brambles Posted September 30, 2011 Share Posted September 30, 2011 Anyone any experience of blackhead disease? I lost a 3 week old chick literally overnight. Our vet did a pm and could not believe that such a youngster has it. We have more flubenvet (my big ladies are treated every three months usualy), and two medicines for the water, one of them an antibiotic. I have eight other chicks and their mum and a further six big girls. My cream leg bar has looked under the weather for a few weeks, so I'm now worrying that it's more than moult with her. Am I likely to lose more of them? I really thought that everything was kept clean enough, but the vet has explained that they've probably picked this up from something in the soil carried by wild birds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 An organic farmer friend had a problem with it with her turkeys. It's picked up through a parasite that worms pick up, then your girls eat the worms, digest them, leaving the parasite in the gut which then grows into a parasitic worm. With regular flubenvet worming, our girls should be fine... It's more of a problem with slow growing meat birds that don't get wormed. I'm astounded that it's happened to a 3 week old chick though Gosh, you wouldn't have thought lesions on a liver could show so quickly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 That's what the vet said and he is a specialist chicken vet. I'm lucky to have him so close. I've upped the flubenvet cycle, he's said to have a two week gap, then a three, then four, up to then dosing with a gap of eight weeks. He also has given herban and an antibiotic. I've changed the ground for the chicks, but can't for the big girls so we're going to dig out and replace the top layer of soil/bark. I'm on a watch and wait for the others. Ok so far, although legbar looking under the weather. The pekin frizzles have tiny black points on their otherwise perfectly healthy looking Combs. Should I be worried? They wre eating and drinking all the medicated stuff and behaving normally this morning. All droppings looked ok in the eglu - cleaning out daily and using virenza. One looks to be a great little boy frizzle too, really feisty he will end up on friends farm, which the vet has said is ok once the meds have had time to clear parasite load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
squiffs Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 That's what the vet said and he is a specialist chicken vet. I'm lucky to have him so close. I've upped the flubenvet cycle, he's said to have a two week gap, then a three, then four, up to then dosing with a gap of eight weeks. He also has given herban and an antibiotic. I've changed the ground for the chicks, but can't for the big girls so we're going to dig out and replace the top layer of soil/bark. I'm on a watch and wait for the others. Ok so far, although legbar looking under the weather. The pekin frizzles have tiny black points on their otherwise perfectly healthy looking Combs. Should I be worried? They wre eating and drinking all the medicated stuff and behaving normally this morning. All droppings looked ok in the eglu - cleaning out daily and using virenza. One looks to be a great little boy frizzle too, really feisty he will end up on friends farm, which the vet has said is ok once the meds have had time to clear parasite load. My has black dots on her comb, always has, and she is happy and healthy, so it could just be their colouring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted October 1, 2011 Author Share Posted October 1, 2011 Thanks, fingers crossed. This has really knocked me for six. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egghead68 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 Good luck with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambles Posted October 2, 2011 Author Share Posted October 2, 2011 Thanks. I'm cleaning out runs and roosts daily and disposing of waste safely off site. I've noticed blood in the poo in the chick house, but they are all seeming well at the moment and are also being medicated. I've just dosed my legbar with tonic as she is not eating much. However, she has access tp food with flubenvet and medicated water with antibiotics. If we can all make it through the week I'll be happier. 4 eggs thrown away today too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
