[nerdle]

Pellets prepped and rainy day tomorrow so no guilt about keeping them in but I'll hate the rest of the week. Very temped to follow Barley's idea and coat some sunflower seeds and give them just a few each morning as a treat.

So...  medicated feed, a few medicated sunflower seeds and a little bit of free ranging on sunny days.  They love to dustbathe... no other treats.

Hope I'm doing the right thing.

[Beano]

We'll be doing ours in the next week or so. They are now in the "winter run" due to it being dark before we come home; so now's the time. I usually start on a Sunday so that they'll have a run out the next Sunday before I go to work again and shut them back in the smaller winter run. They complain like hell but it's only a week and it's for their own good.

[New shoot]

I'm doing the same Beano.  I'm off this week so they can some extra trips out, then worming next week when I am at work and they have to stay shut in as it is dark way before I get home.

You do need to make sure they get a proper dose for the worming treatment to work nerdle, but I know how you love your hens and are a total softy with them    How about putting a cat litter tray of soil in for them to dustbathe in 

[nerdle]

That's such a good idea!  Might get a bag of sand for them from the builder's merchants.

[BabbyAnn]

Must be worming week as I've decided to treat my girls too now that evenings are drawing in before I get home from work 

[Sassy]

That's such a good idea!  Might get a bag of sand for them from the builder's merchants.

Ideally play sand is recommended!

I cannot remember the exact reasons but the wormer is designed to work with no extra treats or free ranging! Check the Flubenvet web site or packet instructions for best advice.

[cbv8]

Same here mine are eating the said worming pellets as we type  worming week it is indeedy 

[barley]

spooky I was just thinking a worming week was due

my girls free range 99% of the time that's why I use sunflower seeds coated in flubenvet because they only get pellets first thing in the morning and just before bed other wise they feed themselves ( I don't leave food out all day as we don't want rats )

I keep a packet of coated sunflower seeds in my pocket and at various times through the day they when they spot me getting the said packet out its a feeding frenzy and everyone gets a good dose each day for a week

we have never had worms so it seems to work as free range chickens are more likely to get worm infestations than caged birds




 

[joyfull]

mine free range too so they get flubenvet on treats and like you my hens have never had worms 

[nerdle]

It's only day three and I hate this so much.  I'd love to to do the Flubenvet on treats thing but how can I know the corrrect dosage and if a worm problem came up - I'd never forgive myself... groan...



An hour later...  the dam has just burst.  Coated sunflower seeds and they are out.  I couldn't keep them in for another moment.

[New shoot]

mine free range too so they get flubenvet on treats and like you my hens have never had worms 

I'm interested in this idea as although I can treat their pellets, it does involve a lot of mixing up of feed for 10, even if they are little bantams and if the weather turns damp, there is a fair bit of wastage if you have to swap the pellets over each day. 

I would only get the chance to offer them treats first thing as they will be in bed by the time anyone gets home. 6g Flubenvet does 2kg feed and I usually mix up double to make sure there is enough for a week and maybe a bit left over.  Would I be looking at just increasing the Flubenvet per mix?  Just thinking I could prep little baggies for each morning and make it nice and easy.  They have pellets all day after that to snack on.  Do you think that would be OK Joy?   

[Beano]

I think that the more room they have to free range, the less chance of a worm build up.
That's probably why joyfull and barley's hens have been free of worms. The flubenvet on the sunflower seed obviously help but I think that they would need more if they were on a smaller piece of ground, like you would have in a run.

[nerdle]

I think that the more room they have to free range, the less chance of a worm build up.


That's good to hear as these girls have the whole garden.

[barley]

found this might help explain how chooks get worms

http://poultrykeeper.com/general-chickens/worming-chickens

as far as I can see the idea of mixing food with wormer eg flubenvet is to ensure that all birds get a daily dose of wormer

to be honest I think you can't be sure every bird gets a fair dose that way as you can't monitor their intake
by giving it as a treat daily for 7 days each bird is guaranteed a sufficient dose to combat a worm infestation

I use a plastic lunch box tub filled with hulled sunflower seeds ( must be the hulled ones ) and add 1 small blue scoop of flubenvet

give it a good shake sideways , upside down etc and you can see the flubenvet wormer stuck to the seed easily
I do not let the birds fill up on this just a peck for a minute or 2 enough to get a dose inside each bird daily

hope this helps explain my method 

[nerdle]

That's so great Barley!  We talked about this before and I was all set to follow your example. My nagging doubt was I thought during the seven days the diet had to be very clean with no access to whatever they eat scratching in the garden etc to help the chemicals to work properly. I thought free ranging might be sabotaging the process. Slugs get into their water at night so goodness knows what's in their gut.

Chocky girl has moulted big time - not bald but skinny and lightweight and looks like a feather duster. She isn't her usual robust self - pale faced etc.  I'll keep an eye on their poo for worms.

They were devouring the grass today!

The new sandpit was completely ignored!