Chicken Health | WORMS
How Can I Tell If My Chicken Has Worms?
Chickens love to eat worms (the ones that live in the ground) but unfortunately, we are not talking about those type of worms in this section!
Like all other animals, chickens can suffer from parasitic worms and will need regular worming to prevent them becoming infected.
It is much easier to prevent worms or have a little or no worm burden than have to treat a flock with a serious worm burden.
There are three types of parasitic worms that chickens can contract:
- Roundworms - There are a few different types of roundworms including threadworms, hairworms, and the large roundworm which is most common. These can be found anywhere in your chicken’s digestive system. You may be able to see the worms in your chicken's droppings.
- Gapeworms - These worms attach themselves to the trachea of the chicken. A chicken with Gapeworms will ‘gape’ which is where they appear to be gasping for air and will stretch their head and neck up to the sky. It is more common for these worms to be picked up through intermediate hosts such as worms, slugs, and snails.
- Tapeworms - These worms attach themselves to the lining of the intestine. These are less common but can significantly weaken your chickens immune system.
Things To Consider
The life cycle of worms means that getting rid of these pesky beasties can be particularly hard. Your chickens can directly or indirectly ingest worm eggs. Direct ingestion means they will eat the worm egg. Indirect ingestion means they will eat a worm or another bug that is the host of the worm egg. The worms will then happily live inside your chicken reproducing and laying eggs which will be passed out in your chickens droppings andso the cycle begins again. If your chickens are infected it is much easier to get rid of the worms if you move your chickens to a new grazing area regularly. This is so your chickens won’t be continually ingesting the worm eggs which are in your chickens droppings.
Read our blog on worming
Symptoms
It can be hard to tell if your chickens have worms which is why prevention and regular worming is important. Chicks and younger birds are more susceptible to worms than mature birds. A chicken with worms can go off lay, may have diarrhoea, will eat more, and in severe cases will lose weight. A serious infection can be fatal. Chickens with Gapeworm will stretch their neck gasping for air.
Prevention
As with all animals, good animal husbandry will mean less risk of your birds getting worms. This includes regular cleaning out (disinfecting) of coops, replacing a layer of soil every so often if your birds are penned within a run, and rotating free-range areas so birds aren’t foraging in the same place all the time. Making sure enclosed poultry runs are well drained and using fresh bark/mulch/needles in muddy areas may help as its acidic nature discourages parasite and bacterial growth (plus offers the chickens a drier environment to scratch around in!) Keeping the grass short will also help as the sun's UV rays will damage and kill the eggs. Garlic grated up and added to water or feed can act as a natural preventative. Research shows that it appears to have some success at helping to prevent a worm build-up but will not cure an infestation. Here at Appletons we recommend Diamol as a preventative it is organic and can be sprinkled on your chickens feed each week. Apple cider vinegar is said to be an excellent way to clean out bacteria (good and bad) in the gut of poultry, but scientifically, that’s all we can confirm. There are many claims about its power as a natural drench, but nothing is proven. Use it sparingly as regular use of it can lead to other health issues.
Treatment
The options available to treat worms effectively (chemically) are a Pour-on drench, Aviverm or Flubenol. If you are treating because you know or have seen worms then a follow up treatment will be required. You will need to treat within the “prepatent period” (PPP) of the worm you are treating for. Different types worms have different life cycles. Many of the treatments have egg withholding periods so best read the instructions on the label carefully. If you are worming as part of a prevention routine, most poultry keepers worm at least every 2-3 months, between 4 to 4-6 times a year. If you suspect your chickens have Gapeworm, then you will need to use treatment such as Aviverm or Flubenol. Treat all birds not just the sick one. Click on our worming blog for lots more info on worming chickens.
Worming 101 | Stuff Worth Knowing
The following outlines key information about the simple, yet indispensable, process of consistent worming to preserve your flock's overall health and vitality. While worming is not complex, it must be performed accurately for effectiveness.
Key Considerations
Worms are not always visible in feacal matter; the absence of visible worms does not mean your birds are worm-free.
Preventative worming is highly recommended, ideally 4 to 6 times per year.
Worms can be persistent. Single doses are often ineffective due to the complex life cycles of different worm types.
No single wormer is perfect.
Rotate wormers to ensure comprehensive coverage against both tapeworms and roundworms.
Natural remedies like ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) and garlic can be supportive but are not approved wormers.
Best Practices for Effective Worming
Follow the exact dosage instructions.
Weigh your birds to ensure accurate dosing.
Repeat the treatment 10 to 14 days later to address newly hatched worms.
Only treat with one medication at a time.
Avoid resistance by rotating wormers with different active ingredients.
Be sure to check and follow the withholding periods for eggs or meat.
Supporting Actions
Remember to thoroughly clean the coop and scrub the feeders/drinkers during and after treatment.
Keep records of worming dates and products used.
Support your flock's immune system with nutritional feed and supplements.
If you are unsure, consider performing a Fecal Egg Count (FEC) before and after treatment to confirm the worm burden and treatment success.
How Do I Treat My Chickens for Worms?
Approved Wormers
Flubenol is a powder and applied to the feed for 7 consecutive days. Aviverm is a liquid and added to the drinking water for 1 day.
The big difference between the two is that Flubenol has NO egg withholding period. You can eat the eggs when treating your hens. Aviverm has 7 days egg witholding.
OFF Label Treatment
Pour on Drench is considered an off label treatment as not officially approved for poultry in NZ. It is a livestock drench. Apply liquid directly to the skin of the bird. Recommended 10 day egg witholding period. Also treats external parasites (lice & scaly leg mites on hen).
Natural Preventative
Diamol is natural pest control for worms and coccidiosis in poultry. It is a powder and added directly to the feed. Works well as a natural preventative. Organic and eco-friendly. NO egg witholdiing period. Can be added to feed ration weekly.
Treat Everyone!
Each typle of worm has a different lifecycle. When treating for a particular worm type please repeat treatment within the lie cycle of that worm. Remember to treat the whole flock. For more info on all poultry worms read our informative blog on worming poultry.