Will hoey

[gavclojak]

I have had my new girls poo tested as one had sour crop and I was worried she may have had coccidiosis as an underlying condition.

The poo test for coccidiosis was clear...phew but it shows the girls have a worm burden, not a high load but it's there none the less,

 

I have had the girls four weeks so assume they have got the worms since coming to me, should that worry me? I worm the girls every four months and was planning to worm a few weeks ago but then fauna got sour crop so was waiting for her to recover from that!

 

I use a ground sanitiser and poo pick as much as possible but it's such a large area I can only change the flooring once every few months.

 

I spoke to the sampling lab and she said no chickens should have any worm load, I always thought they will always have a small worm load but it's just managing it correctly???

 

I will start worming tomorrow but any advice would be appreciated. Thank you all as always!

[Beantree]

Ours have an ongoing worm load Gavclojak and there is nothing we can do about it other than worm them every 4-6 months with Flubenvet. They all free range to some extent, so they are going to eat things carrying worms. The poos get noticeably 'sludgier' towards worming, so about 4 months in. Our neighbour's chickens free range and never get wormed. They seem to have reached a natural balance, although I have no doubt they would lay better if wormed. Ours eat a lot of grass and I wonder if that is done to drag worms through? Yes, in the ideal world no chickens should have a worm load, but this isn't an ideal world and I would have expected the sampling lab to know that chickens outside will always have worms. They usually only sample industrial birds I suppose?

[gavclojak]

Thanks beantree that's what I thought, the benfits of access to bugs dirt and grass far outweigh the inevitable worm load in my humble opinion.

TBH it was coccidiosis I was dreading

[sjp]

it possible they came with worms

mine should have been wormed last month but with the moult starting early I've put if off until later this month or early next month once the last 4 or 5 have finished

[gavclojak]

Funny enough I did ask that SJP but was told, as ex colony hens that would be impossible as they would not have had any exposure? Okey dokey!! I said:)

[mullethunter]

My mums FR and are NEVER wormed. They are hybrids and always lay well and seem perfectly happy. I never even knew you could worm a chicken until I joined this forum.

[dancing cloud]

When they free range, they will mix with wild birds, squirrels, cats, dogs etc and will pick up worms. Mine get flub'd every six months or so and seem to be healthy enough . Cats and dogs are wormed as well.

 

Just one of those things and nothing to worry about. Glad to hear it's nothing more serious.