Pumpkin Soup, Garlic & Nasturtium - Natural Wormers

I have never wormed my chickens with any kind of commercial wormer.  Many experts recommend 'proactive' worming with a wormer twice a year, but I don't believe in administering any medications unless absolutely necessary. Instead I rely on holistic preventatives. I have never had any trouble with worms in my flock, and have had our vet take fecal samples and no sign of worms have ever been found.

I use pumpkin and squash seeds (fall),  nasturtium (spring/summer), watermelon and cucumbers (summer) and garlic and DE (year round) to combat worms because all are perfectly healthy and natural, with no withdrawal period during which you can't eat the eggs.

PUMPKIN SEEDS

There are varying opinions on this subject and not much study has been done, but raw ground pumpkin seeds are thought to be a natural dewormer not only for chickens and ducks but for sheep and goats as well. Twice a year, spring and fall, it is suggested that you feed your girls ground raw pumpkin seeds free-choice for a week.

The pumpkin seeds (as well as the seeds of other members of the cucurbitaceae family such as winter, summer, zucchini and crookneck squash, gourds, cucumbers, cantaloupe and watermelon) are coated with a substance called cucurbitacin that paralyzes the worms.  The larger fruits and vegetables contain higher levels of cucurbitacin, while the smaller cucumber contains far less.

Since pumpkins are plentiful and inexpensive in the fall, that is what I use for my fall worming. You can merely cut a fresh pumpkin in half and feed it to your chickens, but I take it one step further and make them a Pumpkin Soup. I add some yogurt and molasses to cause a bit of diarrhea and help flush the paralyzed worms out of the chickens' systems.  

In the fall I save our Halloween pumpkins and grind up the seeds and pulp. In the spring I buy a bag of hulled plain pumpkin seeds and a can of pureed pumpkin and grind them up in my coffee grinder. Then I make the 'pumpkin soup'.

Pumpkin Soup (serves 8-10 hens)

One entire bulb crushed fresh garlic

2 cups raw oatmeal

One shredded carrot

8 Tablespoons ground raw pumpkin seeds

1 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses

Pumpkin pulp in the fall from two small pumpkins (or one can of pumpkin puree in the spring)

Blend it all in the food processor and add enough plain unflavored yogurt to achieve a 'soupy' consistency. 

Then pour some soup into each pumpkin half (or a bowl if you are using the puree), garnish it with shredded carrot and serve it up !

The girls clearly love it !  And when they are done, they will eat the bowl too!

GARLIC

I add garlic powder to my chickens' daily feed mix every day. Every couple of weeks I mince up a whole bulb, mixed with some chopped fresh mint, and feed it to the chickens free-choice and they seem to love it. Garlic, especially in conjunction with mint and wormwood (which I don't happen to have) is a wonderful year round natural wormer.

NASTURTIUM

Nasturtium is a wonderful addition to any garden. It is not only pretty and easy to grow, it repels insects, the chickens love to eat the leaves and blossoms, and it also acts as a natural wormer, as well as a laying stimulant, antiseptic and antibiotic.

The chicken can (and will) eat the nasturtium leaves, flowers and seeds.

I plant some in my garden each spring and am thinking of planting some right in the run this year for the chickens to eat at will.  

DE (food-grade diatomaceous earth) is also thought to combat worms and I add it to my chickens' daily feed.

Although there isn't too much information or scientific evidence out there to prove or disprove the ability of these holistic preventatives to combat intestinal worms, there have been a few studies done that point to their  effectiveness.  Regardless, the girls love the pumpkin soup and its nutritious if nothing else.  Pumpkins contain antioxidants, as well as high levels of Vitamin A, both of which strengthen immune systems and help them better combat illness.

The beta carotene in the pumpkins contributes to vibrant orange egg yolks as well as bright orange bills and feet on our ducks.  Another substance in the pumpkin, phytosterol, is thought to lower cholesterol, so I believe it probably makes our eggs lower in cholesterol as well.

Bottom line, the pumpkin and garlic, as well as other types of squash and melons and the nasturtium, are nutritious, so I figure there's no harm....and besides, we've never had any problem with any kind of intestinal worms - so I'm a believer.

Here's a link to purchase raw unsalted pumpkin seeds.

Sources for seeds, plants and all your gardening needs:

References:
http://www.ca.uky.edu/smallflocks/Factsheets/Natural_remedies.pdf
http://books.google.com/books?id=AUaleKfk3kQC&pg=PA214&lpg=PA214&dq=cucurbitin+worms&source=bl&ots=BKiBrXOr1t&sig=tN7q_7hMCZmW9sjSIoDepG8yXF8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JF6FUOiHK8bliwLW_ID4CQ&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=cucurbitin%20worms&f=false
http://www.desu.edu/sites/default/files/Pumpkin%20Seeds-Worms_DJO.pdf
http://frugalhomesteads.blogspot.com/2010/09/preserving-harvest-n-ga-roasters.html
http://www.backyardherds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=8316
http://www.ehow.com/list_6562471_natural-remedies-dogs-parasites-worms.html
http://www.foodsafetywatch.com/public/504print.cfm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22684690

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

Everyone is welcome at Fresh Eggs Daily! To make sure you don't miss any of the tips and tricks, fan questions, giveaways or unending stream of cute photos join us on facebook at Fresh Eggs Daily and Ducks Too and be sure to sign up to follow our blog via email, Networked Blogs or Google Connect.

Tweet