Chicken bald back

[BuryFCA1]

Over the past few months the 7 girls have pretty much stopped laying (give or take the odd egge once or twice a week from the same hen). I have:

 

1. Changed the locks so I am 99% sure "Ooops, word censored!"ody or nothing can be stealing the eggs

2. Settled the girls back into a routine after the summer holidays

3. Used Vermex pellets to worm the hens

4. Tried cider vinegar in the water at weekends

5. None of the neighbours have heard/seen anything like a fox that may have spooked the girls and the girls are certainly not shy

6. Checked up down left right and sideways for eggs that have been laid elsewhere and found nothing

 

I just dont know what to do! The girls laid regularly through springtime so they have shown that they can lay!

 

Please help?

[HennyPenny59]

How old are they?

[The Dogmother]

Try worming them with Flubenvet - it's the only licensed wormer for poultry and very effective. You can expect a down turn in egg production at this time of year, but you should still be getting some.

[merlina]

What the Dogmother said!

 

Vermex is a preventative, bit probably won't solve the problem if you have an infestation

(ignore my question on your other post, I'd put some money on this being the problem)

[The Dogmother]

If hens aren't laying my questions usually go in this order....

 

How old are they?

What are they fed on?

When did you last worm them with Flubenvet?

Have you checked them for lice?

 

It's almost always down to at least one of the above, sometimes a combination. An anecdote illustrates this; a dog walking acquaintance has hens, they are 2 years old and haven't laid for at least 9 months, she asked me why they aren't laying.

 

They are fed on mashed potato and spaghetti 'because they like it'! And have never been wormed 'didn't know you had to', they are also hooching with lice. I popped round to set up a treatment routine for the parasites; she reported dead worms 'like beansprouts' in their poos. They are now fed on proper chicken feed and are laying again/lice and worm free!

[BuryFCA1]

Great I will have a good old look for lice in the poo when I get home. And I may have to invest in flubevnet. Where is the best place to get this?

[The Dogmother]

You'll have a job looking for lice in the poo! you need to check for them at the base of the feathers around the vent.

 

You can get Flubenvet form any licensed outlet; vets, Countrywide, Scatts, or you can buy the ready-mixed pellets directly from Marriages or farmandpetplace. feed the medicated pellets for 7 full days with nothing else. Have a look in the forum FAQ section, I'm sure there's a sticky in there on worming.

[BadGardener]

You can normally buy Flubenvet online but a lot of the sellers seem to be having supply problems at the moment.

 

I wouldn't get the pre-medicated pellets for that number of birds unless you can find a smaller bag than the 20kg one that seems to be standard - you won't use it all in one go and as feed doesn't keep forever you would probably end up wasting most of it.

[The Dogmother]

You can buy the pre-medicated pellets in 10kg bags

[BadGardener]

[Chucky Mama]

Worming with Flubenvet would be a start. Vermx is not a wormer it is a blend of herbs used as a supplement. What are you feeding them? Ideally they should be getting layers pellets or mash which contains everything they need to product egg with good shells. Treats should be kept to a minimum or cut out if they are not laying. As mentioned previously it is worth checking for any external parasites. Do they look healthy?

[dance in the dark]

Absolutely, flubenvet all the way, pre-medicated pellets do come in 10kg and only costs about £10 so even if you end up wasting a bit it's not a massive loss, and it is so much easier than mixing yourself.

 

just to reiterate what chucky mama was saying. VERM-X IS NOT A WORMER! It makes me so cross that it is sold as such, even by omlet, but if you speak to ANY vet or anyone who is a very experienced chicken keeper they will tell you it is not a wormer. That being said Verm-x is supposed to be a good supplement so nothing wrong with giving it to them.

 

Also on the parasites front, how do your birds combs look? are the bright red like they are in full lay? Is they are a bit small and faded it's worth checking for red mite too. Just chuck diatom over everything just in case.

 

How old and what breeds are the birds? Because if they are hybrids and over two years old you probably wouldn't barely be getting any eggs anyway

[Egluntyne]

I agree, worm them with Flubenvet, cut right down on extras. Make the largest part of their diet their pellets, and check around the garden to see if they are laying under shrubs.

[Chucky Mama]

just to reiterate what chucky mama was saying. VERM-X IS NOT A WORMER! It makes me so cross that it is sold as such, even by omlet, but if you speak to ANY vet or anyone who is a very experienced chicken keeper they will tell you it is not a wormer. That being said Verm-x is supposed to be a good supplement so nothing wrong with giving it to them.

 

 

Websites etc listing items such as Diatom and Verm-x under the heading of 'Wormers' It is not only misleading but breaches regulations put in place to avoid confusion such as this.

[BuryFCA1]

Thanks for the advice everyone. The girls combs look good, there appears to be no lice but I have bought some diatom powder anyway.

 

1. What should I do with the powder?

2. Where can I buy some flubenvet from?

[The Dogmother]

Have a look in the FAQ section - all the information you need will be in there.

 

I buy me pre-medicated pellets from thefarmandpetplace - see my earlier post. Just googling will bring it up.

[Chicken shack]

I have 7 girls, 3 are last Oct 2011 ex-batts, 2 were point of lay Aug 2010, and 2 point of lay January 2011 This makes the youngest over two years old and the others about three years old. I am lucky if I get 1 egg a day. No eggs today. All are wormed with flubvet and are bug free. A few weeks ago I got 2 Norflok Greys about 16 weeks old so I will hopefully get some eggs through the winter. Mind you I have yet to introduce them to the others. They are happy enough in the for now. I will alow my old girls to have a happy retirment and be gratefull for the odd egg when they feel generous.