[graces-chickens]

We have 4 young chickens aged between 14 - 17 weeks.. they are on the medicated growers pellets, can someone let me know when we can give them the normal layers mash/pellets.  We have one of the older hens in with them - 'selina' who is also eating the medicated pellets as she was quite poorly and was on antibiotics for a very bad cold/cough.  When we bought her back to the house and her old friends they bullied her so much she wouldnt come out of the hen house so we put her in with the younger ones and she is much happier, we were told that when she started laying again after being ill we couldnt eat her eggs because she is eating the medicated pellets with the young ones.

any advice would be greatfuly received :blink:

[joyfull]

you can start to mix their growers with layers now but still don't eat any eggs untill they have been on layers only for a few days.

[graces-chickens]

you can start to mix their growers with layers now but still don't eat any eggs untill they have been on layers only for a few days.

thank you joyfull, thats great.......  im so glad selina has got over her cold... we were told to put some cider vinegar in there water if anyone starts to get the sniffles again, do we just add a few drops or ?

[joyfull]

sorry but ACV is not a cure for sniffles.

[nicky d]

Hiya, as joy has said its not gonna be a cure for sniffles,  are you sure she is completey over her illness before you have put the new ones in with her.     It does them no harm to put ACV in there water as a general well being.  I put it in my girls water once a week,      nickyx

[Casey76]

Chickens do not catch "cold" in the sense that humans do.  If she was sneezing and had rales (rattley chest), it was probably mycoplasmosis or CRD (chronic respiratory disease).

You *must* keep your new chickens quarantined from the sick one AND the other older ones.  Mycoplasma is very contagious, and once a hen has has mycoplasma they have it for life.  It lies dormant, but flares up in times of stress.  It can also be passed from hen to egg.