Chicken bald back

[Lilla_kat]

Hi,

 

After a long wait, I'll be welcoming my first couple of chickens (ex batts) next weekend.

Our Eglu Go and run is all set up and ready, and I think I have all of the basic kit that I'll need initially.

 

I've just a few questions,

1. One of the reasons I chose an Eglu is for the ease of cleanIng. I understand that Red Mitr don't like the plastic houses as much as wood. But do I still need to use an anti red mite powder anyway?

 

2. People seem to recommend poo picking from the run on a daily/regular basis. However I'm wondering how easy that will be considering the run set up (must be far easier in a walkin run). The run is set on woodchip. Should I consider some kind of disinfectant spray to freshen things up?

 

3. I haven't sussed out what I'll do re worming yet. Any recommendations or advice?

 

Thank you!

 

Kat

[percy049]

Congrats! Especially on getting ex batts

 

1) Personally I don't use red mite powder, but do check for lice

 

and 3) I, and a lot of people on here, use Flubenvet

[jimnpaula]

Hiya, and congrats on the batts!

 

1) Don't assume you can't get red mite, you can - but there's just less places for them to hide and it's easier to clean them off. The only time I've got red mite in the eglu or cube was when I was a bit lax in the cleaning schedule. I like to put diatomaceous earth (Diatom) down the edges of the roosting bars and in the aubiose in the nest-trugs.

 

2) I don't poo pick my walk in run. I just give it a good muck out every few months. Anyway, if you can get in the run then picking it up by gloved hand is easiest. If you can't reach though then a ground sanitising powder helps: eg Stalosan F or Bio Dri, and a long handled implement like a hoe or rake.

 

3) Flubenvet is the recomended wormer. It comes as a powder that you have to mix yourself into as much food as you think they'll eat in a week, or premixed into Marriages pellets. Be aware that you can't save the pellets for next worming time as the medication becomes less effective, but sometimes you can find a small enough bag that it will get finished in about a week. (Or you could find someone in your area to share the bag with, as long as you're both ready to worm as soon as you open the bag.)

 

Anyway, enjoy your girls, and ask all the questions you need!

[PixieDust]

Exciting! Congrats

[Lilla_kat]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the warm and friendly welcome!

I appreciate your responses, most useful and reassuring. Just a couple of things more to buy then.

I've done lots of reading up, but I'm sure the real learning will start once they arrive, can't wait!

 

Kat

[Chickabee]

Hello Kat,

 

You'll find that your new girls will do loads of scratching so

 

A) there may be no poo to pick up

B) I suggest putting the feeders up about shoulder height otherwise they tend to scratch all the food out.

C) their water will get filthy. Not much you can do about that

 

You can buy 5kg of ready mixed flubenvet pellets from Farm and Pet Place, on line. Great shop worth a look anyway. Note the girls are not allowed any treats or tonics or free ranging during this time. However there is no egg withdrawal period.

 

Do enjoy. It's great watching the girls get feathered up and stronger

[Lilla_kat]

Thanks very much Chickabee,

Do I have to restrict Free-ranging for all worming treatments? I had read that it is best to feed ex batts mash initially, so perhaps I'll need to look at the powder to start with.

I can't wait to see them growing and learning. I hope the cold weather is not going to be too much for what I anticipate to be their sp"Ooops, word censored!"ly feathered state. Though I do have a couple of hand-knitted chicken jumpers on standby!

[Chickabee]

Yes start with mash, then gradually put them on pellets. I didn't use jumpers as they're actually not recommended by the BHWT. I got mine in Otcober 2013 they were fine through the winter. I didn't worm mine as soon as I got them.

[gavclojak]

Congratulations and well done for taking on ex commercial girls. All the advice given here is spot on, sit and watch your girls with a coffee and you will soon learn what is normal for your girls

[PixieDust]

Just to add I have a sand floor in my run. I poo pick every morning but inevitably some gets dug in and missed. I used Bio-Dri on the sand and rake it in once a week. I intend to sieve the sand when the weather is drier to get out as much as I can. As a personal preference and because my girls had respitory issues when they came home, I change the Aubiose on the coop floor daily so they don't have to breathe in any ammonia.

 

With regards worming; they must be restricted to the worming pellets so most people confine their hens to the run for the 7 days.

[Valkyrie]

Mine free range all the time (unless it's snow and they confine themselves either to the greenhouse or their run) and I've not had a problem worming them. I did have an issue when I got 2 new girls last January and they had to have a double dose - mainly for the newbies so they all had to have it. Then I was still not sure about the newbies 4 months later so I did them again with the double dose and the newbies at last put on weight. I haven't had the same problem since. They were supposed to have been wormed before we had them (yeah right - I didn't trust the guy). I usually worm mine 3 times a year because of free ranging so much. They still eat an awful lot of pellets - especially this time of year when the grass is on a go slow and it's cold so nothing else interesting to eat.

 

And congratulations. You will wonder where the hours in the day go as you will spend so much time watching their antics. Meanwhile the chores mount up . . . meh!

[kinsk]

How exciting.

 

I got my first hens, ex bats, this time of year and they were fine with the weather.

 

I have never poo picked. When I had mine in an eglu and the run I had them on wood chip and would rake out and top up when necessary.

 

I didn't worm straight away but it's a good idea to keep them confined for the first week anyway so they know where home is so it would be a good time to worm I suppose. It also took mine a while to get into the idea of treats so restricting them wont be the problem.

 

Have fun