worming with diatamacouse earth ???

[MandMNESTBOX]

Has any one used DE to worm and is it safe for chicks that are out on ground with a mother chicken hen, read an article where it is cheaper and safer than wormer and not a money maker for a lot of companys can someone give me heads up on this

 

[casportpony]

Welcome to BYC! If you want to de-worm your peafowl may I suggest that you invest in a bottle of Safeguard or Valbazen?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

DE is a respiratory irritant, and a gimmick in my opinion but others swear by it. From my understanding once it get inside the chicken it does nothing because it's moist in there, and DE needs to be dry to kill things. You would be better off worming with a proper product only if you find worms, either visually or by a fecal test.

And welcome to BYC.

 

[Tesumph]

Hi there! Welcome to BYC.

Diatomaceous earth kills arthropods because it contains silica. At a microscopic level, silica is razor sharp and works by “slicing open” the protective layer of their shell to slowly dry them out until they die.

The internal organs of a chicken are, of course, wet, so DE will do absolutely nothing to affect a parasite load inside of a chicken’s gut.
It may be beneficial to prevent mites if you add it to their dust bathing areas, but be aware that chickens have sensitive respiratory systems and DE tends to be very dusty.

As far as deworming goes, it is typically not needed in the average backyard flock. Chickens are designed to handle some amount of parasite load in their gut without being effected.
A veterinarian can run an inexpensive fecal float test to check for parasites in their poop. If you decide to worm, you need a proper medication such as ivermectin or valbazen.

 

[Midnightman14]

DE is useless for worming. Get valbazen or safeguard.

 

[MandMNESTBOX]

thank you to all that answered i have the safe-gard but my peachicks are just 18 days old and paranoid that some thing will happen to them, they are in their own pen fresh grass with a very good mother hen (chicken) I haven't found antwhere what is the youngest age you can worm them

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I personally have never wormed a single bird, and never will.

 

[KsKingBee]

thank you to all that answered i have the safe-gard but my peachicks are just 18 days old and paranoid that some thing will happen to them, they are in their own pen fresh grass with a very good mother hen (chicken) I haven't found antwhere what is the youngest age you can worm them

You should be prepared for cocci before worms. Cocci may or may not be a problem unless the pen they are in has been heavily used for years, then it is assured to be a problem. Our free range peachicks rarely come down with anything but we do keep a close eye on them for the first signs of illness and treat if necessary. Pen raised chicks do need regular dosing for cocci and worms, cocci starting at about three weeks and worms a bit later if they start out on dirt. It takes time for worm eggs to hatch and grow in the chicks, about four weeks and a bit longer for them to grow to numbers that will bring the chick down, maybe six weeks. You should be prepared to treat for both on a regular basis.