A reminder for your hens ...

... now that Spring is looming on the horizon it will soon be time to stock up on worming treatment.

I worm them in March and then again in September. In between, I use the traditional methods of either crushed garlic in their drinking water or apple cider vinegar.

Keep an eye open for red mite when the weather beings to warm up too.

Happy Hen Keeping

 

Thanks @"M" ,I shall check i have enough flubenvet for a weeks dosage,ive purchased a plastic shed to help with red mite problems for this yr if it ever warms up to erect it need to build a roosting frame too

 

I've just wormed my girls because I found a horrid long worm in a poop it was disgusting! No signs of anything since I've wormed, my last lot of hens I brought in from a farm had lice I'm still spraying the coop & the hens periodically! Ah yes & it's red spider mite time too, plenty of red mite powder on the underneath of the roosting bars & everywhere else for that matter!

 

How did you get rid of the lice ?? @Beckie76
Ive been using ivermectin spot on but they still got them,i cant bath them at the moment as it too cold and i doubt they would enjoy the hairdryer

 

Oh, you would be surprised! When Sienna was a poorly hen and had to be "hospitalised" indoors, there was a point where I used a hairdryer on her nether regions. She *loved* it

 

Mine are warrens @"M" but i will buy some mild lice shampoo and attempt it with the friendliest first then,if you dont hear from me next week you the chicken won

 

You'll be fine (and so will they). Once you have shampooed and rinsed, wrap them in a towel (if you can, pop a corner of the towel over their face - it will calm them). While they are in a towel "hug", turn on the hairdryer on a low setting but don't point it at your hen just yet. Let it run for a few seconds so they get used to the noise. Then, untuck some of the towel and just gently "wave" the dryer to and fro. Henny will soon get used to it and enjoy the warm air

NB: Do NOT turn the dryer on full blast!!!

 

Good Morning @joolz68,

Sorry to hear your girls are having the same problem as mine with the blinking lice. When I took Marion to the vets I asked the vet for some advice, she recommended Johnsons anti-mite extra (I bought it from Amazon it was about £5.50 I think) it's really easy to use as its a spray, you give the hens 3 squirts, one under each wing & one under their tummy. You can also use it to spray the coop & run. I've also used lice powder in the coop. I'm going to get the little devils!

 

I think I've got rid of the little beggers! I checked the hens today & didn't find any lice, then I cleaned out the coop & didn't find any in there either! I did give the coop another good dusting of lice powder, just Incase.
I'm keeping a very close eye on things & let me tell you as soon as I see another I shall be giving the girls & the coop another dose!

 

wow. don't have chickens, but this in informative.

 

Yep, agree this is a good thread. I was going to be getting some ex-bat hens for xmas but decided to wait until my birthday in April because of this bird flu kicking off.

Interesting to read any chicken info.

 

You'll find some interesting bits and bobs in these threads @Snorky85

What's Your Favourite Breed ...

Been offered chickens!

 

I'd suggest than anybody thinking of getting hens considers what they'll do next time there's a 'keep indoors' order given.

Scavenging some or almost all of the materials required to comply, buying mesh when at 75% off at Wilkos, getting timber/roofing at Wickes when there's 20% off vouchers/codes, looking out for sheeting from car ports being dismantled etc., thinking about designs & location and perhaps even getting some preserved timber stubs cast into the ground to attach it to in case it's freezing temps when the next order comes and something has to be hurriedly constructed.

Another consideration is getting any new (or 'second hand') hens in place before the 2017 wild bird migratory season starts (which if POL birds would hopefully ensure some eggs over winter).

 

Luckily, I've got 2 big sheds we could use if we need to bring them indoors more permanently.

Been stuck deciding what size run we would need. Planning on getting 3 chucks. Had seen this but when i measured it out, the floor space didn't seem that big to me. Any thoughts?
http://www.m.chickencoopsdirect.com/devon-with-run.html

 

Many chicken coop/run suppliers seem to suggest silly excessive densities of birds, we work on 10 square feet/1m2 per hen of run. Occasionally we'll go slightly over that, but only when acquiring several new hens when the older birds are dying off, so it's only temporary.

I'd suggest planning your run layout/construction so you could easily extend it if when you get more hens.

P.S. I'm a bit concerned about the amount of perch rail in that small coop, there appears to be three 800mm lengths which would normally accommodate up to around 12 hens, far too many for that coop and run.