deworming chickens

Just wondering how important it is to deworm my feathered creatures, and if anyone had a great natural remedy for it or if i should just go a buy a dewormer from the farm store, Thanks!

Yup.
Do werms like salt? Do chikns like salt?
Injectable Normectin, calculate the weight of birds in pen and add to 1 day worth of drinking water, or squirt dose in mouth, or get pour on normectin for three times the price and waste 95% of it cause its too much to use before expiry.

reneggaide wrote:Yup.
Do werms like salt? Do chikns like salt?
Injectable Normectin, calculate the weight of birds in pen and add to 1 day worth of drinking water, or squirt dose in mouth, or get pour on normectin for three times the price and waste 95% of it cause its too much to use before expiry.

still good after expiry.... dont toss it out !!!

I use past due too. The injectable type comes in 50ml bottles for less than $20, not so much of a hit to the wallet, enough for 100, 10 pound birds by my calculations.

We use diatomaceous earth, though some say it doesn't work, others swear by it.
A mixture of black walnut, clove and wormwood is a good all round parasite treatment, even just squirted on the back like other wormers.
Also garlic and various other herbals work.

Thanks everyone, I am especially interested in the natural suggestion, always like to try that route first

I have to second DE. I've found it worked wonders on both my birds as well as my dogs and cats.

I also found, when treating Cocci. that Aloe Vera also helps since it releases contaminates from intestinal walls. It assists in flushing.

I give it to my birds every couple weeks in the form of a dust bath. They roll in it, fluff in it and eat it to their hearts content for a couple days and then I remove it. For dogs and cats, make sure you give it to them for at least 14 days. The silica in the DE takes a few days to kill the worms and then helps expel it. I often worry that the dead worms could remain latched and releasing grossness that could harm a pet if treatment is stopped early. I read something about it as well, so decided not to take the chance. Its easy to tell, believe me.

If you get food (not feed grade), do a little research. Some people also consume it. I keep meaning to try it, but never pick up food grade (it's twice the price).

I use DE too and so far it has worked great! I do use the food grade and also use it on my other animals I like the idea of natural remedies as well! Just make sure you use the right amount! I think it is to be fed as no more then 2% of their diet someone correct me if I am wrong please! Not sure if that is different for non food grade?

Go to a cattle feed store, DE is sold for calves and it's food grade, really not expensive for the 50 pound bag. I bought a bag 4 years ago ans am still using it

I was under the impression that only food grade DE should be ingested as the other could have harmful contaminants in it?
Fifty pounds is around $50 bucks here, but it lasts a long time....

I use red lake, which I was told is considered Feed grade. Here, it's about $15 for 50lbs.

Food grade, which is often used by people, is $35 for 50lbs. My birds and animals have been on Feed grade for about 5 months now with no ill results.

We don't have much choice here, and what a difference in price! The alternative here is used for swimming pool filters, and not for ingestion at all.
I wonder what the difference is between the 2 edible ones you can get. Probably not much.

Oh yes, there is pool/chemical grade as well, I forgot about that.

I believe there really isn't too much of a difference between food and feed grade other than colour and designation. Some grain companies use DE in their bins to stop/reverse insect invasions and they are required to use 'food grade' (which is white, I'm told) as it will be used for human consumption.

People who consume it as a supplement would probably prefer to use the white stuff as well as it's more asthetically pleasing and easier to hide in yogurt or milk or coffee for example.

Feed grade, like red lake, is a dusty brown colour as it has not had the clay colour pulled from it (perhaps by bleaching? I can't find info on this). It contains Betonite (I think that's how its spelled) clay from the walls of the mines from which it is pulled.

Maybe this will help

We only have the pure white food grade here. if I had the choice to get some cheaper stuff for the barn, particularly for dusting, I definitely would.