When and how to deworm chickens has become a controversial topic among backyard owners. Continuing ourinterviewseriewith Gail Damerow, poultry expert andbestselling author,We ask her for recommendations on deworming chickens as a follow-up to her previous article discussedprevention of worms in chickens.
How do you know if your chickens have worms?
“Well, you don't always know. Most chickens have worms, but they don't show any signs of illness. But if your chickens start looking thin and scratchy, losing weight, and laying fewer eggs, consider worms as a possible cause. In extreme cases you see worms in the feces or, very rarely, in an egg," she explains.
“By far the best way to determine whether you need to deworm your chickens and what type of dewormer to use is to perform a stool test. Most veterinarians will do a stool test even if they are not an avian vet. Or, if you prefer , you can do it yourself by following the instructions that are readily available online and can help you learn how to deworm chickens."
What is your advice for deworming chickens?
"Unless parasitic worms are causing or contributing to a serious health condition, deworming may not be necessary at all. And deworming, especially if done incorrectly, can be more stressful for chickens than the worms themselves. Furthermore, deworming is basically useless unless you try." .to eliminate or at least minimize parasitic worm sources, as we discussed inmy previous interview" says Damerow.
“Preventive measures are especially important because not all anthelmintics affect all worm species. You therefore need to know what type of worms, if any, you are dealing with so that you know which dewormer or dewormer to use when deworming chickens.”
What products are available if you need to deworm chickens?
“When researching chicken deworming, it is important to note that there are not many chemical dewormers approved for chickens,” Damerow warns.
“One is Piperazine (brand name Wazine), which only affects large roundworms. Another is Hygromycin-B (brand name Rooster Booster), which is actually an antibiotic. It affects more different types of roundworms than Piperazine.
"Then you have the benzimidazoles, which are broad-spectrum anthelmintics. They have a wide margin of safety and affect both tapeworms and roundworms. Fenbendazole (a brand name is Safe-Guard) is approved for chickens. Albendazole (brand name Valbaas) is often used off-label, meaning it is not FDA approved for chickens. Flubendazole (brand name Flubenvet) is also widely used but requires a prescription from a veterinarian.
“Other popular off-label dewormers include Ivermectin (trade name Ivomec) and levamisole. Both have caveats when used in chickens,” she says.
“In fact, using any dewormer requires caution. For example, deworming during a molt can be particularly stressful. Using enough product to throw out a large quantity of worms at once can actually kill a chick. And it Using the same dewormer over and over again can create resistant parasites.”
What about rotary dewormers?
“If done correctly, it certainly helps prevent worms from becoming resistant. At the same time, alternating between two products that are used too often can cause parasites to become resistant to thembothdewormers,” warns Damerow.
“What you also need to know about anthelmintic rotation is that all products within a chemical group work in the same way. So you have to make sure that you alternate chemical groups when deworming chickens, and not just brand names."
How often should you deworm chickens?
“How often your chickens need to be dewormed, if at all, depends in part on how you manage your flock and your climate. Chickens that are not exposed to parasitic worms may never need to be dewormed. In a confined environment, chickens age and pecking them through the same soil year after year may require regular deworming.
“Regular deworming may also be necessary in warm, humid climates where intermediate hosts predominate year-round. Intermediate hosts are creatures such as snails and grasshoppers that can harbor parasitic worm eggs or larvae. The chicken acquires worms by eating the intermediate host,” she explains out.
“In cold climates, intermediate hosts are inactive for part of the year, so chickens in those types of environments may only need to be dewormed in the warmer months.
“Chicken keepers who live in climates with both a hot summer and a cold winter often deworm in the spring, when the chickens start spending more time outdoors. They often deworm again in the fall when the cold weather prompts the chickens to spend more time in the coop.”
What is a cooling-off period?
“All anthelmintics are eventually excreted from a chicken's body. The withdrawal period is the time that must elapse before the anthelmintic dissipates, or at least reaches a level deemed acceptable by regulators.
“Anthelmintics differ in the way they work. Therefore their storage times are also different. Meat and eggs do not necessarily accumulate and excrete substances in the same way, so they may not require the same storage time. Unless a product has been tested and approved however, in poultry you will have difficulty withdrawing information if you deworm your chickens.
"Too often, data on withdrawal times, especially for eggs, is based on guesswork or incorrect information. The only reliable way to determine a drug's withdrawal period is to check the product label or contact the manufacturer," warns Damerow.
What about natural dewormers?
'You hear about all kindsnatural worm control methods,such as feeding cabbage, garlic and pumpkin. But unlike chemical anthelmintics, they do not directly affect worms,” says Damerow.
"Instead, they work by making the environment inside the chicken unattractive or unpleasant for parasites. These methods are therefore more suitable for preventing worms than for eliminating an existing worm burden. On the other hand, just because you feed your chickens e.g. apple cider vinegar and they don't have worms doesn't mean the vinegar works.
"I don't use any form of dewormer, natural or chemical. In 30 years of raising chickens in Tennessee, I have not encountered anything other than appendicitis.Heteraki's chickens. Cecalworms are the most common parasitic worm in North American chickens. They do not cause disease in chickens, but can be devastating to turkeys.
"In any case, none of the various natural methods of worm control have been studied thoroughly enough to determine their effectiveness. However, most of these natural products provide some form of nutritional benefit. So even if they have no or only marginal effect have on worm populations, they can be beneficial to a chicken's overall health. And a chicken that is in generally good health is better able to resist parasitic worms."
