[Neil Doncaster]

Please can somebody tell us, as we are new to keeping chickens and we have 5 on our allotment.  Should I worm them and how often or is it not feasible to them?  Please help.
Also if we need to worm them can anybody recommend a worming product.

Many thanks.

Neil and Amanda.

[dizzylizzie]

Hi, yes you need to worm your chickens. We use 1% flubenvet, put in their food over 7days.Most people do it 2-3 times a year. Have a look on the poultry pages of this site, it will give you info on keeping your chickens properly and recommends some good books so you can at least have the basic info on keeping your girls happy and healthy

[Aunt Sally]

Have a read of this

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=4348.0

[smiler43]

I have always used flubenvet and dose them twice a year spring and autumn.  I dose them on grapes which they go mad for.

[carolbriar]

Smiler43 how do you dose them using grapes?  I have some Flubenvet and you have to put one scoopful into 2kgs of food and dose them for 7 days.  It sounds a difficult way to do it - is there a simpler way?  I have bought some and hope to use it in the next day or two so any other way of dosing the girls would be of interest.  Thanks

[dizzylizzie]

its not difficult at all . i personally wouldnt give wormer on a grape because i couldnt be sure they were getting the right dosage. Basically i weigh out 2kg of layers pellets, and mix 1 scoop of flubenet into it. I then put this food into an airtight container and only feed them the food with the wormer in for 7days. They dont even have corn during the 'wormer' days. As i have 15 birds, i go through more than 2kg a week, so i just mix up more when i need it. Basically in thereoy they get the right amount for their weight as the bigger birds eat more....its very simple, and very effective

[Aunt Sally]

Lizzie is exactly right but I would also add that they should be confined to their run and not allowed to freerange for the 7 day period of treatment.

[dizzylizzie]

Sorry Auntie, forgot to mention to keep them prisioner....and my how they shout! lol.....mine stand at the gate making such a noise....poor battery hens....cooped up in a 30something foot run, with nothing to do but play on tyres, in dustbaths, play with CD'S, and mirrors, perch on logs and playin buckets....good grief they have an awful life when they are being wormed he he he 

[carolbriar]

Thanks dizzielizzie and Aunt Sally.  I will worm the girls tomorrow.  They don't free range but live in a run which is about 35 metres around the fence.  I would be worried about foxes and also I wouldn't trust one of our 3 Springers if they were free ranging.  We have an electric wire round the run and all 3 dogs have been zapped by it. Unfortunately 1 still takes too much interest so wouldn't trust her.

[dizzylizzie]

hi, i just put a sticker on the lid of the wormer (make sure you dont cover the instructions up) just to remind me when i did the wormer because my memory is useless and i know i wont remember when it was last done

[cluckingnuts]

I use Diatomaceous Earth.

[beulah59]

I double up the dose in the pellets so they still get a good helping but can spend some time free ranging, too ...

[Neil Doncaster]

Many thanks to everbody who has sent advise in.What would we do without you lot, once again many thanks.

[smiler43]

carolbriar, I have the 2.5% Flubenvet and just put a small amount on a cut grape and dose each hen.  I know it works because when they've had worms I've seen the dead ones in their poo 

[dizzylizzie]

carolbriar, I have the 2.5% Flubenvet and just put a small amount on a cut grape and dose each hen.  I know it works because when they've had worms I've seen the dead ones in their poo 

I would still follow instuctions, they are there for a reason. It may well have killed worms, but it may be too strong causing some affects you dont know about with your hens,or not strong enough causing the parasite to build up a resistance to the wormer. I wouldnt take the risk with my hens, it takes no time at all to measue the feed and the wormer, i d 2kgs of food at once and keep it in a tupperware tub