Hi BYC folks!
I have a mixed flock of sizzles, silkies, and polish chickens. I've been noticing a lot of my silkies are really skinny. I was given advice to try switching feed from medicated starter to flock raiser in an effort to help keep weight on them while they grew. My polish are doing well, I pick them up and they feel nice, but my sizzles and silkies are still skinny. My worst off are 3 black silkies who are about 7 weeks old right now. They drink, they range with the other birds, they chomp treats and dust bathe like everyone else. No weird or worrisome behavior and no bloody stool.
I noticed yesterday that the three black silkies are a) smaller than everyone else, and b) they have squishy crops. I see them eat, and I have multiple tubs of food around their enclosure. I can feel all around the keel bone, and when I lift their wings up they have no muscle mass at all on their limbs or insides.
I read yesterday that these symptoms could be due to worms. Today I went to my feed store and picked up some Wazine and put about 3 cap-fulls into their waterer (guessing about 3 gals were in there). Is there anything I can do from here? Anything else I can try? I have liquid cattle ivomec that I give to my dogs for heartworm prevention and monthly deworming. Is it safe to dose chickens with this, and if so, how much? Should I wait until after the Wazine? Will Ivermectin even kill a broad range of parasites?
I also picked up Nutri-drench while I was in, as well as a probiotic/electrolite supplement to give them after the worming is done. I am just worried that Wazine wont help and I am afraid of ODing them on a range of dewormers in an effort to help them out.
I have a mixed flock of sizzles, silkies, and polish chickens. I've been noticing a lot of my silkies are really skinny. I was given advice to try switching feed from medicated starter to flock raiser in an effort to help keep weight on them while they grew. My polish are doing well, I pick them up and they feel nice, but my sizzles and silkies are still skinny. My worst off are 3 black silkies who are about 7 weeks old right now. They drink, they range with the other birds, they chomp treats and dust bathe like everyone else. No weird or worrisome behavior and no bloody stool.
I noticed yesterday that the three black silkies are a) smaller than everyone else, and b) they have squishy crops. I see them eat, and I have multiple tubs of food around their enclosure. I can feel all around the keel bone, and when I lift their wings up they have no muscle mass at all on their limbs or insides.
I read yesterday that these symptoms could be due to worms. Today I went to my feed store and picked up some Wazine and put about 3 cap-fulls into their waterer (guessing about 3 gals were in there). Is there anything I can do from here? Anything else I can try? I have liquid cattle ivomec that I give to my dogs for heartworm prevention and monthly deworming. Is it safe to dose chickens with this, and if so, how much? Should I wait until after the Wazine? Will Ivermectin even kill a broad range of parasites?
I also picked up Nutri-drench while I was in, as well as a probiotic/electrolite supplement to give them after the worming is done. I am just worried that Wazine wont help and I am afraid of ODing them on a range of dewormers in an effort to help them out.