Autodoor, 12V supply and power settings

[peepie]

Hi there everyone,

 

Last wormed my girls in mid July but today noticed Pecky (daughters chicken) hadn't laid and by tea time was looking a bit miserable- had seemed fine until then. Picked her up for a cuddle and felt her crop which felt rather empty for that time of day. No sign of an egg being stuck and looks quite red and alert just quite hunched.

 

Brought her in and made some warm mash from the pellets and she ate a bit. She then did a normal looking pooh apart from I noticed out of the corner of my eye it was wriggling. Can't believe the amount of worms in it. Have dosed her with Flubenvet and will do the other 2 girls tomorrow (they had gone to sleep and wouldn't eat the grapes!)

 

How long does Flubenvet take to work? Have other people's girls stopped eating when they had worms? I hope it is just that and nothing more serious.

[The Dogmother]

A bad infestation of worms can make a chicken poorly, and a chooks who is already under the weather can be a breeding ground for them. You need to dose every day for 7 days with Flubenvet.

 

Keep her warm and well hydrated. Good luck.

[Christian]

I saw dead worms in the droppings tray after 2 days of Flubenvet.

[peepie]

Dosed them all this morning now with Flubenvet. She seemed OK but hasn't really tucked into breakfast the same as the others. Just going to make some warm mash and see if that'll get her going. She was quite keen on the grapes I was using to worm them but that's not really a balanced chicken diet!

 

There's a huge sloppy looking poo in the nest part of the eglu - will go and clear that out later when it's light enough. Hopefully it's her clearing out the worms.

 

Fingers crossed.

[Christian]

I'm sure she will be ok peepie. Flubenvet really is good stuff. The porridge is a good idea and will keep her hydrated.

[peepie]

Thanks everyone. Just glad to know I'm doing the right sort of things.

 

I'm going to give the run a total clear out later. Rake all the chippings out and give it a good clean and try to stop any re-infection. I normally just rake off the top layer but wonder if it's time to chuck the whole lot out and start again. It's all looking a bit squidgy anyway after all this rain. Will try and get some of that Stalosan F and see if that helps.

 

Thanks

xx

[Egluntyne]

I'd clear it and start again.

 

When my girls had worms, I noticed them start to clear out about three days into the course.

[The Dogmother]

Use some garden lime in the run before you put new Aubiose down - it helps clear the soil of the worm cysts.

[peepie]

Couldn't get hold of any Stalosan F today. Can I just use anyhousehold disinfectants (e.g. dettol/bleach) so long as I rinse it well? the eglu itself always looks really clean after I've done it and I'm pretty confident that nothing is hiding in the roosting bars. i always scrub them really well with a stiff washing up brush (not the one I use for my dishes you'll be pleased to hear!!) but I've only ever used a bit of fairy liquid in the water or that citricidal.

 

Pecky was looking a bit more cheery by the end of today. She has been eating but her crop didn't feel as hard as the other 2 but at least it felt like there was something in it this evening. Will do another dose of wormer in the morning.

 

Thanks for all the advice - I keep thinking I'm getting better at knowing things and then I need to know something else - one day I'll be an expert!!

 

xx

[Egluntyne]

I wouldn't bother with the disinfectant in the Eglu tbh....it won't make any difference to worm eggs.

 

There will always be a risk of worms if the hens free range and if there are wild birds in the vicinity, which of course there will be.

 

There is a school of thought that reckons that a light cargo of worms boosts the hen's immune system and therefore in an odd way is beneficial.

 

I would worm them every 4 or so months as a matter of routine, and then you will have peace of mind.

[peepie]

Same as with the kids then - keep them too clean and they get ill! My kids are very rarely ill (touch wood) you can make what you like of that with regards to my standards of cleanliness!!!

 

Pecky seems Ok again this morning so hopefully it was the worms or a softy and she's now better. I can't go through what I went through with son's chicken in July again! I just can't believe how fine they seem and then all of a sudden look half dead within the space of a couple of hours.