How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[Katyed]

Hi

 

The hens have been in residence two days now and we have the first questions!

 

I filled up the grub so the food was just below the eating hole. I was suprised by how big the grub is. Should I be filling it up this high as it hasn't gone down much! Will the food still be fresh?

 

We know that you should give them treats in the afternoon to make sure they eat their sensible food first but is it ok to give them a small bowl of treats every afternoon or should it only be every few days- treats being corn or left over veg etc.

 

Grit - when we picked up the chickens they told us you could put down a bowl of grit and the chickens would just eat what they wanted. So we took it out in the afternoon and they finished off the whole bowl. Considering the size of grit bag we were advised to buy for 3 hens this seems a lot of grit to have eaten in one go - any thoughts?!

 

We love our hens so far!

 

Thanks

[Redwing]

Hi, I have only had my chickens two days also! its fun isn't it?

 

I haven't refilled the grub yet as they dont seem to be eating a lot - maybe its because they are unsettled by the move. I smelt the food when I put it out this morning and it didnt smell damp or anything so I didn't see the point in refilling it. (does that make me a bad mum?)

 

As for the grit - that does seem an awful lot for them to eat, I was under the impression that they only took it when they need it - maybe their crops didnt have enough in to start with?

 

someone far more experienced will be along soon with some good advice I dare say

 

good luck with it...

[Hen Watch]

A grub full to the brim with pellets will last my girls at least 2 days (and mine are all in lay). If your girls are not laying yet they will eat even less.

 

When I first got mine I weighed out 120g pellets per bird per day just to get a rough idea of how much they might eat and what that qty looked like in the grub. Now I just fill it up half way and they help themselves. Once they start to lay, their appetites go through the roof.

 

Don't worry, the pellets shouldn't go off too quickly. Bring it in at night so it doesn't get damp.

 

Don't go mad on treats before they start to lay (but I know it's hard not to).

 

Grit - again don't worry. Sounds like your lot have eaten quite a bit initially, but then it will pass through them if it's too much. Even though mine free range every day, I always have a pot of mixed poultry grit in their run. Some weeks they don't touch it at all, and other weeks they fall on it and I'm topping it up every few days. They just take what they seem to need.

[Katyed]

Thanks thats really helpful.

 

We didn't know they ate less before they started laying

[RubyReckless]

Yeah, you'll find the food consumption goes through the roof when they lay! it takes a lot of energy to make an egg a day.

 

Don't worry about a huge grit consumption. My experience is that hens are so erratic - scoff it like treats one week, turn their beaks up at it the next!

[PurpleTree]

I got my chickens this morning, 3 Black Rocks, they seem to be settling in ok so far. I haven't managed to buy any grit so far, do you think I should sooner rather than later? They are 22 weeks old, and are on layers pellets, which they've been scoffing down all day. Have a look at my blog http://welshpurpletree.wordpress.com/ for pics of the new arrivals.

 

[Hen Watch]

I got my chickens this morning, 3 Black Rocks, they seem to be settling in ok so far. I haven't managed to buy any grit so far, do you think I should sooner rather than later?

 

Glad to hear your chooks have arrived. Don't rush out and buy grit. Once your girls have had their 5 days of being confined to the run, and start to free range, they will pick up bits of grit from your flower beds.

 

I didn't buy grit for months when mine arrived. So if you have any Country Wide Farmers stores near you they do a huge 25kg sack of Mixed Poultry Grit (that's the stuff with soluable shell in it for strong eggs) for £6. It will last forever.

 

Or if you pop into a pet shop, they sell little 1kg bags for parrots of mixed grit but you'll pay a couple of pounds for it. I pop it in a parrot coup cup and hang it off the run bars and some days they help themselves, and sometimes they ignore it for weeks on end.