Worming

[LER23]

I have a chicken that has had runny poo since December. I added a little diatomaceous earth to her feed and poop got more solid for a while, but now she is back at it. I added d.e. again, figuring it is good for all of them, but think perhaps she needs something more. Is there such a thing as a non prescription dewormer?

 

[dawg53]

I didnt see any worms in the feces in the photo. DE is ineffective in preventing and treating worms. It is a waste of money.
It would be best to take a fecal sample to a vet and have them look for worm eggs under a microscope. Then you'll know whether you're dealing with worms or not.
Valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer and Safeguard liquid goat wormer are your go to wormers if you decide to worm your birds.

 

[LER23]

I didnt see any worms in the feces in the photo. DE is ineffective in preventing and treating worms. It is a waste of money.
It would be best to take a fecal sample to a vet and have them look for worm eggs under a microscope. Then you'll know whether you're dealing with worms or not.
Valbazen liquid cattle/sheep wormer and Safeguard liquid goat wormer are your go to wormers if you decide to worm your birds.

So can you suggest what else might be causing her to have runny poop? Fyi I have 4 other chickens, who have no issues....

 

[Perris]

you may find this useful:
Alternatives to antibiotics for organic poultry production: types, modes of action and impacts on bird’s health and production
Poultry Science 2022 (open access) here
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2022.101696

 

[dawg53]

So can you suggest what else might be causing her to have runny poop? Fyi I have 4 other chickens, who have no issues....

What are you feeding your birds?

 

[LER23]

What are you feeding your birds?

I have fed them Layena crumble and pellets, also an organic feed blend I bought from a man who has a pretty big setup, who sells to Market of Choice (a local Whole Foods-style grocery chain) they forage in the back yard and I give them dried mealworms and cracked corn as a treat once a day. Some household stuff, but they don't ever seem to interested in salad-type scraps.