Yes, you need to deworm your flock. Valbazen (albendazole) is about the best there is. Some info from old threads that may help you:
Valbazen which is a cattle wormer is the best I've ever used..It kills more types of worms than all the others combined, And you don't have to worry about a massive worm kill like with piperazine or ivermectin which will sometimes clog the intestines..Valbazen slowly starves the parasites over a 2 to 5 day period..Valbazen is also used for human treatments at 400 mg child or adult..So unless you are allergic to it I'ts ok to consume the eggs after treatment, But I and all I know wait two weeks ..I'ts pricey at around $40.00 per bottle but well worth it
Dosage is 1/2 cc orally to adult large fowl.. 1/4 cc for bantams and young standard breeds
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Is Ivermectin really effective for cecal or gizzard worms? Levamisol would be my choice as a water soluble..IMO Piperazine and Ivermectin has seen their better days as an effective round wormer..After wroming with everything from Red devil Lye to the old Salsbury Wormall Tablets I'm convinced that Valbazen is the most effective wormer that can be given to poultry, It even has anti-protozoa properties against Blackhead and coccidiosis...
Quote:
I rarely believe anything the feed stores say anymore, seriously. For every one feed store guy that I've met that knows anything about poultry, I've met 100 that know nothing but act like they know everything. It would be almost amusing if I didn't know that they're out there giving seriously harmful advice to people who just want to have healthy birds.
There are plenty of dewormers for poultry. Labeled for poultry, and those not labeled but generally accepted and recommended by universities, much less the ones that are used privately.
So ignore The Feed Store Guy.
For your twice yearly program, here's my recommendation. It's what I've been using personally for over 10 years, more like 12.
I'm going to probably repeat myself here, but want to have all the information in one place.
OK first I determine whether or not a bird needs the wazine worming first, what I nicknamed the "wazine pre-worming". Here are the qualifications. If "yes" to any of these, I do the wazine first:
Bird is over six months old, never wormed, and has been on dirt - not wire.
Bird has an unknown worming history.
Bird has shed any worms in the feces at all.
Bird hasn't been wormed in over 9 months.
If the bird meets those qualifications, I use Wazine 17 (or equivalent piperazine 17%) as labeled in their water for 1 day. I don't eat eggs for two weeks. I *like* to do this when the bird is molting/not laying if possible, but worm killing > egg eating.
If you do the "wazine pre-worming", then in 2 or more weeks later (no more than 2 months) I will do the following worming which I do to all birds twice a year - fall and spring.
I gather the birds being wormed into one area where they don't usually live. Each bird gets picked up and thoroughly examined. Skin, inside mouth, feathers, breathing, keel score, comb/wattles, vent, etc etc. I doctor anything that needs doctoring. Then I worm them (see below) and place them in the pen where they usually stay. Then i get the next bird, rinse and repeat. It helps to have a little portable folding table on which to work, a jacket or big men's shirt, and gloves. Keep a bucket near by with scissors and meds in case you have to clean and treat any little things.
The wormers:
Ivermectin (pour-on, injectable given orally, or paste). aka Ivomec though I recommend generic, not "ivomec" brand because it's all "ivermectin". Horse paste wormers for a 1200 lbs horse labeled as "ivermectin" will work. I don't use the other -ectins, although I know some use eprinectin (eprinex). Personally my preference is pour-on, generic. Broad spectrum, kills more than just intestinal worms, kills adults AND larvae in many species, kills external parasites that take blood, and gapeworm. High safety margin. See dosage below.
Fenbendazole aka Safe-Guard. Panacur. Paste. Another good broad spectrum wormer with a high safety margin. Kills roundworms (adults), cecal worms, capillary worms, and gape worms. You can make a bb-sized piece of it and put into the beak. MSU says that you can use as follows:
-----http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/solutions.html-------
1 oz Safeguard or Panacur per 15-20 lb feed
Dissolve the fenbendazole product in one cup of water. Mix this solution well into the feed and give to the birds as their only feed source for one day. When completely consumed, untreated feed can be given. Be sure that the commercial medication contains 10% fenbendazole.
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Levamisole: Kills capillary worms, cecal worms, roundworms (adults).
Dosage at:
http://msucares.com/poultry/diseases/solutions.html
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IVERMECTIN:
Personally, I use pour-on ivermectin for cattle. It's a blue solution. 250ml generic costs about $14 and will last you ages! It's best to have a helper, but can be done on your own with a table. You will want to fill a syringe with a needle with a little ivomec. I use a 3cc syringe and 25g needle. You will NOT inject it - I use the needle to make one drop at a time of a uniform sized drop. (I'm not able to do that with a regular dropper while holding a chicken.) I hold the syringe pointing towards its side, not down at the bird, in case she jumps so I don't poke her.
I find a spot on the bird, about 1/2" wide, that has no feathering and no down. The best area is low on the back of the neck, or between the shoulders. Once I find that spot, I dispense 1 to 8 drops on the skin. If you get it on the down, it absorbs and you don't know whether or not the bird will get it - so make sure it's on the skin.
The dosage is as follows:
1 drop for a small or OEGB sized bantam.
2 drops for a large OEGB, small but not "micro" bantam.
3 drops for a regular bantam hen.
4 drops for an average hen or smaller large fowl rooster.
5 drops for the average large fowl
6 drops for a larger large fowl
7 drops for giant breed
Ivermectin Paste 1.87%, 6.08 g
