6 Chicken Parasite Control Natural Methods Old Farmers Swear By

There’s nothing quite like that sinking feeling when you pick up a favorite hen and feel the tell-tale crawl of lice on your arm. Parasites are an inevitable part of raising chickens, but a heavy infestation can drain a flock’s vitality faster than a hawk in the sky. The goal isn’t total eradication—that’s a fool’s errand—but rather effective management that keeps your birds healthy and resilient without reaching for harsh chemicals.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this site earns from qualifying purchases. Thank you!

Proactive Parasite Prevention for a Healthy Flock

The best way to deal with parasites is to make your coop an awful place for them to live. This starts with the basics: cleanliness and space. A coop packed with too many birds and a thick layer of damp, caked-on manure is a paradise for mites, lice, and internal worm eggs.

Regular cleaning is non-negotiable. A deep clean a few times a year and consistent removal of soiled bedding breaks the life cycle of many parasites that thrive in filth. Good ventilation is just as crucial. Damp, stagnant air helps parasites and respiratory illnesses flourish, so ensure your coop has airflow without being drafty. A dry, clean environment is your first and most powerful line of defense.

Diatomaceous Earth for External Parasite Control

Diatomaceous earth (DE) is one of the most trusted tools in the natural chicken keeper’s arsenal. It’s not a poison; it’s the fossilized remains of tiny aquatic organisms. On a microscopic level, these particles are incredibly sharp and abrasive. For soft-bodied insects like mites and lice, crawling through DE is like crawling through broken glass—it shreds their waxy exoskeleton and causes them to dehydrate and die.

When using DE, always choose food-grade, not the kind used for pools. Lightly dust it in the corners of the coop, along roosts, and in the nesting boxes after cleaning. You can also work a small amount into your flock’s dust bathing area. A word of caution: DE is a fine dust, so wear a mask during application to protect your own lungs, and avoid creating huge clouds of it that your chickens will inhale. A little goes a long way.

Harnessing Herbs in Nesting Boxes and Chicken Feed

Herbs are more than just a nice-smelling addition; they serve a practical purpose. Many strong-smelling herbs are natural insect repellents. Tucking dried herbs into nesting box material can help deter mites and lice from settling where your hens are most vulnerable.

Consider using a mix of what you have available. Good choices include:

• Lavender: Known for its calming properties and as an insect repellent.
• Mint: Pests like mites and rodents dislike its strong scent.
• Wormwood: A traditional repellent, but use it sparingly and only as a dried herb in bedding—never in feed, as it can be toxic if ingested in large amounts.

Some keepers also add herbs like oregano, thyme, and parsley to their flock’s feed. While not a direct parasite treatment, these herbs have natural antibacterial properties and can help support a robust immune system. A healthier bird is always better equipped to fight off a low-level parasite load on its own.

Enhancing Dust Baths with Wood Ash for Protection

Chickens instinctively know how to keep themselves clean and free of external pests: they take dust baths. This is a critical, natural behavior you should encourage and enhance. A good dust bath helps suffocate and dislodge mites and lice clinging to a chicken’s skin and feathers.

You can create a dedicated dust bath spot for your flock in a dry, sunny part of their run. A child’s wading pool or a simple wooden frame filled with loose dirt and fine sand is a great start. To make it a truly effective parasite-fighting station, mix in a generous amount of fine wood ash from a fireplace or fire pit—as long as you only burned untreated wood. The fine particles in wood ash are excellent at smothering pests.

Adding a scoop of diatomaceous earth to the mix provides another layer of defense. Your chickens will happily flop around, working the protective mixture deep into their feathers. This is them doing the work for you, so give them the best materials to do it with.

Adding Apple Cider Vinegar to Your Flock’s Water

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is a staple in many old-timers’ chicken care routines. The idea is that adding a small amount to your flock’s water helps create a slightly more acidic environment in their digestive tract. This can make their gut a less welcoming place for internal worms and pathogenic bacteria.

For this to be effective, you must use raw, unpasteurized ACV that contains "the mother"—the cloudy collection of beneficial bacteria and enzymes. A standard guideline is about one tablespoon of ACV per gallon of water. Don’t overdo it; the goal is to support gut health, not pickle your chickens from the inside out.

One crucial detail: only use ACV in plastic or ceramic waterers. The acidity in vinegar will corrode galvanized metal containers over time, leaching zinc into the water, which is toxic to your flock. This is a supportive measure for overall health, not a cure for a severe worm infestation.

Breaking Parasite Cycles with Pasture Rotation

Internal parasites have a simple, effective life cycle. A chicken eats a worm egg from contaminated ground, the worm matures and lays eggs inside the chicken, and those eggs are passed out through manure, ready to infect the next bird. Pasture rotation is a management technique designed to break this cycle.

The concept is straightforward: move your chickens to a fresh patch of ground regularly. By letting a previously occupied area "rest" for several weeks or months, you expose the parasite eggs in the soil to sunlight, heat, and weather, which kills many of them off. This prevents the parasite load from building up to dangerous levels in one spot.

This is easiest with a mobile chicken tractor, but it’s possible even with a stationary coop. You can divide your run into two or more sections with temporary fencing, rotating the flock between them. For those with very limited space, even raking the run clean and letting it bake in the sun for a few weeks can help reduce the parasite load.

Garlic and Pumpkin Seeds for Internal Health

For generations, farmers have used common kitchen staples to help manage internal parasites. Garlic and pumpkin seeds are two of the most popular. Garlic contains allicin, a compound with natural antibacterial and antiparasitic properties. Crushing a few fresh cloves and adding them to the flock’s water or feed a couple of times a week is a common preventative practice.

Raw pumpkin seeds contain an amino acid called cucurbitacin, which has been shown to paralyze and expel intestinal worms in some animals. You can offer raw, crushed or ground pumpkin seeds as a treat or mixed into their feed. It’s a healthy supplement they’ll enjoy that also serves a purpose.

It’s important to view these as deterrents and health boosters, not as powerful dewormers. If you suspect a heavy, established worm infestation—indicated by pale combs, lethargy, and weight loss—these natural methods may not be enough. They are best used consistently to help keep a healthy flock from developing a serious problem in the first place.

Combining Methods for a Holistic Control Strategy

No single natural method is a silver bullet for parasite control. The real power comes from layering these strategies into a holistic management system. Think of it as building multiple lines of defense around your flock’s health. You can’t just rely on ACV in the water and ignore a filthy, overcrowded coop.

A truly effective strategy integrates everything. You maintain a clean coop to reduce parasite breeding grounds. You provide enhanced dust baths with wood ash and DE for external pests. You add herbs to nesting boxes to repel mites, offer ACV and garlic to support gut health, and rotate pastures to break the internal parasite life cycle.

When you combine these methods, they support each other. A chicken with a healthy gut from ACV and garlic is better able to resist the few parasites it picks up from the ground. A bird that can clean itself effectively in a good dust bath is less stressed and more resilient overall. This layered approach is the foundation of sustainable, natural flock management.

Keeping chickens healthy isn’t about finding one magic solution, but about consistent, thoughtful care. By integrating these time-tested methods, you create a resilient environment where your flock can thrive. It’s this steady, observant approach that separates the struggling keeper from the one whose birds are vibrant, productive, and a joy to raise.