Do you all worm your chickens routinely twice a year?
I had the barn cats at the vets yesterday for their second shots. He asked me how my chicken was doing (I had her in earlier in the week for a broken leg). We then got to talking about worming since he was giving my barn cats another dose of the worming medicine. He then told me that I should worm my chickens twice a year if they are out and about free ranging and exposed to the droppings of wild birds (which they are). He said you just add it to their food.
So, I thought I'd ask the experts here if you worm your chickens and if so, how often and what months of the year do you do it?
Worming chickens
I haven't--but I think it is a good idea--there are a surprising number of parasites they can get, not only from wild birds, but from some of the bugs they eat. But what do you use and do you have to wait for the eggs to be safe to eat?
I am not a big medicator--but sometimes I think I should be more concerned. I did have a fecal test done on some chicks for cocci--the results were negative....but I did have cocci later with another group.
I must admit I have never wormed chickens in all the years I have been raising them. I hardly see any birds around the coop and run area as the chickens don't tolerate them. Maybe I should be worming but have not really ever thought about it. Hay
There was an old old thread where this was discussed. A soluble in water wormer. I wouldn't worm but once and in the fall unless there is a specific need. Trying to remember more specifics on that -not coming to me but I'll chime in if it does...
Thanks for your input. My birds free range all over this farm. We have a lot of birds flying overhead..........geese mainly along with black birds and all kinds of birds. I may ask at the feed store what they recommend. The vet acutally had a big bottle of worming medcine that he drew out of for the kittens. He said they use the same stuff for chickens. I will have to ask him what it is and when he recommends using it and whether it affects the eggs etc. He is an older country vet. It's a father/son practice. They go out to farms and see horses, cows, pigs etc. so I know he knows a lot about all kinds of farm animals.
If I'm not mistaken, chickens will eat poop and just about anything they can find on the ground. Theoretically, if they ate some wild bird poo they could get the worms or if it comes in contact with their feet ???
Was the wormer given to the kittens yellowish? It might be Strongid which is used for many different species. I have never given it to chickens, but have wondered whether they should be dewormed occasionally.
Loon, I may be wrong about this but I have never seen chickens eat fecies of any kind. I have seen crows and other wild birds eat seeds out of cow pies but have not seen that with chickens at all. I would be interested in what others would have to say about this. Hay.
Chickens definitely eat maggots out of cow pies--it is a basic tenet of Salatin's sustainable agriculture...but I think they can catch all sorts of things from wild birds...not just parasites.
Pumpkins are a natural source of killing worms so my chicken got lots of pumpkins this fall and still have a few left.I am not giving my chickens any meds unless there is a definite need.I dought very much that they got any meds back in little house on the prarie days lol.Now that I have poop boards I can check for things like that
Yes, the medicine the vet gave the kittens was yellowish.
I did read elsewhere that pumpkin seeds are a good way to prevent worms. We can only get pumpkins in the fall season here. Not sure if I could keep them year round but may be able to save the seed and dry it somehow to keep year round. It's mostly a preventative and not a way to kill the worms once they have them. I think that's right anyway. Might have read it wrong.
I've caught my chickens eating rabbit poo. My dogs love the stuff too. Wish the coyote would eat that dang rabbit. :)
Brenda
Shoot guys....Mom used to worm us annually with grape juice and pumpkin pie. Natural wormers. I was thinking it was 3 days of nothing but, but that sounds worse even than I remember.
(And YES!! Mothers used to worm everyone as it was understood that the world contained dirt and dirt contained worms!!)
Chickens definitely eat seeds/grain out of horse and cow manure, but they can't get the same worms as horses or cows. I think the main source of infection would be wild birds. However, to be a successful parasite, you mustn't do in your host, so I have always thought that healthy hens could probably coexist with their worms as long as they are not living in overcrowded conditions.
I know with dogs, a healthy mature adult's immune system keeps roundworms inactive....but when the mother is pregnant, the roundworms become active again and infest the puppies in utero--which is why they always tell you to worm puppies even if their parents have negative fecal tests.
I think animals are generally made to sustain a certain parasite/microbial load and it is not always clear what is functioning as a beneficial organism and which is harmful since it depends on more than a single factor--such as the state of the animal's immune system and environmental challenges it is facing.
Sorry but I think this thread has become a little ewwwwier than my poor stomach can handle..LOL No doubt chickens can be affected by wild birds and the fact that chickens eat of of the ground is enough to make us concerned but I still have not seen chickens eating fecies per se. Think I'll shall read something more enjoyable. Hay.