Goff Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 My girls seem to have stopped laying overnight! We have had them for around 4 weeks or so now and they have been brilliant layers, producing an egg a day each. this slowly dwindled to 2 eggs a day and then 1 and now none. We havent had any for about a week now and we put it down to the upheavel of moving into their new WIR. All 3 are Gingernut Rangers, do they stop laying altogether over winter? These are the first hens we have ever had so please forgive me if this is a bit of a daft question! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 How old are they? If they're in their first year and have been laying, then they shouldn't have stopped yet, but if they're older then they will stop (or at least slow down) over winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goff Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 The breeder said they were just at point of lay so they are under a year old? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Seems strange they have all stopped laying already Confine them to the run and feed only layers pellets for a week. No treats and see if that helps? Dwindling daylight doesn't help, but as they are still young, they should usually lay through their first winter. Any feathers floating around? Maybe they have all started moulting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goff Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 No there are no feathers. I'll try just the pellets for a week and see how they go. Thank you for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quickcluck Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Have they been wormed???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goff Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Have they been wormed???? The lady we got them from said they had been wormed and vaccinated and i have no reason to think othewise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I would say it may be worth worming them to be on the safe side with Flubenvet, a lot of us regularly worm our girls, and whilst I know you've only had them a month it wouldn't do any harm. A lot of breeders use Verm-X for worming, which whilst is a good preventative measure but its not as good at dealing with worms, hence why many of us use Flubenvet. As Gingernut Rangers they are hybrids which shouldn't stop laying over winter, only slow down, so this is unusual. Personally, I don't think the change to the WIR would have affected laying, as you are giving them more space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goff Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 They have Verm-X with their food, so should i just give them some flubenvet as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Theres 2 types of Verm X the worming ones and the food supplement ones. I know some Omleteers use both, but I am not sure how you would administer both as I don't do it. Someone will be along soon I am sure......!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Debs (SpaceChick) is right. There are two types of Verm-x now....one is for worms and the other is called Keep Well I think which is like a vitamin/supplement for chooks. If you have the Verm-x wormer then this should be considered a preventative as it makes the gut inhospitable to worms however it will not expel a current problem/burden. It is not a licenesed (think that is the correct term) wormer. Flubenvet is used to get rid of them worms.....once every 3-4months I believe is the recommedation. If the hens show a heavy worm infestation during the first treatment with Flubevnet then retreat after three weeks. I purchased Verm-x early on and now use it in the months where I do not use Flub as it was blooming expensive and I figure if the Flub gets rid then the Verm-x can make the worms unwelcome during the other months. I have heard it is not recommended to use both at the same time as they counter act eachother but not sure if that is true or not. Hope this helps. Em Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 If you have the Verm-x wormer then this should be considered a preventative as it makes the gut inhospitable to worms however it will not expel a current problem/burden. It is not a licenesed (think that is the correct term) wormer. The only thing you can do with worms in poultry is to keep them at bay. Flubenvet kills them and causes them to be expelled, but has no preventative benefit so in a month or so time, your flock will be reinfected with worms. Unless you keep your flock inside in sterile conditions, they will pick up worms so keeping the burden down is the best you can do ..... whether you choose Flubenvet or Verm-x or something else. Verm-X does cause worms to be expelled .... dead. The reason it isn't licensed is because it's a natural alternative and here's the Verm-x response: Being 100% natural and therefore not a classified and licensed medicine we are unable to publish or use any marketing that implies we are such - this includes certain words e.g. 'de-wormer or anthelmintic' and prevents us from publishing our efficacy trials. However we have lived with this restriction since we launched in 2002 and due to the effectiveness of our formulations the respect in Verm-X has grown throughout our markets, recently being accepted for use on Organic Farms and awarded recognition by an Environmental Best Practice Award Scheme supported by the British Government. We are aware that in the past few months independent test results from the usage of Verm-X have been published in several publications such as Practical Poultry, Fancy Fowl and Smallholder magazines. In addition we are aware of different poultry chat room sites that have received positive communication regarding usage of Verm-X. Apologies that due to legislation I am unable to answer your specific question with specific answers, this I fight constantly but fortunately we have a fast growing loyal consumer base that have found Verm-X to be an effective alternative to chemical applications. Philip Ghazala Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) If you have the Verm-x wormer then this should be considered a preventative as it makes the gut inhospitable to worms however it will not expel a current problem/burden. It is not a licenesed (think that is the correct term) wormer. The only thing you can do with worms in poultry is to keep them at bay. Flubenvet kills them and causes them to be expelled, but has no preventative benefit so in a month or so time, your flock will be reinfected with worms. Unless you keep your flock inside in sterile conditions, they will pick up worms so keeping the burden down is the best you can do ..... whether you choose Flubenvet or Verm-x or something else. Verm-X does cause worms to be expelled .... dead. The reason it isn't licensed is because it's a natural alternative and here's the Verm-x response: Being 100% natural and therefore not a classified and licensed medicine we are unable to publish or use any marketing that implies we are such - this includes certain words e.g. 'de-wormer or anthelmintic' and prevents us from publishing our efficacy trials. However we have lived with this restriction since we launched in 2002 and due to the effectiveness of our formulations the respect in Verm-X has grown throughout our markets, recently being accepted for use on Organic Farms and awarded recognition by an Environmental Best Practice Award Scheme supported by the British Government. We are aware that in the past few months independent test results from the usage of Verm-X have been published in several publications such as Practical Poultry, Fancy Fowl and Smallholder magazines. In addition we are aware of different poultry chat room sites that have received positive communication regarding usage of Verm-X. Apologies that due to legislation I am unable to answer your specific question with specific answers, this I fight constantly but fortunately we have a fast growing loyal consumer base that have found Verm-X to be an effective alternative to chemical applications. Philip Ghazala ooh I stand corrected...I was not aware that Verm-x expels worms from the gut as I have only ever seen worms during Flub month....when I first heard that Verm-x was not all that it was meant to be I did contact Verm-x to ask them if it did expel worms but they came back with a similar vague response to the one above. I understand that they are not able call it a medical wormer. Just goes to show what clever adviertising and pretty packaging can do! Edited October 26, 2009 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I honestly don't have an axe to grind either way. I use Verm-X because it works for my situation and others use Flubenvet because it suits their's .... all well and good. I do get a little bit fed up reading that Verm-X doesn't work though, because it does, well for me anyway - and I doubt I'm their only satisfied customer. Flubenvet works too, as do the vet-only wormers, and ACV according to some diehard old timers! So many choices eh .... and all for worms! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falkor Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I honestly don't have an axe to grind either way. I use Verm-X because it works for my situation and others use Flubenvet because it suits their's .... all well and good. I do get a little bit fed up reading that Verm-X doesn't work though, because it does, well for me anyway - and I doubt I'm their only satisfied customer. Flubenvet works too, as do the vet-only wormers, and ACV according to some diehard old timers! So many choices eh .... and all for worms! It is mad isn`t it!? Who would of thought I would have spent so much time researching worms and thier prevention! I am sure i read that garlic can help too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
