worms

[erindubb]

I read about people worming their chickens. I am wondering how you know that you need to worm them. Do you see the worms in the poop? (I don't see any)
Or do you just do it no matter what? Should I be doing that?

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
I'm worming mine now only because my vet said to after she gave my rooster a fecal test. She found several varieties of worms, none that I've ever noticed in their poop. I think from now on I'm going to treat them every November since that's when they've almost finished molting and slowed down on the laying eggs. You have to throw away two weeks' worth of eggs, so why not do it when they aren't laying much, if any at all.
I'll start giving them 14 hours of light in December. That way they will have had a short rest/break from laying.

 

[chickenlady08]

Hi there and

Some people worm regularly like 2 times a year. I just wormed all of my adults because I saw a roundworm in the poop. Now is a good time to worm since the egg production is lower right now. (Because you have to throw out the eggs for 2 weeks after worming) there are lots of different opinions on worming, but if see worms then you need to worm. I am going to start worming 2 times a year as a preventive measure (even if I don't see worms) ) mine free range and think of all the yummy bugs and worms they eat.

Try searching topics of worming on BYC and you can see many different opinions.



Good luck

 

[Clay Valley Farmer]

Pretty much any chicken with access to dirt is going to have worms at some point. A few worms is likely no big deal for them to tollerate, but often they can become infested esp when other stressess or illnesses complicate matters.

Many reccommend routine worming, like posted above good to do it when egg laying is down or if you have a period of surplus eggs.

Some go with herbal or natural worming practices, some claim good results but others end up shocked to find out their chickens get worms despite the efforts. At best these natural methods are a preventative and not a cure for infestation.

If you want to reduce chemicals then having stool samples tested on a regular basis is likely a good way to go to avoid worming unless it is needed. Not sure it might not be very cost effective though depending on how your vet prices things.

 

[joebryant]

The following summary is from another post; for more information, see:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=420520

WORMING YOUR CHICKENS - FROM THE GOSPEL of JAMES (Chapter dawg53 1-2-3)
*****
1. Wazine17 - two ounces in two gallons of water for one day - dump eggs for two weeks
*****
...Ten days later:
2. Valbazen -one half cc/ml for standard size chickens, one quarter cc/ml for smaller chickens including silkies. You can use an oral syringe to squirt it down their throats individually or you can inject it into a small piece of bread and give each chicken a piece of bread....they gobble it up. - dump the eggs for two weeks
*****
3. ...after a couple of days of using both wormers....give your chickens plain yogurt or buttermilk(probiotics), canned beef cat food (extra protein), all mixed in their feed and give it to them to build up their immune systems, do this about 3 days in a row. Then you'll have healthy, happy chickens lol.
The next time you worm,say in about 6 months or whenever you see fit...you can use the valbazen first, no need to use the wazine unless you want to. Please PM anytime and I'll be happy to help you with worming. Jim.
______________________________________________________
Making buttermilk (joebryant):
Mine love it, and its lactic acid and bacteria culture is super healthy for them and YOU.
I make it a gallon at a time:
Buy a quart of buttermilk, pour it into a large container with a gallon of milk. Let the five quarts sit at room temperature for 24 hours, stirring occasionally, and you'll have five quarts. Save a quart to use with another gallon of milk later.
BTW, buttermilk will keep for a very long time in the refrigerator.
Store in a glass container(s).

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not going to argue with the others. I'll just caution you to read the label carefully before you worm during a molt. One common wormer can cause the feathers to grow back curly and weird looking if you use it during a molt. I can't remember which one it is.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Making buttermilk (joebryant):
Mine love it, and its lactic acid and bacteria culture is super healthy for them and YOU.
I make it a gallon at a time:
Buy a quart of buttermilk, pour it into a large container with a gallon of milk. Let the five quarts sit at room temperature for 24 hours, stirring occasionally, and you'll have five quarts. Save a quart to use with another gallon of milk later.
BTW, buttermilk will keep for a very long time in the refrigerator.
Store in a glass container(s).

Last edited by joebryant (Today 8:34 am)


I make kefir for mine. Same directions, but one starts with a kefir "grain".. My chooks love it and like cultured buttermilk its full of probiotics! I'm learning to love it too. I wonder if any of the cultures are the same..

 

[joebryant]

Quote:
Kefir?
I'd never heard of it, so I just now Google it and got this for information: http://www.kefir.net/
Sounds interesting, so I'll have to find a site that gives the details for making it.

ETA If anyone else is interested in reading about kefir, here's a list of topics on BYC:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/search.php?search_id=1094352991

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
You're correct Ridgerunner....fenbendazole, commonly sold as Safeguard.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thanks. I spent about 20 minutes searching for that and could not find it. Time for a bookmark.