A few questions . . .
Hi there.
We are relatively new to being proud chicken owners. We have 8 RIR & 1 Rooster, we got them at the start of last summer, all hens were 16 weeks old & the rooster wasn't far off 1 year old. They are free ranging, laying happily - 6-8 egss daily, no drop in egg production throughout the Winter. We have a couple of questions that we are hoping to get answered by you very knowledgable peeps:
*We had a chicken that went lame last year, I was very worried as I didn't want her to be in pain but a friend advised that if she was still eating & drinking she was okay. A week or so went by & she was walking fine. Last week we had another hen that went lame, she is fine now - why does this lameness happen?
*One of the hens has some feathers missing from her wing. Do you think she is being bullied or is she molting, how can I know and what do I do?
*I haven't seen any mites on the chucks but I want to treat them. I went to a local vets & was given Farmyard Louse powder for horses & livestock to spread in the straw bedding - is this the correct or should I be using something else?
*When do I worm & what is the best wormer, least harmful to our chucks?
*We give them Rolled Oats, whole wheat & layers pellets, along with other treats - they go mad for leftover mash spuds. Is there anything else that we should be giving to them to ensure they are getting proper nourishment?
Thats all our questions for now - hope you can educate us?
Lou & Jim
We are relatively new to being proud chicken owners. We have 8 RIR & 1 Rooster, we got them at the start of last summer, all hens were 16 weeks old & the rooster wasn't far off 1 year old. They are free ranging, laying happily - 6-8 egss daily, no drop in egg production throughout the Winter. We have a couple of questions that we are hoping to get answered by you very knowledgable peeps:
*We had a chicken that went lame last year, I was very worried as I didn't want her to be in pain but a friend advised that if she was still eating & drinking she was okay. A week or so went by & she was walking fine. Last week we had another hen that went lame, she is fine now - why does this lameness happen?
*One of the hens has some feathers missing from her wing. Do you think she is being bullied or is she molting, how can I know and what do I do?
*I haven't seen any mites on the chucks but I want to treat them. I went to a local vets & was given Farmyard Louse powder for horses & livestock to spread in the straw bedding - is this the correct or should I be using something else?
*When do I worm & what is the best wormer, least harmful to our chucks?
*We give them Rolled Oats, whole wheat & layers pellets, along with other treats - they go mad for leftover mash spuds. Is there anything else that we should be giving to them to ensure they are getting proper nourishment?
Thats all our questions for now - hope you can educate us?
Lou & Jim
Comments
When your using the lice powder dust their Bedding. Also at night take each bird off its perch and dust round the vent and under the wings with the powder every so often . It's always easier to do anything at night when their asleep.
The bird with the lame foot, is there any heat or swelling or soreness when touched. Also what are you using as perches?
John
best wormer I have used is Flubenvet, it kills most poultry worms including gape worm, others like verm x are only preventative and do not necessarily kill worms already in your girls so be careful of clever advertising, I have used a few types but always came back to Flubenvet. Use flubenvet, then re-dose after 3 weeks to kill any eggs or larvae which may still hatch in the birds, after that dose again every 6 months or if they free range mostly treat every 4 months. There is no egg withdrawal with flubenvet if dosed according to instructions. I measure out the right amount and dip half grapes into it and all you have to do is make sure each girl gets the same amount , this is easier than mixing with pellets and ensures each hen gets wormed. As for lice/mites I use Frontline drops which covers the girls for 4 to 5 weeks. Instead of lice/mite powders use Nippon ant powder with 1% permeterin which does exactly the same thing and is cheaper. The only other things I suggest are poultry spice in their food, ACV or garlic in their water from time to time and make sure they have grit or some form of oyster shell mix available. A few threads I have read have put short term lameness down to calcium deficency or over zealous mating but I dont know from personal experience as my girls dont get any male attention.
Best of luck,
Mcbain.