One of the most common challenges poultry enthusiasts face is dealing with pesky internal worms that threaten the health and vitality of their flock. Chemical dewormers, although effective, often come with a slew of side effects and concerns about the long-term health implications for the birds and the potential residue in the eggs. 

How can one ensure a worm-free flock without compromising natural and organic principles? The answer might just lie in the heart of nature, with plants that offer powerful, natural deworming properties. So, in this article, we have listed the effective plants that can help keep your backyard chickens healthy and worm-free naturally.

Signs that Chickens Might Have Worms or Internal Parasites

• One of the most noticeable signs can be a sudden drop in egg production. Infested hens might lay fewer eggs than usual.
• Even if the chicken eats its regular feed, it might still lose weight because the worms consume the nutrients.
• A chicken’s comb and wattles can be good indicators of its health. Worm infestations can lead to anemia, causing the comb and wattles to turn paler or bluish.
• Chickens with internal parasites often have a poor appearance, including ruffled or dull feathers.
• Infested chickens might seem more tired and less active than usual.
• In severe infestations, you might see worms or worm segments in their droppings.
• They might eat more in an attempt to compensate for the nutrients the worms are consuming.

Natural Deworming Plants

Garlic

Garlic is a powerhouse in natural poultry care due to its impressive antibacterial properties. Regularly introducing garlic into a chicken's diet not only combats bacterial infections but also bolsters the bird's immune system. This hardy bulb further aids in digestion and can be instrumental in detoxifying a chicken's system.

To harness these benefits, you can crush 2-3 garlic cloves and incorporate them directly into the chicken feed, you can give your adult chickens one clove per day for two weeks to clear up the worm. Another approach involves infusing crushed garlic cloves into the chicken's drinking water, ensuring they get a steady intake. You can do this once a week for prevention.

Grated carrot

Carrots offer more than just a burst of color in our salads. For chickens, they're a vital source of Vitamin A, crucial for maintaining optimal health. Beyond this, the fibrous nature of carrots acts as a natural detoxifier, assisting in expelling worms and other digestive system invaders.

To use carrots as a dewormer, simply grate them and introduce them into the daily feed. Chickens typically enjoy the sweet crunch of a carrot, making this a treat they're likely to relish. If some birds are hesitant, mixing the grated carrots with other preferred treats can be a useful strategy.

Finely chopped onion

While not as universally loved as garlic or carrots, onions are in the natural poultry care toolkit. They boast natural antiparasitic compounds that can aid in eliminating internal worms. Beyond this, their inherent properties can enhance the gut health of birds, promoting better nutrient absorption.

To benefit your flock, finely chop onions and add them to their daily feed. It's crucial, however, to use onions judiciously. An excessive onion diet might alter the taste of the eggs. Consider it more as an occasional treat or supplement rather than a staple.

Wormwood

An age-old remedy, wormwood is traditionally known for its ability to expel parasites, particularly digestive worms, from various animals. Its bitter compounds are believed to create an inhospitable environment for the parasites.

For chickens, introducing dried wormwood to their feed can help in this regard. However, caution is required; excessive consumption can lead to toxicity. Using it in moderation, preferably under expert guidance, can yield the best results.

Hyssop

Hyssop is not only revered for its spiritual symbolism in historical texts but also for its medicinal properties. For poultry, it serves a dual purpose: aiding respiratory health and acting as a natural dewormer. Fresh or dried hyssop can be introduced into the chicken's environment or directly mixed into their feed, serving as a natural remedy against worms and helping to bolster overall health.

Pumpkin seeds

Pumpkin seeds have become a favorite natural deworming remedy for many poultry keepers. They contain a compound called cucurbitacin, which has the ability to paralyze and eradicate worms from the digestive system.

To use, these seeds can either be fed directly to chickens or can be ground and mixed into their regular feed for two weeks or longer for the best results. It’s a treat many chickens enjoy, and it promotes a worm-free environment.

Cucumber seed

Similar to pumpkin seeds, cucumber seeds contain properties that can act against internal parasites. They can be especially effective against tapeworms. Simply harvesting and drying these seeds and then introducing them to the chicken feed or giving them directly can serve as an effective natural deworming method.

Nasturtium

Nasturtium is one of the best plants to grow for your chicken, with its vibrant flowers and unique taste, it offers more than just aesthetic value. Both its leaves and flowers are believed to have antiseptic and antibacterial properties. When consumed by chickens, nasturtium can create a hostile environment for worms. 

Spreading the leaves and flowers in the coop or mixing them with the daily feed can be a great way to introduce this natural remedy to your flock.

Conclusion

For those raising chickens, using plants and seeds to fight against worms is a smart, natural choice. These methods are not only gentle on the birds but also cut down on chemicals. Just like we trust home remedies for our little health troubles, our chickens can benefit from these plant-based solutions too. 

I'm Amelia Quinn, and I'm delighted to introduce myself to this wonderful community. I  grew up on a humble little farm where raising animals and cultivating vegetables were not just chores, but a way of life. Our livelihood depended on the fruits of the land and the care we provided to our animals. After school each day, I took on the role of helping care for my younger siblings and tending to our animals. Raising chickens and nurturing crops became an integral part of my daily routine.

