Worms in Chickens: Signs, Prevention and When to Deworm

What the worms are and what they do to a bird

Most worm problems in chickens come from a few common groups. Roundworms, often called ascarids, are the big white ones that show up in droppings or in the gut when a bird is opened. Tapeworms are flat and segmented and attach to the gut wall. Caecal worms live in the blind pouches of the gut and are easy to miss. Each group does its damage in a slightly different way, but the outcome is the same: the bird is feeding a passenger.

Worms take nutrients from the gut. They irritate the lining, and they can make the bird less efficient at absorbing protein and energy. A healthy-looking hen that is laying a little less than she should may be carrying a load of worms that nobody has counted.

We hear the same story from farmers again and again. The birds are alive, they are eating, but the flock never quite catches up with the target weight, and the eggs come a little late. The answer is often in the gut, not in the feed bag.

The signs that point to worms

Worms are hard to see from a distance. Most of the evidence comes up close, when you pick a bird up or look at the droppings. Check for these:

• Thin birds with a flat, hard breast despite a normal appetite.
• Uneven flock weights, with a few birds clearly behind the rest.
• Droppings that look loose, pale or contain visible worms or segments.
• A pale comb and wattles in birds that have been eating well, which can point to blood loss in heavier infections.
• In layers, a drop in egg size or count that does not match the feed, lighting or season.
• Birds that scratch and peck at the vent area, or that look dull and sit apart.

Visible worms in droppings or in the house are a clear sign that the load is high. A few worms in a bird can be normal in a free-range system. A large number is a management problem, and it needs a conversation with your vet.

How birds pick them up

Most worms spread through eggs passed in the droppings. The eggs sit on the ground, in litter and in damp corners, and then a bird eats them. Some worms need a middle host, such as a beetle, earthworm or fly, before they become infective. A free-range bird that eats beetles and worms while scratching in the yard is taking in both the eggs and the hosts.

That is why the litter and the ground matter so much. Wet, warm, dirty litter gives worm eggs time to develop. Birds that spend the whole day on the same patch of ground build up their load faster. The rainy season in Ghana, with its warm damp soil, is the time when we see the biggest jump in cases.

Turkeys and guinea fowl deserve a mention. Both are often kept on open ground, and both are prone to worms when they are not managed well. Keep the same rules in mind for them, and follow your vet's advice on any product that is suitable for their species.

Where the risk sits: a comparison

The table below sets out how different systems usually compare. It is a general guide to where the risk comes from, not a measure of any particular farm.

In practice, most of our customers run a mix of systems. If you keep birds on open ground and in a house, plan the two separately, because the worm load on each will be different.

Litter, ground and the eggs they hold

The single most useful thing you can do about worms is manage the ground the birds stand on. Worm eggs can survive for a long time in damp soil, and they will sit in the wet corners of a house waiting for the next bird to eat them.

1. Keep the house litter dry, and remove the wettest material each week rather than waiting for a full clean-out.
2. Move feeders and drinkers so that spills do not soak the same patch of floor.
3. On free-range land, rotate the birds to fresh ground when you can, and keep them off the same area for long periods.
4. Clear manure and old litter from the house and yard, and do not spread it where the birds scratch.
5. Keep the birds out of wet or dung-filled areas after heavy rain.

Our coccidiosis article covers the same wet-litter problem from the protozoa side, and the advice on dry litter overlaps almost completely.

Deworming: a vet decision, not a calendar guess

Many farms deworm on a schedule, and some farms never deworm at all. Neither approach is right for every flock. The right plan depends on what is actually in the birds, how they are kept and what is happening in your area.

As a typical example only, a free-range flock might be checked and treated a couple of times a year, with a closer look in the rainy season. A broiler house on clean litter might need nothing beyond a clean start. Your vet can tell you which picture fits your birds. Follow your vet's advice on the product, the dose, the timing and any withdrawal period before the birds or eggs are sold.

Do not buy a dewormer because the shop assistant recommended it. Some products work on one type of worm and not another, some are unsuitable for certain ages or species, and some need a follow-up treatment. A wrong choice wastes money and leaves the problem behind.

Checking droppings and weights at home

You do not need a laboratory to do useful monitoring. A few minutes each month will give you a clear picture of whether worms are a problem.

• Pick up fresh droppings from several spots in the house or yard and look for worms, segments or unusual colour.
• Weigh a sample of ten birds on the same scale and compare with the target for their age.
• Look at egg size and shell colour in layers, and keep a count.
• Note any bird that is consistently thinner than the rest.
• Take a sample of droppings to your vet if you see worms or the weights are falling behind.

The weight chart is the most useful tool here. A flock that is ten or fifteen per cent behind target is telling you something, and worms are one of the possible answers. Check the feed, the water and the house first, then ask the vet.

Prevention that works in a Ghanaian house

Prevention is cheaper than cure, and it is mostly about habits. The routine below is simple enough for a small backyard flock and scales up to a larger farm without much change.

• Keep feed and water off the ground, and clean drinkers weekly.
• Do not let birds scavenge on dung heaps or near open drains.
• Keep wild birds and rodents away from the feed store, since they carry droppings in.
• Run a clean-out between flocks, with the litter removed and the house dried before the next birds come in.
• Age-match birds where you can, because older birds carry more worms and can pass them on.

Our biosecurity guide sets out how to keep feed, litter and people apart, and the same zones help with worms.

What we see from the hatchery side

We hatch and dispatch day-old chicks, so we rarely see worm problems in the first weeks. Chicks that arrive from us in ventilated boxes are a clean start, and the problems we hear about usually come later, after the birds have spent months on a yard or in a damp house.

Where worms do come up in our conversations, it is almost always the same two things: the birds have been on the same patch of ground for too long, and the owner did not weigh them. If you keep a weight sheet from the day the birds arrive, you will see the lag early. Our record-keeping guide shows a simple layout that works for weights, feed and mortality.

A worm control checklist for the year

Tick these off through the year. Most of them cost nothing but time.

• Keep litter dry and remove the wettest material every week.
• Check droppings for worms or segments once a month.
• Weigh a sample of birds every two weeks and write down the average.
• Rotate free-range birds away from heavily used ground when possible.
• Keep feed off the floor and seal the store against wild birds and rats.
• Clean drinkers weekly and clear spilled water from the floor.
• Talk to your vet about a deworming plan before the rainy season begins.
• Follow your vet's advice on product, dose, timing and withdrawal every time.

If you are starting with a small flock

A small backyard flock is often the most exposed to worms, because the birds share the same yard for years and the owner is busy with other work. A beginner's flock does better when the birds have a fixed sleeping area that is raised and dry, and when the scratch ground is moved or rested. A few hens on a clean run stay healthier than a larger flock that lives on dung.

If you are thinking about the wider picture, our starter budget guide shows the costs of a small setup, and the guide to how many chicks to start with helps you size the flock to the space you have.

Keeping worms from taking your margin

Worms are a slow thief. They take feed, growth and eggs without drawing much attention, and the farmer often notices only when the flock is already behind. Dry litter, clean drinkers, sensible ground management and regular weighing do most of the work.

If your birds are struggling and you are not sure why, WhatsApp us on +233 24 915 1503 and tell us what you are seeing. For chicks, our day-old chicks page explains what we hatch, and the breeds page covers the options. When you are ready to order, use the order form, and we confirm the price in writing before payment.

Questions farmers ask