Natural Dewormers?

[Blue_Myst]

Well, now I'm in a panic because I've been hearing that I should be deworming my flock yearly, which I regret to say I haven't.

However, I really do not want to use harsh chemicals or anything of the sort. I've been reading that garlic and pumpkin seeds are good natural dewormers. Has anyone tried either of these? Are they something I need to feed all the time, or just a once-a-month kind of thing?

Thank you for any advice you can give, it's greatly appreciated!

 

[CarriBrown]

Pumpkin seeds do make a great natural de-wormer. The chickens love it, too! Give it to them as their treat. They'll be grateful!

 

[merry hens]

I heard something about raw goat's milk once, but I've never tried it. Maybe someone else knows more.

Mary

 

[lavandula girl]

Are you seeing evidence of worms? If you don't see that, I'd say that if you're looking to be natural, DE or pumpkin seeds on occasion would be just fine. Now, if there's a parasite load that is indicated in fecal examination, you may need a stronger choice. I mix a little DE in the birds' food every couple weeks, and they get pumpkin seeds when I have them. Never had any evidence of worms.

 

[Blue_Myst]

Thanks everyone! Now the deciding factor is to see if my finicky hens will find offerings of pumpkin seeds gourmet enough for their liking

Are you seeing evidence of worms?

Nope, I don't see any clear signs of worms or other internal parasites, but I do want to think preventively.​

 

[lavandula girl]

DE is organic, and they won't notice it in their feed, if they don't like the pumpkin seeds.

 

[foxyk91]

Can you please tell me what DE is? I'm new & feel dumb asking but I really want to know...lol

 

[antiquebuff]

I was told pumpkin seeds have to be broken up, not whole, to be effective. I read that on BYC.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

What do you look for as evidence of worms? If one bird has them do you assume the rest of the flock does too? Could some have more "company" than others?

I've also heard that raw ACV (apple cider vinegar) and/or cayene pepper is a good worm preventative, what have you all heard?

 

[RooptyDoo]

We bought some chickens that we soon discovered were obviously wormy. Gross! We couldn't find just plain pumpkin seeds for them but we did find a squirrel mix of feed at Tractor Supply that was a mix of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and corn. You can find it in the section with the wild bird seed. We ground them up in a food grinder and fed them for 3 days in place of their morning treat of chicken scratch. I haven't seen any more worms and the chickens LOVED it!