Worm Prevention and Treatment?

[TheyBeChillin]

Hey, everyone! I’m newer to chickens as I got my first four girls last year in June. They haven’t been having any issues ( except one of my pullets getting a little frostbite in December ) until now. I’m afraid that one of my pullets might be having issues with worms, or some other health issue as she’s been having very bad diarrhea for several months now, beginning last November. Some of her symptoms match that of worms, such as sometimes her comb will look pale, poop will collect around her vent, and when it doesn’t get stuck around her feathers, it looks foamy and runny on the ground.
Anyways, I was wondering how y’all have treated worms in chickens, and how you were able to tell if they had it? I’m underage so I don’t make a lot of money, but I can still pay for what would need to be paid for. What’s is a very affordable yet very efficient treatment/prevention? Also, what would be the safest?
If any of y’all had trouble with diarrhea in the flock, what other remedies did you use for that? I’m not sure what could be causing these issues.
Sorry this post is so terribly long.. but thank you so much for reading!

 

[Emily Chickens]

Hi! I prevent worms by putting Diatomaceous Earth in their food. You can also put garlic powder and cinnamon powder in their food too.

For the Diatomaceous Earth. About a 1/4 cup per bird in their feed. Maybe less.

I hope this helped!

 

[TheyBeChillin]

Hi! I prevent worms by putting Diatomaceous Earth in their food. You can also put garlic powder and cinnamon powder in their food too.

For the Diatomaceous Earth. About a 1/4 cup per bird in their feed. Maybe less.

I hope this helped!

Thanks so much!

 

[coach723]

If you have a vet that will do a fecal test for you, that will tell you if it's parasites or not. Some vets that see your other animals may be willing to do the test for you, and it's usually not terribly expensive, some vets refuse to test a chicken. A phone call to ask cost nothing.
Did you get these as chicks or as adult birds? Do you know their ages? Do they all lay regularly? There are many things that can cause runny droppings, but if it's happening consistently, then you should look for a cause. If it's only occasional then it could be dietary, from drinking lots of water, or it could be cecal droppings which happen several times a day, about every 10 droppings, and are runnier, pastier, different colored, and stinkier. Those are normal.
If it's parasites the most common treatments are Safeguard Liquid Goat wormer, or Safeguard horse paste (fenbendazole), which you can get at most feed stores or tractor supply stores.
Diatomacious Earth is not effective for internal parasites, it only works when it's dry, and it's not dry inside a chicken. It's a waste of money, and the dust can also cause respiratory irritation to the birds and to people. If there are parasites present, then the medication is need to get rid of them. If you get the meds, or the test, and need help with dosing, we can help with that here.

 

[TheyBeChillin]

If you have a vet that will do a fecal test for you, that will tell you if it's parasites or not. Some vets that see your other animals may be willing to do the test for you, and it's usually not terribly expensive, some vets refuse to test a chicken. A phone call to ask cost nothing.
Did you get these as chicks or as adult birds? Do you know their ages? Do they all lay regularly? There are many things that can cause runny droppings, but if it's happening consistently, then you should look for a cause. If it's only occasional then it could be dietary, from drinking lots of water, or it could be cecal droppings which happen several times a day, about every 10 droppings, and are runnier, pastier, different colored, and stinkier. Those are normal.
If it's parasites the most common treatments are Safeguard Liquid Goat wormer, or Safeguard horse paste (fenbendazole), which you can get at most feed stores or tractor supply stores.
Diatomacious Earth is not effective for internal parasites, it only works when it's dry, and it's not dry inside a chicken. It's a waste of money, and the dust can also cause respiratory irritation to the birds and to people. If there are parasites present, then the medication is need to get rid of them. If you get the meds, or the test, and need help with dosing, we can help with that here.

