Looking for ways how to deworm your chicken? You are in the right place. There are many reasons why chickens are infected with different types of worms but for backyard and free-range, they are typically limited to five common types. These include large roundworms, a thread of capillary worms, cecal worms, tapeworms, and gapeworms.
How Chicken Get Worms
Internal poultry parasites, or worms, are very common and, at some point, most chicken owners have to deal with them. It’s important to realize that all worms are not created equal, making identification an important step when assessing the significance when finding worms.
Worms can be picked up from the feces of other chickens or birds—including wild birds. Often insects act as the intermediate host by carrying the worm eggs, which are then deposited in the chicken after they ingest the insect. In general, worms can be found in the respiratory or intestinal tract.
How to Minimize the Chances of Your Chicken Getting Worms
- Keep the coop and surrounding area clean. Lack of cleanliness is a common cause of poultry disease. There are several general sanitation measures that should be taken, including the complete cleaning and disinfecting of the house and equipment before starting baby chicks or housing layers; daily cleaning of waterers; and keeping litter dry and clean. For example, one way to help control tapeworms is by reducing the flies that act as intermediate hosts. And a good way to control flies is through proper manure management and overall general cleanliness.
- If at all possible, after a heavy infection, move your flock to land that hasn’t been occupied by chickens. Any area that has manure on it consistently will eventually have a high load of bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
- Practice good biosecurity. Worm eggs can be introduced into new facilities through contaminated equipment. Make sure to not share equipment with other flocks before properly disinfecting it.
- In addition, controlling worms can be difficult in backyard flocks due to the common presence of mixed-aged flocks. In mixed-aged flocks, older, apparently “healthy” chickens can shed eggs in their feces and subsequently infect the younger chicks. If you do have mixed-aged flocks, consider treating or testing the older birds before introducing chicks.
Common Types of Worms and Symptoms
- Roundworms – Long, yellow-white worms in the intestine, droopiness, weight loss, diarrhea, and death.
- Capillary worm – Hair-like worms in crop and upper intestines, oral inflammatory masses, hemorrhagic inflammation of commissure of beak droopiness, weight loss, death.
- Cecal worm – Short worms in the ceca, unthrifty, weakness, weight loss
- Tapeworm – Long, white, flat segmented worms in the intestine, unthrifty, slow growth, weakness
- Gapeworms – Red, forked worms in the trachea, gasping, coughing
10 Ways to Deworm Your Chicken
There are many types of drugs both veterinary drugs and natural remedies to deworm (purga) your chicken but in this article, we present 5 drugs and 5 natural and organic dewormers so you can choose which is the best for you. (Mga paraan kung paano purgahin and manok o gamutin and mga ito laban sa bulate)
5 top deworming veterinary drugs
- Bastonero Plus – Application on the 30th day of the chicks. Mix 5 grams (1 sachet) per gallon of water for 1 day. Repeat every 21 days until the chickens are healthy.
- Vermex Eco – Effective in the removal of roundworms (Ascaris), hairworms (Capillaria spp.), and tapeworms in fighting cocks, doves, canaries, quails, and cockatoos.Stags and Pullets: ½ tab/head. Bull stags/cocks/breeders: 1 tab/head. May be given without fasting. Although formulated for fighting cocks, Vermex is also effective in all types of free-range chicken.
- Volatex Anthelmintic Tablet – best dewormer for adult chicken
- Hammer Anthelmintic – for adult chicken, 1 tablet per chicken per month.
- Pidro Worm Killer – 8 mos old and above: 0.2 g/kg/BW. Mix contents well into finished feed or into drinking water for 1 meal. Make sure animals take in all medicated mediums for proper dosing. Repeat the procedure after 14 days for swine and 2 mos thereafter for layers and breeders.
5 top organic deworming plants
- Betel nut of bunga. Betel nut is considered to be the best organic deworming fruit. You can find the full details here.
- Tobacco leaves – Powdered tobacco leaves (2 parts) mixed with 12 parts feed mash and sodium sulfate is a salt solution for discharging chicken roundworms when given for 3 days.
- Papaya leaves – Researchers from UPLB tried using finely chopped papaya leaves combined with the feeds for 3 days. Results showed that the worm infestation was controlled and destroyed. Also, powdered tobacco leaves that were dried under the sun may also be used.
- Ipil-ipil leaves – Ipil-ipil leaves have been used by rural Filipino chicken raisers for decades and are proven to be effective. Chop ipil-ipil leaves before feeding. You may also give your chicken fresh young Ipil-ipil leaves.
- Garlic and Onions – this can be given fresh and finely chopped or you can give dried flakes or powders. Whatever form you choose, you will want to treat with an equivalent amount of one to two cloves (garlic) and ½ onion per hen per day for 10 days. If feeding garlic is a preventative measure, merely ensure it’s available and mixed in with their feed from time to time.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4jJpf1lgcw
Depending on the age of your chicken, you have several options to choose from above.
Deworm Your Chicken Related Questions
How often do you deworm a chicken?
Some are done every 6 months. Most chemical treatments will recommend that you withhold all food the evening before and the morning you treat the chickens. There is a vast number of people who choose to worm their chickens every 6 months, usually in January and July.
Is it safe to deworm chickens?
According to Dr. Petrick, The Chicken Vet, “Most worm medications have no [information about egg withdrawal periods] for laying hens. The reality is that most of the products are safe, and most don’t even get into the egg…. they are medications that affect the gut and seldom are absorbed into the bloodstream.
How do I know if my chicken has worms?
Symptoms of worms in chickens
- Chickens are losing weight
- Bloody diarrhea
- Pale and/or dry combs
- Chickens puffing up while sitting
- Chickens may be less active
- Chickens stop laying eggs
What kills worms in chickens?
The good news is that worms are fairly easy to treat. At Backyard Chicken Coops we recommend Wormout Gel to treat your chickens infested with worms. Wormout Gel contains two key chemicals, Oxfendazole and Praziquantel, which help effectively eradicate worms from your chicken’s digestive system.
Does apple cider vinegar deworm chickens?
In addition to these valuable wellness benefits, apple cider vinegar for chickens is often used in an effort to prevent worms. Some worms can attack a chicken and cause it to become vulnerable rapidly. Apple Cider Vinegar’s low pH destroys germs and worms.
What happens if you don’t worm chickens?
Worms can impact your hen’s immune system, damage the lining of the gut, and have an effect on the ability of your hen to absorb nutrients. Egg yield will drop and hens will lose weight and condition.
Can worms cause death in chickens?
In severe infestations, death may occur. Occasionally worms are found inside the chicken egg. Caecal worms can harbor the disease organism that causes blackheads. Chickens can be resistant to blackheads, however, turkeys are quite vulnerable.
See Also:
- 10 Rarest Chicken Breeds in the World
- Top 10 Largest and Heaviest Chicken Breeds
- 10 Best Fruits For Chickens
- Top 7 Best Gamefowl Breeds
- Feed Milling Business: From Sugar Slavery to Success