Chickens and space, the in your face answers
Chicken Ailments Page (Info on Disease and problems)
Wazine 17 (the official chicken approved wormer)
1 oz. in 1 gallon of water placed for their sole source of drinking water for a full 24 hours. Best placed first thing in morning before they come off roost. If the weather is not too warm, it is also best to lock them down for the day to make certain they are not getting their water else where like dew or puddles. Repeat in 10 days for birds under 2 lbs...repeat with a different wormer in 10 days for all others.. Wazine is not my 1st choice except for birds under 2 lbs.
1 oz. in 1 gallon of water placed for their sole source of drinking water for a full 24 hours. Best placed first thing in morning before they come off roost. If the weather is not too warm, it is also best to lock them down for the day to make certain they are not getting their water else where like dew or puddles. Repeat in 10 days for birds under 2 lbs...repeat with a different wormer in 10 days for all others.. Wazine is not my 1st choice except for birds under 2 lbs.
STRAIGHT VALBAZEN DOSAGE (ORAL)
Valbazen is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic (11.36% Albendazole) is effective in the removal of liver flukes, tapeworms, stomach worms, round worms, & other intestinal and lung worms.
Perhaps the best broad-spectrum wormer for chickens on the market today, but is not officially supported for that use.
Valbazen is a broad-spectrum anthelmintic (11.36% Albendazole) is effective in the removal of liver flukes, tapeworms, stomach worms, round worms, & other intestinal and lung worms.
- .077 cc straight valbazen per pound of bird weight (that is 3/4 of 1/10 of 1 cc straight per pound)
- .17 cc straight valbazen per kilogram of bird weight
- pound example.....8 lb bird x .077 equals 0.6 cc of straight Valbazen or just over 1/2 cc. A 10 lb bird would be almost exactly 3/4 of a cc (.077 x 10 = .77 cc)
- Kilogram example.... 3 kg. bird x .17 equals 0.51 cc (1/2 cc) of straight valbazen.
Now we all know that weighing each bird will be a pain in the rear. There are folks out there that use 1/2 cc for full sized birds and 1/4cc for smaller ones including banties. Although I have done this..I feel it is safer to get an actual weight at least until you become familiar with knowing what they weigh by looking at them and picking them up.
IVERMECTIN POUR ON DOSAGE
Fairly effective against round worms, whip, hook, thread, pin, and heart worm. Very effective against mites and lice.
Ivermectin pour on is available in a small container for about 15.00 at TSC. It will last quite a while (it MUST be the pour on type)
Off label for chickens. consensus is a 10 day egg withdrawal.
Drops are from a medicine dropper available from any drug store.
Drops are traditionally placed down the back or at shoulder blades directly to the skin, you must part the feathers.
We need a dosage of .046 ml per pound of weight
So the following is true: (Rounded Up)
10 lb Chicken = 6 drops ivermectin if using a standard medicine dropper
9lb = 5-6 drops
8lb = 4-5 drops
7 lb = 4 drops
6 lb = 3-4 drops
5 lb = 3 drops
4 lb = 2-3 drops
3 lb = 2 drops
2 lb = 1 drop
under 2 lbs = not advisable
Ivermectin is tested well in excess of the effective dose level and in my opinion is very safe. If using for worms, repeat in 10 days with another wormer. If using for mites / lice, repeat in 15 days with this product. Better yet get on a schedule and don't worry about either of those (see last paragraph under "how to get and stay parasite free")
So the following is true: (Rounded Up)
10 lb Chicken = 6 drops ivermectin if using a standard medicine dropper
9lb = 5-6 drops
8lb = 4-5 drops
7 lb = 4 drops
6 lb = 3-4 drops
5 lb = 3 drops
4 lb = 2-3 drops
3 lb = 2 drops
2 lb = 1 drop
under 2 lbs = not advisable
Ivermectin is tested well in excess of the effective dose level and in my opinion is very safe. If using for worms, repeat in 10 days with another wormer. If using for mites / lice, repeat in 15 days with this product. Better yet get on a schedule and don't worry about either of those (see last paragraph under "how to get and stay parasite free")
Permethrin based Mite and Lice Body-Spray
Dissolve into 1 gallon of water 1 oz. of 10% Permethrin EC.(10% is what you will most likely see and is usually widely available. TSC and all co-ops carry it)
I take this gallon of solution and use it to fill my quart bottle sprayer. Mist birds until they are wet but not soaked making sure to get into the down around the rear of bird. This is effective when an outbreak occurs during a particularly bad season (like the summer of 2012 for this area) Although I am on a schedule, this was effective as an in-between boost during that particularly bad season. Just don't over do it and try not to do it when you are within a couple weeks of treating with ivermectin anyway (if your on a schedule) P.S. I use this on my dogs when necessary during high flea/tick times of the year.
If you do this 1-3 times a year (depending on the parasite load where you live), and keep the coop clean and sanitary; your flock will stay both bug and worm free.
