How Quickly Does Albendazole Work?

[Margalot]

Hello,

 

I am very excited but also nervous....I hope to get my new hens shortly and have started to accumulate bits and bobs, but am completely green to all this and want to make sure I have all the essentials before I get my girls. what about worming them etc? I hope to buy from a Meadowsweet agent so will this have already been done? Could You very informed experienced chicken keepers help me with a list of absolute essentials? I dont want to be caught out and make my hens poorly by not having the right things!

 

also do you think I should wait until this cold snap ends before getting new girls? I didnt want them to have unecessary stress by moving to new home and then have to cope with cold also............very nervous first time / about to become chicken Mummy!!!

[chelsea]

firstly, dont worry at all - everyone was in the same boat to begin with. You tend to learn as you go along and hens are quite easy to look after. You also tend to build up your own box of "chicken miscellanous" as you go along, ....but dont panic - not all of it is essential when you start out.

 

My list would be

 

Poultry feed/pellets

A good wormer (Flubenvet is good) comes in a tub that will last for years

Poultry spice - keeps hens healthy (supplement) again comes in a tub lasts for ages

Red Mite powder - to sprinkle in the eglu/cube on clean out days after a clean (smells lovely)

Louse powder (comes in same size tub as red mite powder)

A small spade or trowel (for poo picking/cleaning)

Cheap dust pan & brush

A tub trug or two come in very handy - (a shallow one makes a good dustbath), also comes useful for dunking broody hens, bathing hens, storing dirty hemcore on clean out days

 

*****************

 

Everyone's lists will vary, some people use citricidal in the water or ACV (apple cider vinegar).

 

Other supplements, first aid bits and bobs can be built up over time

[Margalot]

Thank you will write that down and get straight to pet store this afternoon! i think after reading the posts on chicken clinic I scared myself to death!

 

Also just looking at everything you can buy for chickens at my local store got so confused!

 

Less aprehensive already thank you!

[chelsea]

No problem.

 

Am sure some other people might want to add their lists and you could see if there's anything else you might want to get.

[Margalot]

Just rang my local Meadow sweet agent and they have POL hens in!!

 

Have booked to go there this Saturday pm and choose four birds!!!!

 

At the moment she has Gingernut Rangers, Black Rocks, Sussex Stars and Amber Stars.

 

Thinking of getting one of each!!!!!! what do you think??

 

Really Excited NOW!!

[Mazzarina]

Ooh - exciting! I think one of each is a good idea - you might ask your breeder if s/he thinks they'll work well together.

I started a few months ago, and found I needed the following:

Layers' pellets

Corn (for treats, and a lovely way of bonding with your new girls through feeding by hand)

Straw or similar for the nesting box

A trowel

Rubber gloves for clean-out operations!

 

A few weeks later I picked up some poultry spice, and some citricidal as my girls had the sneezes. It's worth getting them if your breeder sells them, as you'll probably use them and they're not stocked in most pet stores (or supermarkets, for some odd reason).

[PurpleTree]

I can recommend Black Rocks, I have three and they're lovely. I don't have much stuff really. Layers Pellets, mixed corn, mixed poultry grit to start with, then I got DE powder, Verm-X pellets, and Bokashi all bought from the Omlet shop. I've just this minute received my order of Stalosan-F from Flyte So Fancy ready for the first change over of their bark chippings. As others have said as long as you've got food and water to start with you can get anything else as you go along.

 

Just remembered also got a pile of newspapers for lining the droppings tray, and lots of shredded paper for the nesting box.

 

Have fun with your girls.

[chelsea]

Ooh I forgot grit.. well done purple tree

[laurmurf]

we got 'one of each' from a Meadowsweet agent and then added another for good luck - as long as you get them all on the same day, you'll be fine.

[Yorkshire Pudding]

I have three different coloured hens - I started with two identical ladies and could never tell who had laid what (unless I caught them in the act!). Girls who lay different coloured eggs are easier to keep track of, and different eggs are so pretty in the kitchen.

 

I have the following:

 

Layer's pellets

Grit

Mixed corn

Battles poultry drink (a supplement similar to poultry spice but liquid form and goes in their water)

Hemcore or Aubiose horse bedding for the run and bottom of the eglu - wonderful stuff, very absorbent and easy to clean out.

Shredded paper or straw for nest box

Anti-peck spray for new feathers and naughty chickens

Wellies!

'Chicken trousers' - an old pair as my chickens soon learned to sit on my lap for treats, and they always have mucky feet.

Limestone flour - I found this really helped to avoid soft eggshells

Flubenvet wormer - I found that Verm-ex did not live up to the claims made for it and find this is much better.

 

 

They love live yogurt, grapes, raisins, porridge etc.

 

Most of the stuff has been accumulated gradually, not all bought at once, and most is very cheap and lasts ages.

 

 

 

You'll also need a chicken-watching chair, a warm coat (you'll spend far longer outside than you ever did before you had chickens) and a set of patient friends who won't mind you raving about your new hobby! Also a few extra hours for the forum because you'll find it a very friendly and helpful place to be, I spend far too much time here but wouldn't be without my chicken buddies .

