When do i worm my chickens

The parasite migrates to the liver causing damage which can result in death. Unfortunately, there is no specific licensed treatment for blackhead, so worming is the preventative option.

Syngamus trachea , the gapeworm, lives in the trachea windpipe causing gasping and head shaking. Because of the clinical signs, gape worms are the most commonly thought of worms affecting hens. However, they are quite rare and the cause is usually respiratory disease. Tapeworms rarely affect hens; if you do suspect them consult your vet. This avoids over-worming and will advise you of the species present. Chicken Vet supply special kits to collect a sample and includes packaging to send to the laboratory.

Our vets recommend worming with a licenced product at least twice a year. Flubenvet is licenced for treating hens. You do not need to stop eating the eggs.

If your hens are confined to a run, it helps to reduce worm burdens by moving the run regularly or changing the surface material every so often. For further advice and information, visit www. Or, head to our Hen Examination Guidelines where we can show you where to find things like the crop or the wattle.

If you need to seek medical advice, click here to find your nearest Hen Friendly Vet. You can also call Hen Central on to speak to one of our rehoming assistants. Giving a gift today helps fund our Hen Helpline. It helps support hen keepers, giving them the best advice on how to care for their hens. If you are worming as part of a prevention routine, most poultry keepers worm at least every months, between 2 to 4 times a year. As a minimum treat in the spring before the breeding season when temperature rises and worm eggs become infective and again at the end of summer when egg numbers decline.

However, if you know your chickens have worms or you see worms in droppings then do remember that this kills the worms they are carrying but does nothing about the worm eggs that are on the floor of the run and in the intermediate hosts such as slugs, snails and earthworms. You do need an ongoing treatment plan to kill the worms that develop over the coming weeks as a result of the eggs that get picked up. Note that during the prepatent phase of infection, poultry can harbour lots of immature worms that are not laying eggs, so no eggs will be present in the droppings.

Prepatent period of common poultry worms:. Do My Chickens Have Worms? Roundworms Ascaridia galli Roundworms are one of the most common intestinal parasites found in chickens worldwide, especially free range and backyard flocks.

Capillary worms Capillaria These are also known as threadworms or hairworms. Gapeworms Syngamus trachea Gapeworms are not very common in chickens. Tapeworms Cestodes These attach themselves to the lining of the intestine and can get really long and unpleasant. Cecal worms Heterakis gallinarum These are very common but not usually harmful to poultry. How Do Chickens Get Worms? Signs and Symptoms Symptoms of a heavy worm burden or infestation can include; worms in eggs, abnormal droppings diarrhoea, foamy-looking etc , weight-loss, anaemic or pale comb and wattles, listlessness, dirty feathers around vent, worms in droppings or throat, gasping, head stretching and shaking, drop in egg production and sudden death.

Prevention As with all animals, good animal husbandry will mean less risk of your birds getting worms. Natural Worming Remedies Garlic grated up and added to water can act as a natural preventative. Aviverm Aviverm Poultry Remedy is a quick and easy way to worm your chickens by adding to their water. Pour-On Drench Our pour on drench is a long lasting endectocide used for stock cattle, deer etc. Pour-on drench. When To Repeat Treatment If you are worming as part of a prevention routine, most poultry keepers worm at least every months, between 2 to 4 times a year.

Prepatent period of common poultry worms: Roundworms - 35 to 56 days faster in young growing birds Tapeworms - 14 to 22 days. Gapeworm - 18 to 20 days Cecal worms - 24 to 30 days. Hairworms - 20 to 60 days depending on the type of Hairworm. Feed chickens properly. Stick to a complete nutritionally balanced diet like Westons Peak Layer Pellets.

Keep treats to a minimum. Do not throw feed and treats on the ground for them to become contaminated by poultry droppings. Keep feeders and drinkers clean. Do not overcrowd your chickens. Give them us much space as you can. Practice good coop hygiene and maintenance with regular cleaning. Facebook Twitter Instagram. What are the keys to good flock management? First of all, hygiene. Provide a supply of fresh, clean drinking water at all times.

How can you tell if they need worming? By using a Worm Count Kit! I use a product containing Flubendazole when necessary to worm my chickens. This is a proven chemical wormer that kill all common worms and their eggs in the chicken and is the only product licensed for use in chickens feed. In between these times, I use Verm-X which has approval for use in Organic systems — now this is a herbal product which works in a different way — you will need to feed this to your hens every month for it to work.

The really great thing about Verm-X is that being herbal, it contains many ingredients that are good for your birds so it can improve their overall health. Practising good husbandry techniques is key, in between worming chickens.

We try to rotate our birds grazing area every month so that they get some fresh grass but so the ground also gets to rest this is one of the major principles in Organic farming and we keep the grass mowed short which allows the ultra-violet light from the sun to reach droppings and kill off worm eggs.