Is it true ? about worms can get in the eggs?

[ging3rhoffman]

I was reading about worming and was worried about worms being in our eggs and not knowing it. My girls are 24 weeks old now and just started laying a couple of weeks ago. I didnt know rather to worm them immediately or not. They are the picture of health and we are enjoying our first eggs. Having to throw the eggs out for a month would make me so sad. Ive waited for eggs for so long. Can i wait to worm until they molt or until fall or something or do you think its very important to worm right now.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Anything in the hen's egg laying factory can get incorporated into the egg. Roundworms move around inside the chicken and may visit the egg laying factory. It is extremely rare but it is possible one could wind up in the egg. There is a section in the bottom of this link that discusses it.

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/ourbooks/1/egg-quality-handbook/

That is why it is good to always crack an egg individually into a separate bowl and look at it before adding it to your ingredients or cooking it. Don't confuse the chalazae with worms. Chalazae are the cords that help keep the yolk centered in the egg. I've got a link to better describe chalazae too.

Mississippi State – Parts of an Egg
http://msucares.com/poultry/reproductions/poultry_parts_embryo.html

If you see worms in the stool, you should worm now because it means there is probably a heavy infestation. If you don't know that you have worms, why would you put the hens through the stress of worming and give up eating your eggs for a month on the off chance that something very rare might happen if they happen to have roundworms, especially when the possibility can be mitigated by looking at the egg before you use it? Unless you know you have a worm problem, I would not treat now but would wait for the molt.

Good luck and enjoy your eggs.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

Thank you so much for a wealth of information. I feel so much better now.

 

[cmom]

I have only noticed any worms in my birds once and it appeared it was only one bird. When I found some I checked the poop of all the birds and didn't find any in the others but I did worm the flock. I have never seen any worms in any eggs but I have heard of it but it's very rare. When I have wormed originally I used Wazine but there is an egg withdrawal of two weeks and if you have meat birds they shouldn't be processed for at least two weeks after worming with Wazine. I did a follow-up worming with Verm-X. Now if I have to worm I use Verm-X. It's all natural and there is no egg withdrawal period.

http://verm-x.com

 

[Kezzie]

Here is an article on natural chicken worming. It works best when you catch the infestation early. There is no withdrawal period but it is possible that it could affect the taste of the eggs for a short period of time.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1806628/worming_chickens_naturally.html

 

[buck-wild-chick]

 

[texaschickmama]

In 3+ years I have only had to worm with meds once. I use pumpkin seeds, DE, and crushed red pepper. You can worm if you feel more comfortable, but you don't have to. Some people worm every 30 days to break that worm life cycle, but it's really up to you. I feel that is too much medicine in my chickens. You also have to wait to eat the eggs after you medicate, so I try to only worm with Wazine if I actually see worms. Don't freak out if you do see worms because heck, they eat off the ground, what do you expect?

 

[muddypuddles]

Thats very interesting. I think I will try garlic- It sounds so much more gentle than the other wormers out there. thanks for the link!

 

[texaschickmama]

I forgot about garlic.... duh....thanks for reminding me.

 

[ging3rhoffman]

You guys are great. I just love this website. Thanks so much.