Worming Chickens

Chickens need to be tested for worms regularly. If there is a build up of worms in their digestive system that can cause health problems. Keeping chickens in a fixed area as so many of us do, where they are grazing the same piece of ground continually is the worst case scenario as they will be contaminating the ground and picking up worm eggs as they are feeding. Infected hens shed thousands of eggs in their faeces onto the ground and so, the problem gets worse.

How can you tell if they need worming? By using a Worm Count Kit! Using a kit means you’re not worming chickens unnecessarily.

Wormers

I use a product containing Flubendazole when necessary to worm my chickens. This is a proven chemical wormer that kill all common worms and their eggs in the chicken and is the only product licensed for use in chickens feed. In between these times, I use Verm-X which has approval for use in Organic systems – now this is a herbal product which works in a different way – you will need to feed this to your hens every month for it to work. The really great thing about Verm-X is that being herbal, it contains many ingredients that are good for your birds so it can improve their overall health.

Good Husbandry

Practising good husbandry techniques is key, in between worming chickens. We try to rotate our birds grazing area every month so that they get some fresh grass but so the ground also gets to rest (this is one of the major principles in Organic farming) and we  keep the grass mowed short which allows the ultra-violet light from the sun to reach droppings and kill off worm eggs.

cleaning run

Cleaning a chicken run by raking droppings during dry weather.

General cleanliness is of course important so if your chickens scratch around in their own droppings, you should be thinking about cleaning them up, rather than hitting them with a regular dose of chemicals.

Bad Infestations

If you have a bad infestation of worms, you do need to keep in mind that eggs deposited on the ground will re-infect your birds and it is necessary to repeat the treatment before the eggs hatch and grow into adult worms to lay more eggs. This takes 3 weeks for most common worms carried by chickens so I would re-treat after 3 weeks if I suspect a particularly bad case of worms.

Where external parasites are found on the bird (such as Northern fowl mite or lice) a systemic wormer / pour on product containing Ivermectin is useful. This kills a more limited range of worms. Victoria Roberts Diseases’s of Free Range Poultry says it excludes tapeworm and fluke, but these are less common in chickens. It isn’t licence for use on poultry so you would need to go to your vet for their advice.

Please remember this should not replace the advice of a qualified veterinarian who can advise you about worming.

Do you have any advice on worming? Please leave me a comment below.

126 Comments

  1. I have 4 Pekins that are around 16 weeks old. When I got them I was told they will need worming around end of September. The manufacturers of Flubenvet appear to have stopped producing the 60g pack and the 240g pack is available. Is this ok to give to them and what is the expiry date. They are healthy at the moment.
    kind regards
    John

    • I have emailed the manufacturers and am still waiting for an ‘official’ reply. Yes, Flubenvet seems to be scarce but I don’t know why this is.

      You can use the 2.5% Gamekeeper packs but it is more expensive and will last you for a long, long time. The date is usually a good few years into the future though. Remember the gamekeeper pack is a stronger dose and you will need accurate scales to measure the few grammes of mixture you will need.

      Typically people worm every 6 months when there are no signs of problems to be on the safe side. This is normally Autumn when birds have stopped laying and moulted and in the Spring before the breeding season. There is no hard and fast rule about when you should worm – ideally it would after a worm count that shows a certain level of worms but people tend not to want to pay £15-£20 for a worm sample to be done!

    • I got the 60g flubenvet from my vet in Plymouth! The amount you use to mix it in with the feed in very small. Basically the 240g package will last forever if you have a small flock. I would strongly recommend this product my Sussex looked poorly one day so I took her to the vet who thought it may be respiratory and prescribed denaguard for my entire flock. After a few days I noticed she had worms in her droppings and bought flubenvet. You add a few grams per kilo of feed that’s all. Since then she has made a miraculous recovery. The good thing as well is that there is no egg withdrawal.

      • You are right, the first question to ask if you have a sick bird is ‘are they wormed’. It can cause so many problems.

          • Some worms can be seen with the naked eye. If you place newspaper under the perches after worming them, you will often be able to see worms. You don’t generally see worms in droppings until they are carrying a large worm load.

  2. After 6 years I now have only one hen left from a flock of 4. She has recently become unwell, layed an egg with no shell and now seems to have a very mucky bottom with poop that’s watery yellow with a little dark green. She seems to have little interest in eating, drinking or even getting up in the mornings but she looks quite well with bright eyes and red comb. Is it likely she has worms?

    • She could have worms, or another disease. It’s hard to tell. The safest thing to do is to worm her first before looking for other problems.

      As you worm her, put newspaper on the floor under where she sits at night and if it is the most common worms (roundworms) you will see these on the paper in the morning.

    • Sorry I don’t know. Your best bet would be to ask on one of the poultry forums to see if somebody local knows of someone.

    • Yes, it is back in stock on Amazon now – if you use the link higher up the page, it should take you to the product page which may not be Nutrecare -but one of the Amazon Marketplace sellers and give you the best price.

  3. i have had my chickens 6 months and are ready for worming can i eat the eggs after worming also any extra eggs i sell on can i still sell them

    • You don’t mention what you are worming your chickens with… There is no egg withdrawal period for Flubenvet when following the label so you can continue to eat the eggs.

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