Deworming your chickens naturally is a fairly simple process, as long as you understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. Most artificial dewormers will not harm your flock, but many willChicken ladiesprefer to use natural preventative treatments for their girls. To best treat your chooks for worms, it is imperative that you understand what worms actually are, how your chickens get them, the best ways to prevent an outbreak in your flock, and that you how to care for chooks that are infected. . This no-nonsense, easy-to-read guide will give you the lowdown on all things worm-related, so you and your girls can relax in comfort.
What are worms?
Worms are essentially parasites that invade your chickens' digestive systems and cause problems! They breed chicks from nutrients and cause your girls serious discomfort. There are of course many different types of worms, such as hairworms, roundworms, gizzard worms, tapeworms, all of which are disturbingly unique in their own way, but they all have one thing in common: they are troublemakers!
How can worms harm my flock?
It's not hard to see why worms are a serious chicken problem. Extreme cases of worms can lead to malnutrition, infection, internal bleeding and even death! However, there is no need to despair as long as you are proactive in preventing and treating your flock for worms. Worms are very common and there are a wide range of treatments, both natural and artificial, that can get your chickens back to optimal clucking in no time.
How do chickens get worms?
It is very easy for your flock to catch worms, and even the more diligent chicken ladies cannot always protect their feathered ladies from contamination. Worms are mainly spread through poultry droppings, and as we all know, chickens are not always discreet about where they do their work. These are the two main ways chickens can become infected with worms...
Direct life cycle: Worms are like co*ckroaches, even when you think you've killed them all, they keep crawling back in their thousands! When an infected chicken goes about its business, they inadvertently spread hundreds and thousands of tiny worms that can literally remain in the grass for years. Of course, chickens love to peck and poke their heads around the backyard, and it's very easy for them to accidentally ingest a small army of worms looking for a host body to besiege - pretty scary stuff!
Indirect life cycle: Worms are smart and cunning little creatures that know how to get what they want! Other small creatures, such as snails, earthworms and snails, feed on the worms that may be lurking deep in the grass in your backyard. Good news, right? Wrong! Chickens love to eat slugs, earthworms and slugs and as a result they become infected with the worms their prey has eaten - as the saying goes, "You are not just what you eat, you are what you eat, eat".
Now it may seem like worms are inevitable, and in many ways they are, but there is still so much you can do to prevent an outbreak.
How can you help prevent worms in your backyard?
Worm prevention is simple, as long as you integrate it into your regular chicken routine. Here are the three main ways you can help prevent a worm outbreak...
Change cat litter regularly: Infected chicken feces contain thousands of tiny worms looking for a new set of intestines to call home. So it is only common sense to replenish the litter regularly, especially if one of your chickens is suffering from worms.Hemp beddingis highly absorbent and naturally pest repellent, making it a perfect first line of defense against worms. Read more about the benefits of hemp beddingher...
Avoid wet and muddy conditions: worms thrive in swampy conditions! A muddy chicken coop is like a New Year's Eve party for these parasites, and trust me, they can party all night long. If your chicken coop or run resembles a muddy swamp, make sure you let your chickens dry the ground or you may end up with more worms than you can handle!
Keep your lawn mowed: "Why mow the lawn? I don't care what the neighbors think" We've all said this before. But a freshly mowed lawn exposes the dormant worms to strong UV rays, especially in Australia, and believe it or not, this will actually put a stop to the loss of pesky parasites.
As you can see, there are some basic things you can do to protect your girls from worms. That said, while prevention is the best strategy, worms are tough creatures to defeat, and sometimes your girls unfortunately get infected.
What are the signs that your chickens have worms?
It is sometimes difficult to unequivocally diagnose a chicken with worms, but there are enough tell-tale signs that will help you arrive at a fairly reliable diagnosis. Discover the top five signs and symptoms of worms in backyard chickens here...
Weight loss: If your chicks are losing weight quickly, this could be a sign that there are a lot of worms in their stomachs that are eating their food before they have a chance!
Increased feed consumption: Ironically, chickens with worms will lose weight but eat more feed. This is because their bodies are malnourished as the worms eat all the food in their stomachs, meaning they try to eat more to compensate, but this only makes the worms even more powerful!
Pale yolks: chickens with worms lay eggs with pale and solemn yolks.
Diarrhea: That's right, chickens with worms can often get unpleasant, smelly and bubbly diarrhea - those poor things! Keep an eye on your chicken droppings as diarrhea is always a sign of a sick chicken.
