Worms and Chickens

[flockof4]

I am still in my first year of keeping chickens and I am wondering if I need to treat my hens for worms. I have a small flock, just four birds, and they all seem healthy, but egg production has definitely dropped over the past month. They are around 10 months old and have not been treated for worms before. I have read a number of threads on here about worming and still can't make up my mind whether or not to give my girls the chemicals. It seems like this would be the time to do it, since we wouldn't have to throw out as many eggs. I'm curious about taking stool samples to the vet to find out for sure whether or not they have worms. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

If you have access to a vet that will test some samples for a reasonable fee that is likely a very good route to go.

Chances are just about any chicken that has access to bare ground will get at least a few worms.

If you do an ongoing worm prevention, garlic, cayane pepper, pumpinseeds, pinapple leaves or what ever maybe that would be enough to keep worms at bay, but if you don't these prevention measures won't rid infested chickens of worms.

Egg drop may be just to do with molting, reduced light ect and not in any way related to worms.

If you opt for worming with traditional commercial wormers then the reduced egg lay will mean tossing fewer eggs. Some wormers though may not be best durring molt, I think fenbendazole which I use can cause feather growth problems if used durring molt.

Wazine 17 is usually the first wormer used aimed at getting round worms, it is also pretty much an organic compound though it may be produced synthetically.

 

[dawg53]

Good info Clay Valley Farmer. My vet charges $10 for a sample, well worth it too. I'm not into preventatives like you stated unless it's in the table scraps given to my chickens lol. IMO, to buy that stuff is a waste of my money. A good worming program that suits you and your chickens is best, whether it's annual, semi annual or quarterly wormings. Soil conditions can dictate how often you should worm as well as temperature...also the way your chickens are acting at that time. I wouldnt say that wazine is organic, it is a chemical with a piperazine base, present as sulfate.
Flockof4. I recommend you take a sample to any vet and have them take a look for you. It wont cost much and if they have worms, ask them what kind, then come back here and let us know and we'll tell you how to get rid of them. BTW; they also check for coccidia and giardia. No need to treat your chickens if they dont have anything.

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piperazine

Organic comound, maybe not "organic". Guess it all gets chemicalized could be sulphated or citrated. Citrate case would be using citric acid so also base is pretty natural organic acid. But like so many things organic producs and "organic" are not the same.

Agree I sure would not go down the road of herbal worm programs without getting the tests done to give a degree of certainty that it anything but give the chicken owner a warm fuzzy feeling.

If a worming go could be avoided and it save tossing a few dozen eggs the test is paid for.

and no, risk hastle or residue.

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
I have a bottle of wazine in hand. Perhaps the inert ingredients are organic,"water color, flavoring, preservatives and stabilizer." I know where your coming from about "organic"...can be misread, misleading or maybe even a sales pitch lol. The first part is a sulfate (yuck) piperazine base....no wonder they added flavoring lol. The "water color" is clear...I didnt know that 'clear' was a color. Nah, say it isnt so! Take care.

 

[flockof4]

Thank you for the info. Sounds like a stool sample to the vet is the way to start. I bought a bottle of Wazine 17 a little while ago, but haven't opened it yet. I'll post the results back here and see what the forum suggests. Thanks again.