buzz off

[raine]

hi all, sorry, it's me again! Just noticed that I'm getting a lot of flies-greeny things-in the garden. I have none in the coop but have noticed them in the run. I poo pick every day from coop but not from run as it's so filled with straw etc that i can't see it. Any suggestions-I'm worried the neighbours might notice! Also one of the girls have had a bit of the runs so how can i rectify the residue in the run?
Thanks grapes- don't know what I'd do without you

[MaureenHall]

I think you should try and rake over all the straw etc in the run and get it as clean as you can, replace it all if necessary. Also, have you tried citronella? That's supposed to keep insects away and it smells nice too.

Regarding the one with the runs, is she eating and drinking ok? Have they been wormed lately? If not, worm them all and give them some poultry spice either in mash or mixed in with their pellets. good luck

[raine]

the run was completely replaced yesterday (we do it every 4-5 weeks, the coop every week) Haven't wormed them yet-got them in Feb so will get onto that pronto. I know there are different types but do you have a favourite? sometimes i think i read too much and get bedazzled by the options!

[RichmondHens]

Flubenvet is your best option if they have not been wormed yet. You can now get it in 60g sachets especially for chicken keepers with just a few hens. You just mix it in with the feed for 7 consecutive days (hold off the treats so they eat all the medicated feed and don't fill up on anything else). It's a fine white powder so some keepers prefer to dampen the feed with a little water to help it stick.

[lizzylemon]

I second that for Flubenvet - it's soooooper easy to use. Mines not the sachets, it's a little tub with a scoop. A flat scoop into 2kg of food and as many 2kgs as it takes over 7 days, sans treats and I bind mine with olive oil as Ive read on here many times it's good for their tummies. My instructions say some thing about another 7 day course 3 weeks later, I think for the free rangers but..... anywho, my gals have had at least 3 types of worm, round & tape when I got them and then I noticed of one them straining with her beak which I think meant Gape worm and good ol'flub got rid of em all.

[frias]

I think the flies are blow-flies and are a big problem for rabbits, not sure about chickens but would keep an eye on the one with a runny bum. I've got several fly traps around the garden but have noticed more flies around lately due to the dry sunny days we are having in the south.
I give Flubenvet on half a grape to each hen for 7 days. It's easy with only a few hens but make sure you segregate each one as they have eaten their grape as they are terrible thieves and it's easy to dose the same one twice.

[MaureenHall]

I use Flubenvet too. I weighed a huge jug of pellets, multiplied that by 7 and calculated how much Flubenvet to add to it. They then had the right quantity of medicated food first thing, then when they'd eaten that, I filled up the hopper with unmedicated and they had their treats later on in the day as usual

[raine]

Can I get Flubenvet from animal suppliers or is it a vet thing? Myrtle's poo seems fine now, and she has never had a dirty backside but I think it's wise anyway so would like to get hold of some stuff.
thankyou

[Suechooks]

It's cheaper on line - Pet pharmacy or Vet-medic both supply it. You can get it from the usual "horsey places" too but my local one is much dearer than the online pharmacies.