Herbal Animal Wormer

We have a few animals in our care, and can I just say how thankful I am that we have children to help with animal chores? It’s some work. Not just the feeding and watering, but the husbandry part. We also are involved in 4-H since we needed all the help we could get when first starting out (our first goat died of pregnancy toxemia). We are happy to report that things have improved! Now our offspring have each claimed a species or two to care for on a daily basis. Using herbal animal wormer is our choice in keeping them healthy, which in turn affects the food products that we raise to consume ourselves. Avoiding chemicals is pretty much top of my list nowdays. AND this can be used for dogs, cats and chickens, not just larger farm animals.

We milk dairy goats and goats have worms. They aren’t the only animals with this issue, but these ‘browsers’ have been made into ‘grazers’ and –well, at least in our case— live in a smaller area due to fencing issues (they are masters at Houdini escapes) so instead of acres of Swiss Alps as in the story of Heidi, here they graze in small areas, are given grass and brush from unfenced areas, or hay in the longer winter. We allow our chickens free range in the goats area to help keep the worm population down, but still action is required on our part.

Issues with chemical dewormers include giving too little or too much, both being problematic, and over time the animal usually becomes immune to its effects. Also since you must wait days or weeks after a dose before butchering, I would not want to drink the milk or cheese of an animal with the same chemicals.

Herbal wormer was a no brainer for us with dairy goats. Its effective and healthy for the goats and since the worms can not stand the smell of the herbs they voluntarily leave the host….that’s where the chickens come in. The herbs also kill and expel parasites, acts as a preventative, the animal builds a better immune system, and no resistance is built up to herbs.

We were first introduced to herbal dewormers by using Molly’s Herbal Wormer also Hoeggers sells a mix. I just wanted to be able to make my own for less money and avoid those shipping costs. (Also here is a great article of an independent study using chemical vs. herbal dewormers on goats)

THEN at a health food store in a neighboring city I found this beautiful sight:

This selection was WAY too exciting for me, with a pocketful of herbal recipes and tintures to try, but I kept it down for my children’s sake. The next time I went I brought my own 1-cup measuring cup (not sure how to say that properly) instead of guessing amounts.

Here is the recipe I use (originally from this link), * indicates the most effective ingredients. Do not use on pregnant animals.

1 cup each of the following in powder form:

• Dry mustard seed
  Psyllium seed
  Garlic minced*
  Black walnut hull*

(Note 1: Black walnut hull may have a fungus which can be fatal to horses.
Note 2: Autumn is the time to glean from walnut trees, which thankfully I did this last year, since this was the most expensive part of the recipe for me…but that part about grinding the shells I haven’t gotten to yet though. It just may be worth the price they charge.)

2 cups each of the following, cut:

• Thyme
  Wormwood*
  Sage
  Rosemary
  Diatomaceous Earth or DE, this was purchased at the feed store.*
• Plus 1/2 cup chopped cloves

This yields 12 cups, about 2 1/2 pounds. Store in any airtight container.

—-Give twice a day for seven days straight, for goats I do this monthly, other animals as needed.—-

• we just sprinkle it on their grain/feed,
• you could also mix it with some water to make a drench to feed orally (using a very large syringe),
• or make dosage balls:

For dogs: 1/4 cup herbal mixture, 2 Tbl whole wheat flour, 1/3 cup peanut butter, roll into 12 balls=1 teaspoon each

For livestock: 1/2 cup herbal mix, 1/4 cup slippery elm bark, 1/4 cup honey or molasses, roll into 16 balls= 1/2 tablespoon each

Suggested dosage amounts:

Goats: 1 Tablespoon Kids under 2 months: 1/2 Tbsp Dogs: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Cats: 1/4 teaspoon Horses: 2 Tablespoons Cattle: 3 Tablespoons

Sheep: 2 teaspoons Llamas: 2-3 teaspoons Alpacas: 1-2 teaspoon Pigs: 2-3 teaspoons Chickens: try 1 Tbs for every 6 chickens

Here’s to healthy animals!