Okay, thank you so much! Yes, it’s very consistent that she’s having these issues. The others are beginning to have these issues aswell, but not to the extent that Fern is. I can see about giving a vet a call, thanks!
This all began when the chickens got into the garden. I had some onions growing, and I know onions are toxic to them and can cause diarrhea. But they got in there and ate my onions, and Fern had diarrhea. Soon after winter came, we had nothing growing, and the chickens got into the garden and began eating earthworms and other bugs in there. I’m concerned she might have gotten worms from that wet, moist environment. My dad has now built the garden so the chickens can’t get into it. I tried to explain to my dad about the onions being toxic, but he didn’t listen to me and would still let them out when I asked him not to. Her comb also began to look a little pale in December and January, but I figured that might have just been due to the cold, but sometimes it still looks pale.
I got all four as chicks when they were only a couple days old. I got them from Tractor Supply. Fern has always been sort of… sickly. She was the scrawniest, least friendly, and the one that stayed under the heater most often. She also was the most anxious, and the one I worried about the most during the winter due to her large comb. I didn’t pick which chicks- they grabbed them at random, and I only picked the breeds I wanted. She’s about 11 months old. Yes, they all lay very regularly. We get 3-4 eggs every day, but usually 4. However, somewhat frequently I will find poop on one egg, which I am fairly certain are Fern’s.

 

[nuthatched]

Hi! I prevent worms by putting Diatomaceous Earth in their food. You can also put garlic powder and cinnamon powder in their food too.

For the Diatomaceous Earth. About a 1/4 cup per bird in their feed. Maybe less.

I hope this helped!

Absolutely not. Diotomaeceous Earth does absolutely nothing for internal parasites. It’s not a safe product for birds, it's respiratory irritant for you and your birds, it causes necrotic tissue in their bronchial tube and will eventually suffocate them.
Garlic is not an effective wormer and is toxic to chickens and cinnamon does nothing.

 

[Emily Chickens]

Becky's Homestead has a good video on worming chickens with DE.

 

[nuthatched]

Okay, thank you so much! Yes, it’s very consistent that she’s having these issues. The others are beginning to have these issues aswell, but not to the extent that Fern is. I can see about giving a vet a call, thanks!
This all began when the chickens got into the garden. I had some onions growing, and I know onions are toxic to them and can cause diarrhea. But they got in there and ate my onions, and Fern had diarrhea. Soon after winter came, we had nothing growing, and the chickens got into the garden and began eating earthworms and other bugs in there. I’m concerned she might have gotten worms from that wet, moist environment. My dad has now built the garden so the chickens can’t get into it. I tried to explain to my dad about the onions being toxic, but he didn’t listen to me and would still let them out when I asked him not to. Her comb also began to look a little pale in December and January, but I figured that might have just been due to the cold, but sometimes it still looks pale.
I got all four as chicks when they were only a couple days old. I got them from Tractor Supply. Fern has always been sort of… sickly. She was the scrawniest, least friendly, and the one that stayed under the heater most often. She also was the most anxious, and the one I worried about the most during the winter due to her large comb. I didn’t pick which chicks- they grabbed them at random, and I only picked the breeds I wanted. She’s about 11 months old. Yes, they all lay very regularly. We get 3-4 eggs every day, but usually 4. However, somewhat frequently I will find poop on one egg, which I am fairly certain are Fern’s.

Chickens won't eat onions or garlic if they have a choice so that's not something to worry about. It's normal for comb and skin color to change from day to day or minute to minute. Combs shrink and get pale in the winter because they aren't laying as much or at all.
Have you checked their crops? What's their diet?

 

[coach723]

Becky's Homestead has a good video on worming chickens with DE.

Just because it's on the internet doesn't make it true.

 

[ArizonaSky]

W

Chickens won't eat onions or garlic if they have a choice so that's not something to worry about. It's normal for comb and skin color to change from day to day or minute to minute. Combs shrink and get pale in the winter because they aren't laying as much or at all.
Have you checked their crops? What's their diet?

What is appropriate to keep chickens parasite free?