Single hen

[crankycookie]

Chickens are hopefully coming tomorrow, and I've been puttering around prepping the and the plastic bin o' food and goodies. I had a question about diatomaceous earth though. I've been reading around and it looks like I mix in 2% of DE into their feed, but I wasn't sure if I do this all the time, or only when I worm them (which is monthly?)

 

Also, there's mention of discarding the eggs when you worm your chickens, does this also apply to chickens wormed with DE, or just those wormed chemically?

[Egluntyne]

You can add DE to their food all the time.

 

The withdrawal period applies to all medicinal wormers apart from Flubenvet (unless given at the double dose and then it applies here too).

 

There is no egg withdrawal for 'natural ' wormers such as Verm-X.

 

No need to worm monthly either. I worm my girls 3 or 4 times a year (with Flubenvet) and only do it that frequently because they range over the same patch of ground all the time.

 

Hope that helps.

[Hen Watch]

For me, I use DE ocassionally in their food and sometimes in their dust bath. But personally I rely on Flubenvet as a wormer every 3/4 months routinely. But I still use DE as a natural precautionary measure.

[Headchicken]

I use DE in the food daily and dust the run when we move the cube. I'll occasionally give the girls a dust as well.