Worms in chickens

[TheRusticRebel]

So in a couple threads on here i read that there are no signs of worms chickens unless its really bad. This is a bit unsettling because ive always been on the look out when cleaning poop boards for signs of worms in my chickens. In 5 years ive never seen any and figured we were good. Ive never wormed my girls.

Should I? As a preventive measure? Should i assume they have them?

 

[TheRusticRebel]

There is no such thing as "preventative worming". The worming meds work on worms that are present. They won't prevent future infection if they are exposed later. So it's only necessary to worm if you have parasites. If you are able to get a fecal done, I would recommend doing that. If it's clear, recheck in 6 months. If that one is clear then I'd just do that yearly and go from there. If you end up finding parasites at some point, then your worming schedule will depend on how often it's needed to keep your flock healthy, and that can vary greatly flock to flock, and depending on the specific parasite. Symptoms of worms can vary from no symptoms at all, or runny mucousy droppings, increased intestinal shed, weight loss, and in severe cases they can become blocked, anemic, and have secondary intestinal infections. If you cannot get a fecal done, then I would worm if you see symptoms that suggest it may be parasites. Many parasites are not seen in droppings at all, occasionally roundworm or tapeworm segments may be seen.
There are a lot of things that people do 'preventatively" with herbs and such. Those generally do no harm, but if you actually have a parasite infection then you need to use the chemical wormers to get rid of them, the herbs won't do it.

I found the answer to my question in another thread. I shouldve kept searching. Currently they do get zyfend A in there water as a preventive and digestive aid. Though im not sure if its at all helpful.

 

[nuthatched]

So in a couple threads on here i read that there are no signs of worms chickens unless its really bad. This is a bit unsettling because ive always been on the look out when cleaning poop boards for signs of worms in my chickens. In 5 years ive never seen any and figured we were good. Ive never wormed my girls.

Should I? As a preventive measure? Should i assume they have them?

All chickens have some worms, you can treat them if you want but unless they're doing poorly I wouldn't

 

[coach723]

Some people feel that a 'small amount' of parasites is not a problem. The issue is that those parasites multiply. A lot. A small problem can become a big one in a short amount of time. Every environment is different, every environment has it's own parasite load, so there is not one right answer for all flocks. Nor one right answer for all parasites, each has it's own cycle. Some can worm once or twice a year and have no problems. Some have to worm more often. I don't advocate worming birds that don't need it. But I have dealt with roundworm in my flock for many years, have had really sick birds and have lost a few, because of the worms, so I do not mess around with egg counts and 'small amounts', I worm my birds as needed, and if one has roundworm, they all get wormed. Since I started worming regularly, I have not lost a bird because of parasites. That is just my experience.
See post #5 here for more:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/worms.1260822/#post-20237071