[gracie]

My girls are now 6 months old and they free range the majority of the time so I realise they have a good chance of getting worms. Sadly I do spend alot of the poo picking time opening poo up to check for worms and as yet we are clear. Is it just silly to worm them at 6 months if they dont have worms or does this stay in the system for a while as a preventative measure. The only reason im not keen on worming as I believe from what I have read on here that they shouldnt free range during the weeks worming and I dont think I will be very popular when that happens.

[Lindeggs]

Apparently it is possible to keep hens healthy and happy without using chemical worming methods.  Organic farms somehow manage it.  But so far I haven't worked out how, and my pullets got worms despite all my best efforts. 

It is great that you're investigating your hens' droppings - as odd as it may seem!    If you're not seeing any worms it's unlikely your hens have a heavy worm burden, but this doesn't mean they are worm-free.

The way I see it, you have three options:

1) Continue as you are.  Monitor your hens' droppings and general health carefully.  Be ready to worm them if you see worms in their droppings.

2) Use a chemical wormer right away.  This could be Flubenvet (with the advantage of no egg with-holding period) or you could use a different type of single-dose wormer that means you wouldn't have to confine your birds, but you couldn't eat their eggs for two weeks.

3) See if you have a local vet who can arrange a faecal float test.  This is a test to find out the level of worm eggs in your chickens' droppings.  It may be expensive (and you may have trouble finding a lab to do it) but that way you would know for certain whether your birds need worming.

I enquired at my local vet and they said they could arrange a faecal float test for $80  :blink: It would need to be repeated every 6 months. The worming meds cost $14 for about a year's worth.  I decided to worm them!

Let us know what you decide.