Worms in chicken manure: Worms look like white hairs that can sometimes be found in a chicken's feces. It may not be the most fun, but it's important for your girls that you keep an eye on their dirty business and see if you can spot any squirming worms.
If you ever want to get an official diagnosis, you can always take a manure sample to your local poultry specialist, who can perform a number of tests to determine the presence of the worm in the stool sample provided. If you think your ladies have worms, the good news is that there are many natural remedies for treating worms that also have a whole bunch of health benefits for your flock.
What are some natural preventative treatments for worms?
There are so many natural preventive worm treatments that you can integrate into your chicken's diet and lifestyle. By including the following ingredients in your chicken's diet daily, you can help protect your sweet little ladies from all kinds of parasites, like mites and lice and not just those pesky worms. Here are our top 3 natural preventative treatments for worms...
Diatomaceous Earth: In an eggshell, diatomaceous earth is essentially fossilized algae that is very abrasive and will help eradicate worms in your chicken stomach when ingested. It is also a very rich source of essential minerals that will keep your girls vibrant and healthy, so they can party all night in your house without worrying about embarrassing worms. For more information about diatomaceous earth, just clickher.
Apple cider vinegar: This is a popular solution for a wide variety of chicken ailments. Apple cider vinegar helpsstrengthen the immune system of your chickensin a number of ways, as well as detoxifying their bodies. Simply put, apple cider vinegar is like giving your chickens a multivitamin. To learn more about apple cider vinegar, just clickher.
Garlic: Some girly ladies are a little wary of garlic, as it has been rumored for years that it changes the taste of your girl's eggs. In fact, garlic is a great medicinal treatment that you can incorporate into your flock's diet on a semi-regular basis. And you guessed it: garlic also helps kill pesky worms in your chicken's stomach. Just click to discover the truth about garlicher.
Simply adding a small amount of these ingredients to your flock's feed or water every day will strengthen your chickens' immune system and stomach against all the nasty problems of making worms try to invade.
What should you do if your chickens are seriously infested with worms?
Sometimes, despite all your best efforts, your chickens just end up with worms. It's nothing to be ashamed of, it's something that happens every now and then. The good news is that worms are quite easy to treat. At Backyard Chicken Coops we adviseWormout-gelto treat your chickens infected with worms. Wormout Gel contains two important chemicals, Oxfendazole and Praziquantel, which effectively help eradicate worms from your chicken's digestive system. All you need is 2ml of Worm Out Gel for every 160ml of drinking water to remove any worms from your chickens' stomachs. It is customary for many chicken lovers to use a product such as Wormout Gel every six months as a preventive treatment against worms, but whether you prefer to use natural remedies such as apple cider vinegar and diatomaceous earth is entirely up to you. The bottom line is that it is important that you help protect and treat your chickens against worms in some way.
What should I do after treating my chickens against worms with Wormout Gel?
After you have treated your chickens with Wormout Gel against worms, it is important that you do not eat eggs for at least 14 days. This gives your chicks enough time to flush any remaining deworming chemicals from their system. During this time, your chickens may need an extra nutritional boost in their diet with products such as apple cider vinegar and diatomaceous earth. If you are using Wormout Gel as a preventative treatment, it is always a smart idea to treat them during the non-laying seasons to avoid missing out on delicious eggs.
In all seriousness, any animal lover who cares for chickens will probably experience a worm outbreak at some point. Situations like this are easy to deal with, as long as you remember all the different ways, natural or synthetic, by which you can prevent and eradicate these squirmy little warriors. Changing their bedding regularly is a good strategy, and it has never been easier than with usTaj Mahal,PenthouseofMansionhutches, all of which are equipped with cleaning trays that are easy to remove. From there, you can always rely on natural treatments, such as apple cider vinegar and diatomaceous earth, for daily prevention. If your worms become seriously infested with worms, it is best to use Wormout Gel; it is reliable, effective and easy to use. Ultimately, as long as you know your enemy, it will be just as easy to defend your chickens from collecting eggs from the nest box.
As chicken keepers, we like to think that we are doing our best for our girls, but there is often more we can do to prevent health problems. I highly recommendUltimate online chicken health courseto all my readers! It was written by our friends atKippedia. They've put together everything you need to keep healthy chickens all season long (and that's more than you think!) with a great set of checklists and downloads to keep.
Resources and further reading
