is the antibiotic and simply comes in the product too (which I could do without, but have no choice if I use the product).

Rooster Booster is simply the name of the company that makes a lot of different products, originally for those who desired to boost the beauty of their birds (especially roosters) for showing purposes. They have branched out over the years to accommodate other poultry needs.

My intent is not to glorify Hygromycin B, or enter into a debate over homeopathic vs. chemical wormers, but relay information that there is an option that does not require a month or more of egg pulling, which can be quite wasteful. I've read a lot of research, and studies have shown Hygromycin does not enter into the egg tract.

FYI: The -zole type wormers target the digestive tract and typcially do not enter into the egg tract, or do so only in trace amounts, while the -mectin type wormers are systemic and thus do enter the eggs...and also can be quite harmful to sensitive individuals ("if white feet, don't treat."). Many of the wormers (Pyrethrin for one) are used as human de-wormers in the US by prescription, however, are not legal for poultry layers here. In England, flubendazole 1% (Panacur and Safeguard) is legal to administer to egg layers without egg pulling, however it is not legal in the US.

The industry continuous feeds both Hygromycin B and Bacitracin to keep worms and CRD controlled in their tightly housed flocks.

I do not continuous feed as I really don't care what the FDA and studies say as I know that stuff is going into the birds, and I choose to go as organic and natural as possible. However, I recognize there are times when herbal and home care methods do not keep pace with the worms especially for us backyard farmers who have limited field rotation. I believe being pro-active is better than trying to eradicate a serious problem once it has established itself.

Whatever wormer you choose will have consequences. You must weigh those against the consequences of what worm overgrowth does to the health of your chickens.

I have chosen to use herbal methods monthly and then use Rooster Booster multi-wormer quarterly for 1 week continuous feed. Many small growers choose to use it for 1 week each month, However I prefer to reduce the potential of chemical exposure. I have chosen the Rooster Booster product because it is the only one currently on the U.S. market that has an FDA approved wormer for laying hens (eggs sold for human consumption). Since I sell my eggs to offset feed costs it is important that I remain within the FDA legal guidelines.

For those with a home flock for home consumption only, that probably isn't important, and you may choose to use other wormers, or none at all. However, DE (the original question) has not been shown to be effective in controlling worms.

I just put Rooster Booster mulit-wormer in the feed and the hens eat it with no problems...which if they don't, that is a bummer...and Gootziecat...you are right...those pellets do NOT crush or crumble as they are very hard...my husband even tried pounding with a hammer to no avail. So if they won't eat it as a pellet...I don't know what you could do other than trying to make a mash with them by soaking them in water...which I haven't tried.

Lady of McCamley

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I'm surprised there is no withdrawal when it has an antibiotic in it. Don't think I want that in my eggs. What is Hygromycin B? That sounds like an antibiotic also. Just curious how that kills worms.

In follow up to your question....Hygromycin B is a low level antibiotic...so low level that it is a poor antibiotic and not used as such.

However, it inhibits the growth of prokaryotic and eurkaryotic cells. In poultry and other livestock, it inhibits worms from growing to maturity and being able to lay eggs. Thus it is a good de-wormer if used for a period of time...some say continuous feed, some recommend for 6 weeks, some advise 1 week per month.

I'm not crazy about putting any chemical into myself or my hens....but as I've said above...sometimes you just have to bring out the big guns to keep ahead of the worms as worm overgrowth can definitely play havoc on the health of your hens leaving them vulnerable to other opportunistic infections and diseases.

And I choose to stay within FDA approval, so I'm limited to my choices. And I like the fact that numerous studies have shown that Hygromycin B is absorbed poorly into the blood stream (hince its poor reputation as a systemic antibiotic) and thus is not passed onto the eggs.

Lady of McCamley
http://www.elanco.us/pdfs/hygromix-frequently-asked-questions.pdf

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Lady of MCamley, how do you feed the Rooster Booster multiwormer? My chickens won't touch it if I put it in the feed, whether it is in crumbles or pelleted. I ruined a coffee grinder trying to grind the pellets up. They are very hard.
Also, what length of time do you feed this wormer? Thanks.

In further reading, I read that Hygromycin B is very toxic if inhaled...so you wouldn't want to pulverize it into something that could be inhaled...thus they make the pellet very hard indeed.

If your hens won't eat it in the pellet form...then I think you will need to consider another form of wormer.

Again, I'm not crazy about the choices of wormers right now...and prefer to go without any chemicals...but sometimes you simply have to do something to get ahead of the worms for the health of the chickens. Unfortunately, the US doesn't offer a lot of choices right now by way of meds. Good thing that the herbals do help reduce the time necessary for worming with meds....just not DE from what I've been reading.

Lady of McCamley

 

[gootziecat]

LoMcC, what websites did you go to for your information? Thanks.