I'm not answering for Marla, just butting in here ;) I wanted to mention that although some old timers use DE as a de-wormer (and swear by it) from what I've read, diatomaceous earth is really only effective in killing crawly type bugs but not worms. Even if you don't see evidence of internal parasites, annual de-worming with Ivermectin, although not absolutely necessary, is not a bad idea.
There's a suggested withdrawal time on eggs when using Ivermectin but I've never adhered to it. I don't think the amount of diluted drug in water used to de-worm a flock is of any great concern. As someone else mentioned, another option is to do your de-worming in the late fall or early winter when egg production is down or has stopped.
A food grade type of DE can be purchased for consumption and put into feed and evidently, even some people ingest it although I'm not sure why.
As far as I'm concerned, cocktail hour or as it's more commonly known around here as, 'kill the worms hour', would be more effective and certainly much more fun. However, I wouldn't suggest including the chickens in on this protocol as before you know it, they'd be staggering to your door looking for refills, requesting little umbrellas in their drinks, turning the music up too loud and tossing their cookies on your back stoop.
Sue
WLR
"rekedar" <rekedar@...> wrote:
>
> Marla,
>
> How does one know about the internal parasites? What are the signs? External, I'm assuming you see them...? I do put a little diatomaceous earth in their feed right now in case they have worms.
>
> thanks for your help
>
> Renee
>
CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment