Flubenvet.

[di]

Getting all in a tizzy about how to do this.
We've always used Vermex before & coated some corn with it or added to their water.
We wormed them a couple of weeks ago & I was horrified to find loads of worms in their coop the following morning.I know that's(sort of)a good sign that the wormer has done it's job,but I've always thought we were on top of them & although I know Vermex isn't supposedly as good if you've got an actual case of worms,up until now it seems to have kept them at bay.
Well,we've bought the Flubenvet,but before I mix it all up would appreciate thoughts on what to do.
Firstly,it was about two weeks ago they were wormed with the Vermex,how soon should it be safe to use the Flubenvet?Are there ingredients common to both that could cause overdose?
What age is it safe to start them on it?The new chicks & Dandelion got three squirts of Vermex between them,they're coming up for three weeks,can they have flubenvet?If so how is the best way to administer?In their food or on a treat?
I assume the teens are old enough(I think they're 17 weeks)
Also,we're really struggling to work out how much food they eat in a week.If we're going to be a little out,is it better to mix less than we need & each day top their feeder up with untreated,or to mix maybe more & they end up having it over eight or nine days as opposed to seven.
Finally,how do you make sure the powder sticks to the pellets?(Sorry Maureen,I know you told me how you do yours but my memory is really like a sieve!)
Should I coat just the first little lot of pellets with Cod liver oil & then carry on mixing in dry pellets to that?
Says on the pack it's easy to administer...maybe I'm a little thick!(the Vermex is far easier!)
Oh,sorry,real finally.The last week we've found little specks of blood in the teens coop,mixed with the poo.The quantities don't set alarm bells ringing too much,I'd imagine if it was coccidiosis there'd be more blood,in all poo not just the odd night time one & the infection would spread pretty quick????()(please say I'm right!!!!.So can worms cause a small amount of blood in poo.(I really do mean small).
Thankyou & sorry for yet another long post/query!xx

[Snadger]

Coincidentally I've just ordered some Flubenvet online to treat my flock! I've been doing some reading up and one of the possibilities mooted for the loss of chooks was gapeworm!

I'll be interested in the replies you get to this thread!

[RichmondHens]

It will be fine to use Flubenvet straight after Vermex (I think Vermex is herbal anyway, don't use it myself). Also fine to worm your teens. I don't worm small chicks but there should be a guideline for minimum age to worm on the tub. I would certainly worm everyone if you are seeing actual worms in the poo.

I stir a roughly measured amount into a bucket of pellets (think it works out to a heaped 5 ml spoonful into a small bucket - it's certainly not a regular bucket, probably about two thirds of the size, if that's any use). Use this up between all your birds either over the course of the 7 day period of if used up before, make up another bucketful with another dose of the medication and keep feeding until the 7 days are up. I tend to err on the heavy side with wormer, rather than light, so my measures are always generous!

The most important thing to remember is if birds are kept on the same ground, with no change, then they will straight away pick up the worm eggs again and the cycle will continue. Try and move them onto fresh ground each time you worm them. If that's not possible, you may need to try and change the material within the run (chippings/straw - whatever you have them on).

[lizzylemon]

Okay so I give my girls Flub and the instructions recommend that a flat (excess scraped of with knife) scoop of powder (6ml i think) is added to 2kg of pellets and they are feed the powdered pellets exclusively for 7 days (no treats what so ever as this will decrease the amount of pellets they consume which in turn reduces the potency of the medicine)

I weigh up 2kgs of pellets, throw in a load of olive oil and mix until the pellets are the same darker colour and then add the powder to the now slightly sticky pellets. Mix until they are all the same colour again (slightly lighter this time) and then fill up their normal feeder.

And then I repeat the whole process each time their feeder empties over the 7 days required, which is normally about 3 times (but I only have 3 girls so they don't eat a huge amount).

If you have more hens mix it up using multiples of 2 to make larger quantities (2 scoops = 4 kgs, 3 scoops = 6 kgs etc)

Really importantly - repeat the whole process 3 weeks later to break the cycle of the eggs which have already gotten into the soil etc.

Also, some people might say to use the grape method but I don't recommend it as the hens will eat pellets all day long so consume a larger quantity of the wormer than if they're just feed a grape dipped in the powder.

Hope that helps.

[Suechooks]

There was a thread on this I think last week but here goes anyway! I give mine a small amount (OMlet website says as much as can go on the tip of a sharp knife) on a midday treat when I put them in after free-ranging. I use soaked bread but others use grapes. I queue them up outside the run as they know treats are on offer so are clamouring to get in. Let one in at a time,give her the dose and shut in hut till they are all done. Works for 10 or so but more could be a problem!
The small tub of Flubenvet (60g I think) comes with a scoop which is 6g and one scoop does 3 KG of feed. I sometimes just mix 3Kg and feed that ad lib then do another 3Kg if they've eaten it all. Its a fine powder so sticks ok to the pellets. If I'm doing it that way I also put a small amount on any mash or treats they have so as Richmond has said err on the heavy side. (I use the bucket that the Fat balls come in for the wild birds!)
You need a higher dose to deal with Gapeworm Snadger but I believe that should only be given under veterinary supervision.

[Twinkle]

if you use the gamekeeper pack, the dose is 1.2g powder per kg feed per hen per week.

We have 4 hens, I weigh out 4kg pellets on the bathroom scales. Assuming that a flat 5ml teaspoonful of flubenvet is approx 5g (near enough to 4.8g) then mix the oil from a can of tuna with the pellets to make them a bit sticky (use a plastic bag rather than a paper sack) then mix in the powder and feed them this exclusively for a week. If there's not enough feed, just make up a bit more... I'd rather go a day or 2 over to use up the feed rather than under, if that helps.

Have also previously used the grape method - tip of a veg knife-ful of powder poked into half a grape - one each for 7 days. Only works if you've a few birds though.

Best of luck whichever method you go with.

[di]

Cheers everyone.
Think I've got it sussed...you all make it sound far more simple than the instructions on the pack.
We'll mix roughly what we think they'll eat in a week,give them just that & no treats & if it's gone before the week is up then mix some more.
How simple could it be?

[frias]

My hens have had tapeworm since the first week I had them. Verm-X did nothing. Flubenvet works but I now worm monthly as moving the run monthly and treating the ground with lime and ***** still doesn't stop them coming back. I think our ground must be infested with hosts, which are of course the earthworms, slugs and snails that the chooks love so much. I have just treated the 6 week old chicks with Flubenvet and they are fine. Spotty their mum was treated the week leading up the eggs hatching, kept away from the other chooks on fresh ground and not given any slugs etc but still the chicks managed to get worms. The vet says not to worry as long as I worm and keep them at an acceptable level. He says I worry too much and should see some of the free range poultry farms. I have found the grape method, mixing in porridge and mixing with the pellets all work but stopping them coming back is the hard bit. I poo pick severel times a day and in fact if I didn't I wouldn't know that we had tapeworm as it can only be seen on a really fresh poo.

[di]

I guess it is just a case of keeping the levels down.You can't stop a chook from eating slugs & worms...although ours actually don't like slugs,maybe they've read up on them!
I asked the vet about digging over the ground,but was advised not to as this would just cover them up & actually sunlight will kill them off.
What lime do you use to put on the soil & how long before you let them back on?

I think we probably could worry too much about them,obviously take every precaution to keep them at a minimum,but accept that they are going to get them.

Isn't chook keeping fun!

[frias]

I use garden lime which is supposed to sweeten soil and I was told it might kill worm eggs. The ***** has not had a detrimental effect on the lawn either. It does kill moss on the paths though. My vet also said sunlight kills off worm eggs and that they are worse in wet weather. I have been treating the ground and resting it for about a month. I move the chickens after worming.

[shirlthegirl43]

Can I ask if anyone uses Diatom for worming and mite control?

When we kept chooks years ago I don't remember us worrying about worming and mite control consisted of a liberal shake of louse powder round the shed at mucking out time. The hens never seemed to suffer from anything.

Our two Warren girls are missing a few feathers and I am not sure if they are in moult or if it is something more. My eyesight is not good enough to see if there is anything there but they have lovely red combs and one of them (I think) is still laying.

I like the sound of the Diatom as it is natural and suitable for lots of complaints - just wondered what others thought of it.

[frias]

I use Diatoms. I do a nightly check of the coop with a torch and haven't had any mites or lice. (Yet, cross fingers) It claims to work on worms and it might work for some but in my experience not on tapeworm.

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheers Frias, do you sprinkle it about the coop and put it in their food? It sounds much easier than the Flubenvet (and more cost effective too)

[Snadger]

I like the sound of the Diatom as it is natural and suitable for lots of complaints - just wondered what others thought of it.

I use diatoms Shirl.......but you need to be careful. If you research it you will find (and I don't mean to scaremonger here)that it is not as squeaky clean as it's made out to be. Ground up fossilised crustaceans are silicon based, if you breathe it in it will stay in your lungs for ever giving problems similar to silicosis and asbestosis.

Just make sure when you spread it around you don't breathe in the dust. As with asbestosis, the stuff you can see in the air will not kill you, it's the stuff you can't see that you need to worry about.

Read the safety considerations at the bottom of link

Diatomaceous earth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[shirlthegirl43]

Cheers Snadger, I will wear a mask when I do it then - and allow it to settle for a while before the girls go back in.