worms??

[dawg53]

Quote:
Well I put DE out a lot....in food and in nest boxes, etc. It wasn't enough for my hens. I would say to be safe use the Wazine 17 at least once every quarter or so......

You are proof positive that DE in chicken feed does not prevent nor kill worms....thank you Amanda4TCU...I have been saying that for a very long time!
It's not necessary to worm so often, probably semi annually for you. Wazine only gets rid of large roundworms. Safeguard equine paste and safeguard liquid goat wormer gets rid of most worms except tapeworms. Be careful with other equine wormers, their dosages for chickens are different, because their active ingredients are different. I recommend you stick with the Safeguard as Schellie69 suggested, including the dosage.
I worm mine quarterly, our soil here is worm soup.

 

[ninabeast]

At what age would recommend one begin worming? My girls are only 13 days and won't be going out into a run until early June.

 

[Amanda4TCU]

Quote:
Well I put DE out a lot....in food and in nest boxes, etc. It wasn't enough for my hens. I would say to be safe use the Wazine 17 at least once every quarter or so......

You are proof positive that DE in chicken feed does not prevent nor kill worms....thank you Amanda4TCU...I have been saying that for a very long time!
It's not necessary to worm so often, probably semi annually for you. Wazine only gets rid of large roundworms. Safeguard equine paste and safeguard liquid goat wormer gets rid of most worms except tapeworms. Be careful with other equine wormers, their dosages for chickens are different, because their active ingredients are different. I recommend you stick with the Safeguard as Schellie69 suggested, including the dosage.
I worm mine quarterly, our soil here is worm soup.

~Yes, definitely proof. I actually put DE on my hens the day I brought them home, before I even fed them. Since then (Oct) I have been putting DE in feed, nest boxes and in their dirt bath areas. FOR SURE it didn't/doesn't kill worms. I was at the vet yesterday and he told me my cochin was full of roundworms. He gave her a paste and she has been pooping them out since and much improvement!
Maybe DE is great for mites and such externally but don't trust it internally......I will definitely stick with the Safeguard! Thanks for all the info....I never would have known! Who knew there is such a learning curve on chickens...!

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
Your chicks are too young to have worms. Around the 10-12 month mark, take a fecal sample to a vet and have them look at it under a microscope. Just take a sample in and tell them you want to know if there's worm oocysts in the sample, shouldnt cost much. Then you'll know whether to treat or not. If it's positive, they'll let you know what type of worms, then you can purchase the correct wormer to deal with what type of worm it is.
OR, you can set up your own worming program like I have and worm according to the what your environment is like. If you live in a cold or mountainous place, you might only need to worm once a year, most likely in the fall when egg production starts to slow and before molt starts. When molt starts, egg production slows or stops completely, alot of people worm then. Personally, I dont like to worm during molts, too much stress on their systems.
If you live in a hot and humid place like I do, consider worming 2-4 times a year, worms love moist/warm soil. Same for rainy areas of the country...worm breeding grounds.
When to actually worm chickens is up to you. If your chickens have slowed or stopped eating, drinking and laying...acting lethargic...it's probably worms. A worming program will prevent this.

 

[ninabeast]

Thanks, dawg53. I live in Upstate New York, so I might be able to get away with once a year. I will start calling around for a vet who "does" chickens. Get chickens, they said. It's easy, they said...

 

[dawg53]

Quote:
LOL...Chickens ARE easy once you read up on a few things...dont get discouraged. It's truly a rewarding experience and a challenge at the same time. No need to line up a vet just for worming if that's what you're worried about. When you're ready to worm, PM me and I'll be glad to help you out. In your case since you live in upstate New York...think about worming late next February or early March. If you think they need worming sooner, PM me and I'll be glad to help. In the meantime, enjoy them!

 

[ninabeast]

Thanks, dawg. I'm a gonna hold you to that!

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
Dawg is great he talked me though my worm problem last year with all my questions. He even helped me with my hen that I had to cull. I am going to use safeguard again this year. It was so easy last year and that's what I needed. Then I will be getting a new wormer that dawg uses. And DE does not prevent worms. I do use it to dry out poop in the coop in the winter use the deep litter method and in their dust bath areas it works on mites/lice and even flees slowly on flees.