WORMS - should I ?

[Rocky Top Chick]

My chickens are in great shape, no losses, couple of bumblefoots, one impacted crop a few months ago, but nothing else serious. (knock on wood) However, I keep reading about worming the chickens. How do I know to do this. I do not see worms anywhere. Am I being paranoid? Thanks for the help.

 

[BarkerChickens]

Depending on who you talk to, the answer is yes, no or maybe.

Some believe that the flock should be dewormed twice a year regardless of symptoms, others say only if there is a problem (see worms, weight loss, etc). You won't necessarily see worms in their stool if they have worms. However, you can take a fecal sample into a vet and they can look for eggs that have been shed (but even then, a negative test isn't 100% fool-proof...there just may not be eggs in that sample.However, the test is still a great indication).

I'm not really any help, am I? In my opinion, deworming every once in a while is not a bad idea, especially if they eat lots of earthworms and share digging/feeding areas with wild birds.

 

[Scoop]

Thanks for the post Rocky Top Chick. This is what I'm wondering lately, too. I just may do it soon. Is it true that you can't eat the eggs then? Could I still feed the eggs to the cats?

 

[BarkerChickens]

Two weeks is the standard, but some wait up to 4 weeks. You can give the eggs to the dogs/cats and you can feed them back to the chickens (cooked, of course! You don't want to encourage egg eating!

).