Worming

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I have never wormed my birds and have owned or taken care of them for over 31 years. Tell me, how do I worm them, why should I worm them, and what product do I use to worm them? Please inform me, no need to be judgy.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I have never wormed my birds and have owned or taken care of them for over 31 years. Tell me, how do I worm them, why should I worm them, and what product do I use to worm them? Please inform me, no need to be judgy.

Are any of your chickens acting sick or do they have any problems?
Getting a fecal float to confirm the presence of worms would be the best thing to do - no need to worm if you aren't having problems.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

What exactly is a fecal float? My birds don't act sick, if I ever have a bird acting off occasionally it usually dies within 24 hours?

 

[nightowl223]

What exactly is a fecal float? My birds don't act sick, if I ever have a bird acting off occasionally it usually dies within 24 hours?

You take a sample of their poop to a vet, and they will do a test that will separate any possible internal parasites from the poo, so they can stick it under a microscope to identify which one(s) might be there.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

You take a sample of their poop to a vet, and they will do a test that will separate any possible internal parasites from the poo, so they can stick it under a microscope to identify which one(s) might be there.

Ok, I see thanks!

 

[nightowl223]

As for the ones that act "off" and then die quickly afterwards, chickens instinctively hide any problems, issues, or illnesses they may have until they cannot do so any longer. They could have been ill for days or weeks, but wouold not let it show, because they are naturally prey animals, and the weakest prey animal is the one that the predator is going to go after first. It's a built in instinct with them. You really have to keep incredibly close track of them to be able to catch anything in time to do something proactive for it.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

What exactly is a fecal float? My birds don't act sick, if I ever have a bird acting off occasionally it usually dies within 24 hours?

Gather a few samples and take them to your vet, state lab or there are also kits you can buy on Amazon to send for testing. They look at the samples you send in to see if there are worm eggs and should i.d. the type of worm(s) so you can treat with the right medication. Not all wormers are effective on every worm, so knowing what you have/are dealing with helps.

If you have a lot of losses, it would be good to have necropsy or investigate further why a chicken died.

 

[Sarasarasara222]

I use inca poultry wormer to worm them every 6 months as for this one you can still eat their eggs when they are drinking it, you basically put it in their water but there are natural remedies such as using 1 cup of diatomaceous earth for 5 pounds of feed I think it was, mix it through and make sure your chickens finish it and you do this once a month - this is actually beneficiall to their overall health and treats all worms but since it is a natural remedy people argue it is not 100 percent so I use both of these methods for my hens.
You don't need to worm every 6 months but some people recommend it.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

I wouldn't say we have a lot of losses. I guess I don't know how long chickens should live. We lose 3-4 a year and keep around 30 birds or more.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Right now though I have over 55 chickens in various areas.