AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

WORMING YOUR POULTRY

Worms: There are several types of worms that can be contracted by Poultry these include Tapeworm, Hookworm, Roundworm, Gapeworm, Cecal worm & Capillaria Worm. All these worms can cause serious health problems with Poultry but special attention should be paid to Cecal & Capillaria Worms for Peafowl.

Worming Treatment: There are many brands of Bird & Poultry wormers on the market today so the question is which should you use? Firstly you should only use a Wormer that is specially formulated for Poultry. Secondly you should make sure it covers all the worm species you want treat your poultry for, paying special attention to Cecal & Capillaria Worms for Peafowl. Thirdly you will need to decide on how you are going to administer the wormer, i.e. Water, food, orally. Fourthly you will then need to decide on the type of wormer depending on what method you have chosen to administer i.e. Liquid, Gel, and Tablets.

Liquid: This can be very affective but there are some issues, Poultry can be very fussy and if they detect the wormer either through smell, taste or colour in the water then they may not drink it. In addition you cannot be sure all the birds have consumed the correct dose rate or if they have had any at all. With some wormers you can descries the taste with Sugar, Sweetner, or cranberry juice. Check with your local Vet or the manufacturer of the product you are using for suitability.

Gel: This can also be very affective but has more limitations than Liquid. Gel Wormer can be administered in water but it has an alcohol additive to help the dilution process which in turn gives off a strong odor. It also colours the water “Yellow” which may deter the birds from drinking. Gel wormer can be placed directly onto food for example 1ml spread on bread then broken up and fed to the birds. Gel wormer can be given “Orally” which is by far the best way of ensuring each bird gets the wormer and the correct dose, but this will mean you have to catch each and every bird to administer which in turn will cause your birds stress which should be avoided.

Tablets: This also is very affective, but cannot be administered in water. The tables can only be given in “food” or “orally” which means like the “Gel” you will have to catch-up every bird to administer, or the tables can be fed in food. For example in bread, break the tablet into two and roll each piece in a small piece of bread and feed, making sure every bird gets two pieces of bread totaling one tablet or the correct dose rate. This method is only affective to hand feeding and hand tame birds but is very affective.

Summary: So which is best? We’ll leave that up to you, we use Liquid & Tables and find both work very well. In 2005 we used more Tables than Liquid and this may become our preferred method. We do not catch-up the birds, we feed the tables in food such as Bread, Watermelon ECT. In controlled conditions, which is very important? You must worm your Poultry at least three/four times a year, we cannot emphasize this enough as they are a ground dwelling bird they are very susceptible to Worms and remember prevention is better than cure.

PCA, how often would you worm them? i have been thinking every season change on the bottle it says 6 weeks or something like that.

It really depends on your poultry. The fewer times that you are able to worm the better. Watch your birds and try breeding from the ones that seem to be least affected by worms and you will be able to breed some resistance into your birds. Stress can cause a bad reaction to worms as well.

I worm mine 2 times a year seems to work for me. Does garlic in the water work?

Hi.

I'm new to poultry and was wondering what the signs of worms are? It's not until they look a bit "down" or not laying well that I think about worming.

Any help in spotting a "wormy" chook would be appreciated.

Cheers for now.

Ann

not for worms - it is a natural antibiotic and fly & flea repellant so most beneficial when included in the diet 2-3 times a week - add Marjoram [the herb NOT the table spread of similar name] = Marjoram is a natural fly repellant and as both secrete an odour via the skin they are beneficial to the birds

dosage =
garlic 1/2 to 1 clove per bird 2-3 times a week
marjoram = a pinch per bird each day
give all this in a mash to ensure it is consumed

#"Ann@Nanango"what the signs of worms are? It's not until they look a bit "down" or not laying well that I think about worming.
Any help in spotting a "wormy" chook would be appreciated.
looking 'not quite right' can be a sign but it isnt too hard to see worms in the droppings - you just have to become obsessed with lookng at/thru poop

regards worming - I use Cydectin pour on - it is off label for poultry but very effective - you use it like Frontline for dogs - i have heard of some that use frontline for tapeworms with good effect - others use Ivermectin
all these kill internal and external parasites

Cydectin pour on rate is 0.1ml per kg live weight - or 1ml per 10kg -
it is safe even if you accidentally overdose - trails have shown birds that have received a 1,000 times dose [yes that is one thousand] have shown no ill effects unless intolerant to the active ingredients = 1 in 10,000 is the projected average
I accidentally dropped the bottle once = a bird wore abt half a litre - it took off and hid - I expected it to be dead the next day as it was drenched - but it was just sitting there at the pen gate waiting to be let back in the next morning - so I let it in - caught it and gave it a good bath to get the greasiness off - I still have this old girl - but she avoids the Cydectin bottle like the plague now

I only use it when I get an electricity bill - that way I know it is time to de-parasite the birds
I clean the pens out disinfect and de-parasite them at the same time = no point in putting birds back into a potentially parasite ridden pen

Cool Thanks for that info Soozorps.

Will cut and paste that in a document so I can keep it handy.

I obsess about horse poos looking for parasites but haven't graduated to chickens yet. I actually send off a pellet of their droppings to DPI in NSW and they check them and tell me how many eggs are in there (or how effective my worming regime is). Wonder if they do it for chickens as well. It's about $14.00 per "reading". So can be cheaper than over worming.

Cheers

Ann

Yr welcome Ann -
no need to have DPI tests done if you only worm them 3-4 times a year = unless you suspect something sinister of course
I just use the electricity bill as the reminder

Thanks peacocks. Would it be ok to print it? Jack

Sorry I should have said I just want to keep a copy to read when I need. Jack