Maintaining a Healthy Chicken Flock with Natural Deworming

It’s worming Wednesday, I know what a lovely way to start the day with talks of parasites invading our pets, namely our chickens!

A healthy flock of chickens is vital to a productive homestead. If your chickens are looking haggard, with low productivity, this article is for you!

I’m going to discuss why, and how to deworm your chickens and ducks to maintain a healthy backyard flock, I will refrain from to much details about these pesky parasites because let’s be honest parasites are a gag worthy topic.

First things first ditch the chemical dewormers for your animals, they are poisonous, and not natural!

Instead come along with me, and I’ll show you how we keep our entire homestead of multiple varieties of animals parasite free with a simple remedy, at minimal cost, and minimal time investment.

Symptoms of Chickens with Parasites

I’m always a bit surprised that many chicken owners in my personal circle don’t have their chickens on a regular deworming cycle. So let’s just get right down to it, what does a chicken with a parasitic overload look like?

• Parasitic infestations in a chicken flock can result in a reduction of egg laying. Are you experiencing a decrease in your egg production from your flock?
• Broken or missing feathers when it isn’t molting season. This is a common complaint I hear that their chickens are constantly molting even when it’s not the season for it. This is usually a red flag for some sort of parasitic infestation.
• Weight loss
• Diminished or halted egg laying and soft-shelled eggs
• Excessive preening of feathers, have you ever seen that hen that just seems to self mutilate and remove as many of her feathers as possible?
• Frequent to constant itching – that often causes broken skin and peck marks or nicks.
• Lethargy
• Refusal or inability to eat
• Refusal or inability to drink
• Inability to stand or walk for extended periods of time.
• Droopy wings
• Diarrhea

Not all parasites are internal, some are external and those can be a bit easier to determine. Diatamaceous Earth (food grade) is an excellent way to clean up a coop after a parasitic infestation, but today I want to discuss how to prevent the parasites in the first place. I assure you it’s much easier to use a preventative treatment than to have to go full parasite annihilator.

Natural VS Chemical Dewormer

Similar to most everything in my household I’ll choose natural over chemicals any day. If I cannot pronounce something I am going to avoid giving it to my animals. If the list of possible side effects is greater than the symptoms of a parasitic infestation I’m also out, why give them something that could potentially make them extremely sick?

With a natural dewormer you are at a very low risk, if any, to having some sort of reaction from your animals.

With chemical dewormers the risks and side effects can include:

• You should refrain from eating the eggs and or meat after chemical deworming your chickens.
• stomach upset, vomiting, diarrhea, dilated pupils, unsteadiness when walking, or a dazed demeanor can result from chemical dewormers

With Natural Dewormer the side effects are minimal, in fact with all of my animals I deworm on Worming Wednesday I have yet to see one display of stomach upset or issue. The ingredients are all natural made up of Worm Wood, Gentian, Fennel, Psyllium, Quassia.

What I do notice is beautiful feathers, healthy combs and wattles on my chickens and ducks. My dogs fur has never looked more beautiful and shiny, and my goats are the fluffiest, silkiest little teddy bear faced goats. Truly my animals have stayed so healthy since we began this regular natural deworming regime.

How to Deworm Your Chickens, Ducks, and Other Farm Animals

I purchase my natural dewormer from Hoegger Supply here.

The dose is 1 teaspoon per 100lbs, or 1 teaspoon per 5 chickens. I order ours in 5lb bags and replace it maybe every 6 months. Highly cost efficient, and seriously so simple to maintain the health of your animals.

I have 16 chickens currently, and four ducks, so every Wednesday as a maintenance dose I soak my chicken grain overnight in leftover whey from my cheese making, and add 4 teaspoons of dewormer to the feed.

It looks like an ugly mashup, definitely not winning photo contests here, but it’s exceptionally easy and helpful. Not sure why it looks like concrete, but that’s chicken grain!

Can this be used for other animals?

It absolutely can and it makes keeping your entire brood of animals healthy with a simple addition to your weekly routine.

The goats get theirs mixed in with oats, and apples.

Greta, the dog gets hers mixed in with freshly scrambled eggs.

Note: Simon gets none, This is not safe for cats!

I’ve actually haven’t struggled with a parasitic infestation with our animals on our homestead in many many years, I chalk this up to a regular maintenance routine with all of our farm and domesticated animals.

When we had just started on this homestead journey I had used chemical dewormer on my goats and found both were sick for days after. That was the first and last time we used chemical dewormers here.

Maintaining healthy animals is an exceptionally important aspect to good animal husbandry.

Tell me do you deworm your chicken flock?

Happy Worming Wednesday (Insert puke emoticon here, note the sarcasm)

Danielle