Now, as I embark on this journey of connecting with fellow farmers and enthusiasts, I am excited to share my experiences and learn from the wisdom of other experienced individuals in the farming community. Let's grow together, both in knowledge and as a community.

We receive numerous inquiries as to where to find biodynamic research papers, information about Rudolf Steiner, anthroposophy and other materials.  The following is a list of resources for the inquiring mind.

Official website for all that is Rudolf Steiner
https://www.rsarchive.org/

Biodynamic Beekeeping
https://www.bachbiodynamics.com/
https://spikenardfarm.org/

Biodynamic Planting Calendar & Research
https://www.bachbiodynamics.com/
https://earthhavenlearning.ca/

If you are a backyard gardening, flower gardener, market gardener, permaculturalist or a farm and you are not composting - ask yourself why not?  If you are concerned about the nutrient value of your soil - are you composting?

What is Compost?

Compost is decomposed organic materials, such as leaves, grass clippings, and kitchen waste that can be added to the soil as a natural means of putting nutrients back into the soil. Compost provides essential nutrients for plant growth as well as improving the structure of the soil so that it can hold the correct amount of moisture, nutrients and air.

Food scraps and yard waste make up more than 30 percent of what the average family throws away, which could be composted instead making it an extremely valuable fertilizer for food production utilized by farmers and gardeners.

Compost requires four basic ingredients:

Browns - Materials that help add bulk and allow air to better get into the compost. Brown materials are a source of carbon in your compost pile. Materials include leaves, branches, twigs, wood chips, pine shavings, shredded newspaper, tea bags and coffee filters.

Greens - Materials that are rich in nitrogen or protein. They are also the items that tend to heat a compost pile up because they help the microorganisms in the pile grow and multiply quickly. Green material includes grass clippings plus fruit, vegetable waste, food leftovers and coffee grounds.

Water - All life needs water, including the microorganisms and insects that help your compost pile decompose. The right amount of water helps these organisms thrive and turn your compost into usable form quickly. Water also helps regulate a pile's temperature.

Air - Aerobic organisms need to breathe air to survive. Aeration is necessary in high temperature aerobic composting for rapid odor-free decomposition. Aeration is also useful in reducing high initial moisture content in composting materials. Volume will reduce during the compost process.

How to Maintain Compost?

Your compost pile should have an equal amount of browns to greens. You should also alternate layers of organic materials of different-sized particles. The brown materials provide carbon for your compost, the green materials provide nitrogen, and the water provides moisture to help break down the organic matter.

Whether you have a small backyard compost bin or a large scale pile, your compost will need to be turned on a regular basis.  Turning allows for air and moisture to get to all areas of the compost aiding in decomposition.

If your compost pile is not heating up or decreasing in size, it is a sign that it needs air and moisture, so you need to turn your pile more often to bring it back to life.  A very alive compost pile will have lots of worms and bugs aiding in the digestion of the food.  A well maintained compost will have a pleasant smell.

What To Compost? – ALMOST EVERYTHING

• Fruits and vegetables
• Eggshells
• Food items such as pasta, rice, bread, etc.
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Tea bags – fibre not plastic
• Nut shells
• Paper products (non coated)
• Yard trimmings
• Grass clippings
• Houseplants
• Hay and straw
• Leaves
• Sawdust
• Twigs and branches
• Wood chips / wood shavings
• Hair and fur
• Dryer lint
• Fireplace ashes
• Shredded newspaper (vegetable ink)
• Shredded cardboard (non coated)
• Shredded

What Not To Compost and Why?

Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
- Releases substances that might be harmful to plants

Coal or charcoal ash
- Might contain substances harmful to plants

Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
- Might kill beneficial composting organisms

* Dairy products (e.g., butter, milk, sour cream, yogurt) and eggs
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies

* Diseased or insect-ridden plants
- Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants

* Weeds
- it is the seeds from weeds that are unwanted as the seeds will survive levels of heat and when used back onto the soil, will propagate more weeds.

* Fats, grease, lard, or oils
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and predators

* Meat or fish bones and scraps*
- Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and predators

* Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)*
- Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans

* Special Note:  Small scale, household and backyard composts piles will not be large enough or get hot enough to digest these materials and the pathogens that they often bring.  However, large scale farming operations that are adding animal manure to their piles will be able to compost these materials as the heaps will become sufficiently large enough and hot enough to digest all materials, killing off all pathogens.

What are the Benefits of Composting?

• Enriches soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests.
• Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
• Encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich nutrient-based material that enhance the vitality of the soil.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie.  It is well presented.  Anyone that is contemplating moving from the city and starting a small scale farm operation using permaculture, sustainable and biodiversity concepts should watch this film.  As in any farm operation, big or small, there are many hardships, roadblocks, and heart aches.  There is also a lot of joy and gratification.  Watch for yourself.

The Biggest Little Farm follows two dreamers and their beloved dog when they make a choice that takes them out of their tiny L.A. apartment and into the countryside to build one of the most diverse farms of its kind in complete coexistence with nature. The film chronicles their near decade-long attempt to create the utopia they seek, planting 10,000 orchard trees, hundreds of crops, and bringing in animals of every kind– including an unforgettable pig named Emma and her best friend, Greasy the rooster. When the farm’s ecosystem finally begins to reawaken, their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, and to survive they realize they'll have to reach a far greater understanding of the intricacies and wisdom of nature, and of life itself.