This article was written and kindly given permission to be used by Scott Shilala.

What kind of Ivomec do I choose?
As far as I am concerned, there is only ONE type of Ivomec for birds. That is Ivomec Eprinex. All other types of Ivomec wormers have withdrawal periods, some as great as 146 days. STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!! They have been proven less effective and the negatives outweigh the positives. Ivomec Eprinex has been shown to be is the strongest, most potent parasite control product available. It kills 39 stages of internal and external parasites.

When can I eat my eggs after I use Eprinex?
Here's a quote from the Ivomec website...
"Its broad-spectrum efficacy in a weatherproof formulation, margin of safety, zero slaughter withdrawal and zero milk discard, make it a convenient product for parasite control in beef and dairy cattle, including lactating dairy cattle". Make sure you realize that we are talking CATTLE here and not chickens. I should also point out that birds and cattle are not the same thing, and that birds differ greatly in external and internal construction. What's good for a cow may not be good for a bird, and vice versa. Take the zero milk discard and zero slaughter withdrawal with a grain of salt!!!

When we worm our birds, we try to coincide the worming with periods of low egg production. We wait 6 to 8 weeks before using the birds or eggs for the table. Regardless of whether the "zero stuff" indicates to me that it's safe to eat eggs immediately (and it does), I'd much rather be safe than sorry. I get enough Eprinex on me when I'm worming my birds that I should be parasite free for the rest of my life. That's despite using precautions. If you want to be completely safe from any effects Ivomec may have on you, the common sense approach would be to stay away from it, period!

What dosage rate do you use???
One cc is equal to one ml.
Eprinex's suggested dose rate for cattle is 1 ml per 22 pounds of body weight. I have seen dosage rates recommended for birds that go from 2cc per bantam to 5cc per bantam, and everything in between. That is completely wrong. If you use a ratio, pound for pound, The proper dosage is....
.5 cc (ml) per 11 pound bird - Large Fowl
.25 cc (ml) per 5.5 lb bird - Bantam

How safe is Ivermectin???
That's a tough one. I trust Eprinex about as much as I trust any drug. I use Eprinex on my birds with extreme caution. I've been using it for a number of years now and have found it safe and effective. I've read stories that it can be bad when used on certain breeds of dogs. I've read stories that it's been used on people in third world countries to control internal parasites. I've also heard that it is or will be used in Great Britain as a control for scabies, in one form or another. You have to read and be educated on this chemical if you are to use it as safely as you can. Read the ads, read the label, ask questions. You can read about Eprinex at Ivomec's Website. There are studies, writings, stats, anything you need to know to form your own decision on whether to use it or not.

How do I apply Ivomec to my birds???
On Skin - It's as simple as measuring the proper dosage and squirting it behind the bird's neck, between the shoulder blades. You want to make sure it reaches the skin because Eprinex is absorbed through the skin into a bird's system. The other reason for this placement is that the bird can't reach this spot with his head. If the dose is placed under the wing or on the breast (as I've heard it suggested) the bird can easily rub away the Eprinex with it's head feathers making it less than effective. Put the dose where it will give you the best results. In Water - You can also deliver the bird's dose in their drinking water, although it may or may not be very effective. Here's how we do it...

First off, you have to realize that ivomec isn't water soluble. It's oil that will float on top of water. That's good for this instance.
Day 1 - I take waterers away from my birds early in the day. I make sure to do it when there's no standing puddles, or any other source of water for them.
Day 2 - Around Noon, I take a 2 quart bowl, put about 1 quart of water in it, and float about 1/4 of an inch of eprinex on top.
I call the birds and sit with them while they all drink. I remove the water bowl and put it in the basement refrigerator.
Day 2 - In the evening I remove the regular waterers again.
Day 3 - I replenish the water bowl with Eprinex and give it to the birds again. Once they get their fill, I remove it and replace the bowl with their regular waterer. I'll give the excess to our free ranging birds to finish up. The ducks and goose get their dose this way while they are slopping in the bowl.

I used to use this method across the flocks, but I've cut down to a third of the birds we used to keep, so it's not as necessary anymore. It has worked very well for us in the past, and still does. With either dosing method, you may want to dose again in 10 days, especially if this is the first time you've used Eprinex.

Why would I even think of using Eprinex???
Parasites can cause a bird's death directly or indirectly. The stress they are put under by internal and external parasites makes birds more likely to get sick. Parasites slow a bird's growth. Parasites lower a bird's feed efficiency. Parasites lower a bird's productivity. Pasasites make a bird look listless and sickly.

By removing mites, lice and worms from your bird's body they will do as well as nature allows. They will have the opportunity to thrive and the opportunity to have a long, healthy life. They will also have the opportunity to be as productive as they can.
Removing parasites alone will not insure your bird's health, but combined with a proper diet, a clean environment, and lots of love, it'll go a LONG way!!!

Is Eprinex effective against tapeworms???
No. Eprinex is not effective against tapeworms. Used in a regular program Eprinex can be effective in breaking a tapeworms' life cycle, but it will not remove existing tapes in your bird's system.

How often do I use it?
I always dose my birds in the late Fall. It does wonders on the mites, lice and other unmentionables that come running for cover when it gets cold. When I use it, I do all the birds on the property. I also do a super-thorough cleaning of their surroundings when I dose. The reason I do the cleaning is to make sure I get the bugs that are in the coop out of the coop. It also gives me the best picture of just how bad the infestation was. It also gets the coops ready for the nasty weather that's coming, and I'm happy in knowing I won't be scrubbing coops in the snow.

I sometimes redose the birds in the Spring right before breeding season. I only do that if it's necessary or if I think the Spring is going to drone on sloppily. When I dosed my birds for the very first time, I did them all and followed up in about three weeks. I don't know why I felt that it was necessary, but I felt good about doing it, knowing that I'd covered all the birds and that they were all properly dosed.

I think part of the reason was that I didn't notice immediate results and was worred about Eprinex's effectiveness. What I didn't consider was that the bugs all have to get a drink of chicken before it kills them, plus all the bugs that are still around have to climb on and get a drink before they're dead, too. A little patience may have saved me some extra work, but like I said, the peace of mind was worth the extra work.

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