All farm animals, including chickens, can harbor a wide range of parasites, including worms. Worming is an important part of providing for your chickens' basic health needs.
Worms can be hazardous to the health of your flock if not prevented and handled.
This article will teach you how to determine if your chickens have worms and how to treat them naturally.
Common Species Of worms found in chickens
There are four types of worms discovered in hens that cause specific health problems.
Hairworm
The species' tiniest member. These worms are especially dangerous and will infect all of your birds. They can be found in the crop, the oesophagus, and the intestines. Earthworms are a part of these worms' life cycles.
A roundworm
Found in the gastrointestinal tract. In most cases, infestations are induced by consuming droppings. A roundworm can be found in a chicken's egg.
Gapeworm
Live in the chicken's windpipe or trachea. These worms cause gasping and trembling of the head. Because of the clear signs, they are the most easily identified worm infestation.
They cause respiratory illness but are thankfully uncommon. They are typically transmitted by free-roaming birds that eat in the same region as pheasants.
A tapeworm
Chickens are rarely affected. They dwell in the digestive tract and induce anaemia and malnutrition. A vet analyses faeces samples to positively identify them.
Signs of Worm Infestation
The signs of worm infestation can vary depending on the type of worm and the severity of the infestation.
However, some common signs include:
● Weight loss
● Reduced egg production
● Lethargy
● Poor feather quality
● Diarrhoea
● Pale comb and wattles
● Swollen abdomen
● Blood in the stool
You can take a stool sample to your veterinarian and have it tested for parasites. It's definitely easier and less expensive to simply worm your hens.
If you want to get into the nitty-gritty, you may buy a Worm Count Kit, which will tell you what kind of worms you have and how many there are.
Is it necessary to deworm my chickens?
If your flock is free-range, plump and healthy with shiny feathers, has lots of energy, and lays a lot, you probably don't need to rush out and give them a deworming product.
If your chickens are confined to an enclosure and are eating and eliminating in the same limited area, you should take precautions to avoid a worm outbreak.
You should take precautions and keep a watch out for any infestations.
Here are some things you may do to keep worms away from your chickens.
Make it a habit to replace their bedding on a regular basis. Keep in mind that a single chicken dropping might contain up to a thousand worms.
If one of your chickens picks up a parasite, keeping their bedding clean will help break the life cycle.
Worms thrive in wet and muddy environments. If you keep your chicken in moist or muddy conditions, you're inviting worms in. You might as well lay out a worm welcome mat.
Make your chickens' living circumstances drier and healthier.
Keep the grass around the coop mowed. By cutting the grass, you will allow UV rays to penetrate to where the worms are laying, waiting to be eaten by your chickens. On contact, UV rays kill worms and eggs.
As often as possible, "dry rake" the ground around your coop with a lawn rake. Carry the dry droppings away from the coop to your compost pile to aid with pest control.
Natural Ways to Treat Worms in Chickens
There are several natural remedies that can help treat worm infestations in chickens. These include:
● Diatomaceous earth: This is a natural powder made from the fossilized remains of tiny aquatic organisms. When ingested, it can kill worms by dehydrating them.
● Garlic: Garlic has natural anti-parasitic properties that can help eliminate worms in chickens. You can add crushed garlic to their feed or water.
● Pumpkin seeds: Pumpkin seeds are a natural dewormer for chickens. You can crush them and add them to their feed or give them as a treat.
● Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar has natural antibacterial and anti-parasitic properties that can help keep your chickens healthy. You can add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to their water.
● Herbal remedies: There are several herbs that can help eliminate worms in chickens, including wormwood, tansy and thyme. You can add these herbs to their feed or give them as a tea.
Preventing Worm Infestations
Prevention is key when it comes to dealing with worm infestations in chickens. You can prevent worm infestations by:
● Keeping their living area clean: Regularly cleaning and sanitizing their coop and run can help prevent worm infestations.
● Providing fresh water and feed: Make sure your chickens have access to fresh, clean water and feed.
● Avoiding overcrowding: Overcrowding can lead to stress, which can make chickens more susceptible to disease.
● Rotating pastures: If you have a large enough area, rotating your chickens to different pastures can help prevent worm infestations.
How Frequently Do You Worm Chickens?
Natural Deworming
Even with your best efforts, a worm infestation will occasionally appear in your flock. For at least 10 days, you can use a natural therapy such as garlic or DE.
To get rid of worms using garlic, feed one or two cloves per hen per day for 10 days. You must follow the requirements for the specific food grade you are using when using DE.
If the eggs and worms are not killed, the worm's life cycle will begin again in about 3 weeks. The procedure may need to be repeated three weeks following the initial therapy.
During the latent period of infection, chickens may contain young worms that are not laying eggs, resulting in no eggs in the droppings.
Repeating a treatment three weeks after the first will help to guarantee that your chickens do not become infected again.
There are herbal products available on the market, but they have not been proved to eradicate worms, simply to reduce the number of worms.
They are more environmentally friendly than chemical wormers and can still be used in organic farming.
These products should be used every 3 to 6 months. They should be administered in the spring as temperatures increase and worm eggs hatch, then at the end of the summer as egg production begins to fall.
The best medicine is prevention.
We'd all like to let our birds fly free and wild as nature intended, allowing them to remain parasite-free.
However, not everyone owns acreage that allows for a free-range environment. You may own the land, but predators are an issue.
Worm infestation represents a greater concern when placed in confinement. There are steps that can be performed to keep worms out of the environment.
● Maintain a clean bedding and a dry coop.
● Remove tall grass and weeds to allow UV rays to kill worms and their eggs naturally.
● Use natural worm repellents such as food grade diatomaceous earth, garlic, apple cider vinegar, pumpkin and cucumber seeds.
● Remove manure from your coop area by dry raking it.
Keep a lookout for weight loss, diarrhoea, gurgling sounds, strange behavior, lethargy or other signs of illness in your flock. These could be symptoms of a worm infestation.
If the yolks of your eggs are no longer bright orange and appear less plump, it's time to deworm your hens.
Failure to deworm your flock in the event of an infestation can have catastrophic effects for your chicken. If the worms' life cycle is not disrupted, their health will deteriorate further.
Your hens will grow anemic and will most likely perish. Save your chickens and their precious eggs by taking worm prevention measures and remember that prevention is the best medicine.
In conclusion, worm infestations can be a serious problem for backyard chicken owners. However, with proper understanding and care, you can easily identify and treat these parasites using natural remedies.
Always consult with your veterinarian before administering any natural remedies and keep your chickens' living area clean to prevent future infestations.
