There is a famous saying "Prevention is better than cure." Preventing your chickens from worms is, unfortunately, an essential job for all pet owners.
It is vital to make the immune system of your chicken so strong that it would be able to fight an infection on its own without the need for treatment.
In this blog, you will be able to recognize how chickens do contract the parasitic infestations and what are the natural remedies against it.  In short you will learn how to worm chickens naturally.
How do my chicken contract parasites?
Chickens tend to have a parasitic infection when roaming around for foraging. Parasites stay in the chicken droppings and are transmitted to other chickens when they forage around searching for food and picks up the droppings harbouring these worms.
Roundworms, cecal worms, gizzard worms, and hairworms are the most common type of worms which are transmitted this way.
Signs your chicken might have worms?
There are some obvious signs that your chicken might have a parasitic infestation which is weight loss, increased appetite but not gaining weight, and difficulty in breathing, which could be due to Gapeworms which causes blockage of the airways.
Some natural remedies to treat worms.
Different food substances are used as natural remedies to fight against parasitic infestations such as diatomaceous earth, garlic and Apple cider vinegar.
One of the marvellous natural remedies is to feed Apple cider vinegar to your chickens. It is readily available, cheaper and simple to use. It has both antiseptic as well as antibacterial properties so that it can kill germs and bacteria.
It helps in preventing respiratory problems and renders many health benefits as it is rich in vitamin and minerals and acts as a probiotic when offered by mixing in water. It is useful to maintain gut health by lowering the pH levels.
How can you use Apple cider vinegar for healthy chicks?
Apple cider vinegar should be offered one to two times a week to the chickens mixed in water. Be cautious in choosing the waterer, never use metal waterer because Apple cider vinegar is acidic, and it will rust the metal waterer.Â
how much apple cider vinegar for chickens
It is recommended to use plastic waterers, and the ratio of water and Apple cider vinegar is one tablespoon of ACV in one gallon of water. ACV provides the following health benefits:
- Apple cider vinegar is palatable, and it increases the water intake in chickens. The pH of water having Apple cider vinegar should be 4. Most of the bacteria could not grow at this unfriendly pH. Although Apple cider vinegar is acidic, it renders an alkalizing effect on the body, which helps us to prevent our chicken from being too acidic that makes them susceptible to different diseases.
Thus, this miraculous ingredient helps in regulation of the body pH of the chicken in a healthy range. - Apple cider vinegar improves the cleanliness of the water and makes it free of bacteria. Apple cider vinegar, when used in the water sources makes it easier to ensure the health of your chickens by improving cleanliness. Along with adding ACV, you also need to change the water of your chicken two to three times a day.
- Apple cider vinegar increases the absorption of calcium from the feed, which helps in improving the egg quality of your hen. Hence adding Apple cider vinegar in the water will produce strong shelled eggs.
- Adding a few drops of Apple cider vinegar into the water, will regulate the bowels and prevent the bums from being pasty, which if not taken care of can kill the baby chicks quickly.
Hence Apple cider vinegar helps in preventing the pasty bumps. Pasty vent means the dropping of your chicken sticks around the vent area which if not controlled, can block the vent area and can prove fatal to your chicken. - You must have heard about a condition known as Coccidiosis which is a fast-spreading disease in hens, mainly affecting the digestive system and intestines of the poultry birds. This disease equally affects the older chickens and the young stock but is more detrimental for the young birds, and if not correctly treated can kill the whole flock of birds.
Apple cider vinegar has probiotic activities, and help in boosting the immune response of the birds, which will help the birds to fight against deadly diseases such as Coccidiosis.
While adding something new into your flocks feeding regime, keep this process slow to make the birds adjust quickly. Most people do not give importance to increasing the health of their chickens beforehand unless they face an issue.
It is better to think one step forward and use cheaper and easier sources which are organic, to build better immune systems and equip them to chicken well in time to fight against worms on their own.
Benjamin Franklin said it right "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!"
I know he did not say it for the chickens, but it sounds right in place when I think of my poultry birds
Can you eat eggs after worming chickens
Its only worth mentioning that as ACV is natural you can you eat the eggs after worming chickens this way. Â
Finally you can use commercial deworming chicken medications with safeguard and  ivermectin