[Saronne]

Yes...patient friends OR thick skin when people affectionately call you 'crazy chicken lady' (oops! or man if you're a man! )

 

Like some others, I recycle and use shredded bank statements for their nesting material

 

To that excellent list I would add:

 

big bag of cabbage-type greens from your local market or green-grocers. Pecking away at these help keep my girlies well fed and entertained for ages. They may or may not like them to begin with - but my hens now love them.

 

a compost bin to put your chicken poos in - and yes, definitely rubber gloves when you clean out!

 

Someone suggested hanging an old bar of soap in a net bag next to the outdoor tap. That way you can wash your rubber gloves as you wear them and leave them in your shed to dry.

 

Chicken keeping is fun and very rewarding. Enjoy yourself

 

Saronne x

 

Paris

Nicole

Dorothy

 

Germaine

Jordan plus 4 cats, 4 kids, OH and an allotment

[quickcluck]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhh definately get one of each, they are all so lovely and it's great to see all the different colours running about!! I can't choose a favorite with mine.....

 

I have a sneaky suspicion you may come back with more than 4 though!

[Happy chickens!]

Yorkshire pudding wrote:

You'll also need a chicken-watching chair, a warm coat (you'll spend far longer outside than you ever did before you had chickens) and a set of patient friends who won't mind you raving about your new hobby! Also a few extra hours for the forum because you'll find it a very friendly and helpful place to be, I spend far too much time here but wouldn't be without my chicken buddies

 

Absolutely!

 

Would also add a hosepipe or better still a power washer - more fun!

[Egluntyne]

A metal bin to store food.

[Vanessa]

A metal bin to store food.

 

They have metal ones now in IKEA - not massive ones but big enough for the food.

[atsw]

A camera so you can post lots of lovely pictures on here

 

Andrew

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Nice warm clothes & a supply of hot drinks for sitting outside and watching them.

[Margalot]

Thank you all for your wonderful tips and suggestions!

 

i went to our local animal /garden centre yesterday and met a lovely lady who helped me with a few things.

 

I hope to collect the birds tomorrow around 2pm the breeder is only 10 mins from my home so chooks shouldnt get too stressed being transferred. Do you think i should pop them into to cube and then let them find their way into the run or out them into the run and hope they find their way up on the first night?

 

I am off to buy a torch to light up the cube for the first night, and a drinker as I think the glug nozzle will probably freeze up.

 

Put the straw in the nest box and lined the poop trays with paper, got the feed in a metal dustbin, off to get rubber gloves and dustpan/ brush.

 

Like the idea of soap by the outside tap to wash gloves! also chicken trousers and chair!

 

Our cube and run is going right by our consevatory so will be able to keep an eye on them!

 

I will let you know how we get on!! , but dont expect a post until Monday as I have a feeling we will be busy!!!

[sandyhas3chucks]

Purple spray for injuries, can be used on you/cats /dogs too/ bet not licences foe human use though ha ha

Maybe hot bottle/warmer for under your cxoat to keep ypou warm.

[Willow_Warren]

 

I hope to collect the birds tomorrow around 2pm the breeder is only 10 mins from my home so chooks shouldnt get too stressed being transferred. Do you think i should pop them into to cube and then let them find their way into the run or out them into the run and hope they find their way up on the first night?

 

When I got my bird back in September the guy (also Meadowsweet Poultry agent), said to keep the girls shut up in the coop for that afternoon and overnight for them to settle in, before letting them into the run the next day. I got them at about lunch time and did as he said, but then opened the door of the coop later in the afternoon. Only 2 of the birds ventured outside, the other was too shy. Also it took them a while to venture out into the run the following morning. Now, however there is no stopping them coming out, esp if I'm a bit late getting up.

 

I'm sure you'll love your birds.

 

Hannah

[Katyed]

HI

 

We have had chickens only 3 months and had the same worries about what was essential!

 

We have

Layer pellets

corn (for treats, so far still on first bag)

worming pellets (only used a tiny amount of bag)

poultry grit

red mite powder (still on first container)

 

Straw (for nesting box just got second bag)

wood chips (still on first bag)

 

We were advised that though some things like bran may help with healthy poo but if your chickens get started on it from the beginning then their system get used to it and doesn't manage well without it. So its best to start off on basic stuff only and then get extras if they do have problems.

 

Though I'm sure the advice is very good about ways to deal with poo smells again I would get basic stuff and see how it goes as we haven't got any of the recommended items and haven't noticed a bad smell at all.

 

Its great having chickens - good luck!

[sandyhas3chucks]

HI

 

We have had chickens only 3 months and had the same worries about what was essential!

 

We have

Layer pellets

corn (for treats, so far still on first bag)

worming pellets (only used a tiny amount of bag)

poultry grit

red mite powder (still on first container)

 

Straw (for nesting box just got second bag)

wood chips (still on first bag)

 

We were advised that though some things like bran may help with healthy poo but if your chickens get started on it from the beginning then their system get used to it and doesn't manage well without it. So its best to start off on basic stuff only and then get extras if they do have problems.

 

Though I'm sure the advice is very good about ways to deal with poo smells again I would get basic stuff and see how it goes as we haven't got any of the recommended items and haven't noticed a bad smell at all.

 

Its great having chickens - good luck!

 

Sounds like vermX (small bag worm pellets)

get flubenvet straight away & save any heartache & panic later

No one rates VErmX