Sarattie Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I bought a 20k bag of pellets with flubvanet for £8.99 from my local countrywide stores. This was the only large bag of pellet they sold and she said it was fine to use as a constant feed (with 5 small hens this will last me a few months!!) Is this correct? I thought you were only supposed to feed for a few days then back to usual feed? Advice please!!! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 It's true you can use it. I mix any left overs in with my usual pellets. It's the active ingredient that has a short shelf life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Thanks Chikabee! Ill not worry and be pleased with my bargain sack of food! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Posted August 30, 2015 Share Posted August 30, 2015 I disagree (sorry), I wouldn't use it as a continuous feed. The process to combine the flubendazole (aka Flubenvet) with the pellet and the storage conditions of most pellets once opened dramatically reduce the shelf life of the drug. At the end of the shelf life I would expect about 95% of the stated amount of flubendazole to be left and this will continue to drop. I don't think the extra exposure to flubendazole would harm your chickens directly but it could lead to the worms you are trying to treat becoming resistant to it. As the level of flubendazole in the pellets drop over time, the level of the drug in the chickens gut also drops so any eggs that they ingest may survive and hatch. These new worms may be more resistant to the flubendazole because they are exposed to sub-lethal levels of the drug so in the long run you could have problems worming your chickens. There could also be less vitamins in the pellets over time than there would be in standard pellets. The powder has a much longer shelf life so depending on how often you intend to worm this might be better value, or you can get much smaller bags of premeditated pellets (5kg is the smallest I have bought). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted August 30, 2015 Author Share Posted August 30, 2015 Thanks Cosmo I dont believe they sell it in smaller bags locally,or not that i have ever seen. Previous to this I have only ever used apple cider in their water as a wormer, The "added flubvanet" on the bag of pellets caught my eye... Thinking about it, it was also the only 20kg bag of pellets they sold too... Perhaps Ill just use it for a few weeks then chuck and get some new wormer free pellets, after all it was cheap enough! Thanks for your advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 You can buy smaller bags on line at Farm and Pet Place. It's actually a great web site for chickeny stuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlina Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I also wouldn't use it for an extended period. The usual recommendation is 7 days or 10 for a bad infestation So I would (and this is my personal take, no criticism of anyone who would do anything different!) Feed the medicated feed for 10 days Then feed normal feed for 3/4 weeks Then do another week/10 days on the medicated Then perhaps do another week on the medicated just before it expires I just really wouldn't want my girls having more medication than necessary (when I had too much medicated feed once I ended up feeding it to the wild birds - apparently it's good for them too and judging by the massive flocks of sparrows and others round here it definitely didn't do any harm ) Also - another vote for Farm & Pet place and their smaller bags and excellent service Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I usually pass any unused treated pellets on to another local chicken keeping friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I think using the left over will cause immunity to the drug in the future working sessions so would not use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 (edited) I think it depends how much you've got. Let's not get too dramatic here. I've been told by the sellers that I can use it up after worming time. It's strictly licensed, so they wouldn't tell me this lightly. Edited August 31, 2015 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I buy the 5kg bag of medicated pellets, and occasionally go a day or two over the 7 day worming period t finish them off, but I wouldn't feed them beyond that. It is a licensed product, which means that you can't give it to anyone else; the regulations on that are quite clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 I think it depends how much you've got. Let's not get too dramatic here. I've been told by the sellers that I can use it up after worming time. It's strictly licensed, so they wouldn't tell me this lightly. Hi Chickabee, at work I specialise the use of anti-invectives including anthelmintics (wormers) in humans. I don't think I'm being dramatic - I spend the majority of my time trying to make sure anti-infectives are used appropriately to preserve their effectiveness so I'm really passionate about this topic. I would never recommend you gave more wormer than necessary to humans just because it's convienient, because of resistance issues as well as side effect issues. Exactly the same principles apply in other species so I'm standing in my soapbox and spreading the word and trying to preserve flubendazole activity for the future. Interestingly, the place I bought my pack from told me they would be fine to use for worming well beyond their use by date because it was the vitamins that degrade and not the drug; apparently I just needed to supplement the vitamins the next time I wormed my chickens. I immediately checked the pharmaceutical literature and the defra information (as I didn't want to challenge this on the phone without having the full information) and and found this to be incorrect. Queue an email to the company and they have now corrected the person I was dealing with and that advice won't be being given again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Oh Cosmo I'm really sorry I wasn't trying to be flippant. I was just repeating what I'd been told. Maybe it would be appropriate for you to email Farm and Pet Place. I will definitely not be using up my leftovers anymore. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mullethunter Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 Cosmo this is a really useful thread and I just wanted to thank you for sharing your expert knowledge. Please could you just clarify from your last email that indeed the flubendazole does degrade with time and therefore the 'use by' date is relevant and accurate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarattie Posted September 2, 2015 Author Share Posted September 2, 2015 Thanks all. I will continue to use for the 7/10 period and then go back to a standard pellet and then reuse the medicated one after a month then chuck the rest as will probably be a bit past it by then, Ill try feeding the birds with it too! Ill also give Farm & Pet place a look Thanks for the comments, all have been very helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nannyhenny Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 I would agree with the posts saying only use it for the recommended time. You can get 5, 10 and 20 kg bags from Farm and Pet Place so there's no need to buy more then you need. Their delivery charges are reasonable, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annie17 Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 I'm new to keeping chickens. I give my girls apple cider vinegar and intermittently some vermX. Should I routinely worm them? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 6, 2015 Share Posted September 6, 2015 Absolutely, you will need to worm them with Flubenvet at least twice per year. Neither of the products which you mention will eradicate worms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
