worming?

[dawg53]

Worms open the door for other diseases because they weaken the immune system. There are threads here where birds had died from various infections, including repiratory issues. Necropsy showed the bird was infested with various types of worms causing the CRD in addition to an E Coli infection.

 

[chicken grandma]

Yes, worms weaken a chickens health. But in the case of the people who are posting for help, treating the Coccidia with Albon or treatinjg the E.Coli with antibiotic will save the chickens life and their beloved pet. Often the folks who are posting need to find out what infection their chicken has and then treat it appropriately. If they take a fecal sample or a bunch of chicken poop from their coop to a vet, or even the humane society vet, they will get the answer for a very low cost They will know what is wrong with the chicken, what their flock may be at risk for and what medicine they should use to treat their chicken and if they need to treat the rest of the flock.

Recommending every one with a sick chicken start treating them by worming them is not good advice.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I agree with you. However, I do NOT recommend to everyone to treat for worms for every illness a chickens has. I have always recommended treatments for what the OP suspects whatever the problem is...from cocci, to E Coli, CRD, worms, favus, bumblefoot, snakebite, injuries, lice/mites, molt.....you name it. When someone asks an open ended question pertaining to worming without the availabilty of a vet or other resources to test to for worms, I always recommend the best wormer to rid their birds of ALL internal parasites that a chicken can get without the benefit of testing...whether it be roundworms, tapeworms, gizzard worms, gapeworm or flukes. That wormer is valbazen. Not everyone in BYC has resources that you have access to, including me. Most vets want to see the bird, not just the feces sample and they most likely know nothing about birds...but they sure know about getting $$$$.
If you dont believe me, please feel free to go through my responses in previous posts going back to however far back you care to check...you will see for yourself.

 

[forestrymom]

Do you use a syringe in the beak to administer the valbazen?

 

[chisNchickens]

Quote:
X2!!!! You go! So sick of this mentality. You cannot poison ANY being into good health. It is not possible. Wormers are poison. Worm the whole flock? Geez. Not my birds. Poisons only as a last resort.

 

[aoxa]

I've heard that pumpkins act as a natural wormer.. Is that so?

 

[chisNchickens]

Quote:
I've not used it, but yes, ground pumpkin seeds. I feed mine hot peppers as well. Worms are not fond of them;-)
Here's how I look at it...the likelihood that her chicken was ill DUE to worms is very small. If worms were present, most likely there were other underlying health issues. A healthy immune system will keep a few worms in check. They CAN live with a small amount of worms. An infestation and subsequent ill health is usually the result of poor health to begin with.
As a society, our views on "health" care are sad indeed. Start with as natural an environment and diet as possible, clean earth, fresh clean water. Adding toxin after toxin just weighs on the body (ours too - hence the sad state of our "sick"care system).

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I've not used it, but yes, ground pumpkin seeds. I feed mine hot peppers as well. Worms are not fond of them;-)
Here's how I look at it...the likelihood that her chicken was ill DUE to worms is very small. If worms were present, most likely there were other underlying health issues. A healthy immune system will keep a few worms in check. They CAN live with a small amount of worms. An infestation and subsequent ill health is usually the result of poor health to begin with.
As a society, our views on "health" care are sad indeed. Start with as natural an environment and diet as possible, clean earth, fresh clean water. Adding toxin after toxin just weighs on the body (ours too - hence the sad state of our "sick"care system).

Worms weaken the immune system in an otherwise healthy chicken, ask your vet. One worm lays tens of thousands of eggs onto the soil for your chickens to pick up and start their lifecycle over again. Clean earth? How do you clean earth? There are all kinds of microbes, fungus, bacteria, parasites in the soil that you cant see!
I can assure you that just about everything you purchase in a grocery store that you eat has been treated chemically with toxins! I'm still here typing after all these years!
How many eggs will these worms lay onto your soil?



Edited to add: Here's a link to natural wormers: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=576036

 

[flowerchild59]

If chickens have any access to ground and worms and slugs, they will get parasites. By the time they zap their host and weaken their immune system, it is a downward spiral. See my postings about how DE and other natural treatments did not work for my flock. Valbazen and antibiotics saved them. I will never rely on DE and other "natural" treatments again.:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7506427

 

[chicken grandma]

I agree with worming chickens. I have wormed my flock 3 times in 11 years. But I check their poop every year for worms at the vet. And then I give them the right wormer for the type of worms they have. 8 years they did not have worms. 3 years they did.
I don't worm routinely and I don't guess.

You don't have to take the chicken to the vet - just a ziplock bag with some poop samples from your coop. If a vet insists you bring the chicken in - call another vet or call your humane society.

Friends of mine in a rural area in Hawaii take a stool sample to the local vet for diagnosis.
A friend of mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan took a stool sample of a sick hen to the humane society vet and he saw coccidia in the stool. Then he gave my friend the right medicine to treat the hen properly. Valbazen does not kill coccidia. Neither does Wazine or Ivermectiin.

So there is no excuse to not find a vet near you - even at the humane society who can help you find out what parasites your chicken has. Even Veterinary technicians see plenty of worms and cocci under the microscope when they look at dog and cat poop. Your chicken poop is not going to mystify them - they can help you. And it only costs about $20 to get a correct diagnosis so that you can buy the correct wormer.

You keep a flock healthy just like you keep people healthy - by doing screening tests occasionally so that you prevent serious infestations of worms. If you aquire chickens, it is up to you to take care of them. That does not mean waiting until they fall ill and then guessing that if you give them a wormer they might get better. It means testing regularly to make sure you don't have an infestation of worms. And if your hens have worms - treat them properly with the correct medicine. Also handle your birds enough to see mites or lice on them. It's up to us.