Internal Worms. Can we say "Yuck?"

It’s likely that your chickens are going to get internal worms by virtue of loving and eating a meal consisting of larva, worms, snails and other insects.   Don't freak out though - worms are worms and can be treated quite simply.

Typical worm invasions take over the intestines and are expelled in chicken droppings/poop.  If the egg droppings have an opportunity to incubate Worm eggs are discharged in the droppings; after the worm eggs incubate in the litter for about 10 days they will contain larvae, and other chickens will pick up these embryonating worm eggs and become infected with worms.

Chickens are going to get worms.  Having a few worms in their body isn’t a big deal and can be healthy for flora.    Because chickens really love to eat worms, snails and other insects they are virtually eating the eggs of the bugs which in turn can reek havoc on the internal workings of a chicken.  Typical worm invasions in chickens consist of large, small and cecal. 

The best management to prevent such infection is to provide plenty of Vitamin A and B nutrient rich food such as:  Bok Choy, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Butternut Squash, Carrots, Kale, Leeks, Peas, Pumpkin and Swiss Chard. 

When maintaining a clean living environment with good hygiene and sanitation you may never encounter a worm situation.  However, in the event you do notice your birds dropping weight, not as active and appearing sickly there are products on the market (diatomaceous earth, for example) that are said to rid their bodies of the parasites.  If in doubt, contact an avian veterinarian for a fecal swab.