The most effective solution of taking care of any outbreak is always to cover all your bases the same day. Other wise you may find yourself running in circles trying to chase the problem.I do the above the first of March, and September. I keep a little dust on the bedding all year, but that is what works for me
But one of the most impressive things about Oxine for me is that it does it with such relative safety (when used according to label instructions). Environmentally speaking, Oxine actually biodegrades to ordinary table salt. And it is so safe to use on livestock that it is actually approved for use in the drinking water of ‘organically grown’ animals. It keeps the water impressively clear and algae free, while keeping down the bio-film ‘slime’ that tends to develop on the sides of containers.
Oxine is used in many commercial operations in the automated drinking lines for poultry. It keeps the bacteria level down in the water lines, prevents bio-film from developing, and keeps the birds healthier by keeping down the pathogen level that could potentially travel form one bird to another. The side benefit for commercial growers is that Oxine makes the drinking water more palatable to the birds and therefore they drink more. This is especially important in layers, but can have a benefit in any operation since it also improves feed conversion.
Technically, Oxine Concentrate is a 2% chlorine dioxide gas suspended in an aqueous solution. It is diluted with water to varying degrees depending on how you would like to use it. Since it is a disinfectant and not a drug, it must make direct contact with the pathogen in order to kill it. In the diluted inactivated state, Oxine is perfectly safe to use around both your birds and yourself. Oxine can also be ‘activated’ using citric acid crystals, which ‘release’ more of the available chlorine in the solution, but I highly discourage this method of use within the fancy. If you were to activate the product, it is recommended that you wear a NIOSH approved respirator and you would not be able to fog the solution into any area where the birds are present. Without activation, I am very comfortable with using the product without a respirator or mask, although you should follow whatever precautions you are most comfortable with.
Oxine has so many approvals for use in the (human) food industry that they’re too numerous to mention here, but it’s worth noting since it reinforces Oxine’s overall relative safety.
The directions below are for INACTIVE Oxine. Active is only for extreme cleaning/disinfection of processing objects and is not safe to use around live animals.
I take this gallon of solution and use it to fill my quart bottle sprayer. Mist birds until they are wet but not soaked making sure to get into the down around the rear of bird. This is effective when an outbreak occurs during a particularly bad season (like the summer of 2012 for this area) Although I am on a schedule, this was effective as an in-between boost during that particularly bad season. Just don't over do it and try not to do it when you are within a couple weeks of treating with ivermectin anyway (if your on a schedule) P.S. I use this on my dogs when necessary during high flea/tick times of the year.
How to get and stay parasite free
- It is necessary to do this on your clean out day when you change the bedding, etc
- Mix 4 Oz's of 10% permethrin into one gallon of water. Lock the hens in the run or let them out to free range and lock them out of the run/hen house.
- Clean out all bedding thoroughly and remove anything removable (feeders, waterers, removable metal or plastic nest boxes, etc) take those out to the garden hose and use bleach water or a good disinfectant type cleaner.
- Apply the permethrin spray to all ceilings, walls, roosts, nests, cracks, crevices, holes, etc. at the rate of about one gallon for every 750 square feet. (I use a pump up sprayer)
- Let the coop air out until dry (a couple of hours in warm breezy weather).
- Lay in new bedding and top dress with Sevin dust.
- Replace cleaned and disinfected feeders, waters, nest boxes, etc.
- That evening when they are on the roost, you should treat them with Ivermectin Pour-On (dosage above)
- 10-14 days later treat them with Valbazen (dosage above)
If you do this 1-3 times a year (depending on the parasite load where you live), and keep the coop clean and sanitary; your flock will stay both bug and worm free.
The most effective solution of taking care of any outbreak is always to cover all your bases the same day. Other wise you may find yourself running in circles trying to chase the problem.
Oxine
Oxine is known to kill every bacteria, virus, and mold it has ever been tested against and is 200 times more effective than chlorine bleach!!! But one of the most impressive things about Oxine for me is that it does it with such relative safety (when used according to label instructions). Environmentally speaking, Oxine actually biodegrades to ordinary table salt. And it is so safe to use on livestock that it is actually approved for use in the drinking water of ‘organically grown’ animals. It keeps the water impressively clear and algae free, while keeping down the bio-film ‘slime’ that tends to develop on the sides of containers.
Oxine is used in many commercial operations in the automated drinking lines for poultry. It keeps the bacteria level down in the water lines, prevents bio-film from developing, and keeps the birds healthier by keeping down the pathogen level that could potentially travel form one bird to another. The side benefit for commercial growers is that Oxine makes the drinking water more palatable to the birds and therefore they drink more. This is especially important in layers, but can have a benefit in any operation since it also improves feed conversion.
Technically, Oxine Concentrate is a 2% chlorine dioxide gas suspended in an aqueous solution. It is diluted with water to varying degrees depending on how you would like to use it. Since it is a disinfectant and not a drug, it must make direct contact with the pathogen in order to kill it. In the diluted inactivated state, Oxine is perfectly safe to use around both your birds and yourself. Oxine can also be ‘activated’ using citric acid crystals, which ‘release’ more of the available chlorine in the solution, but I highly discourage this method of use within the fancy. If you were to activate the product, it is recommended that you wear a NIOSH approved respirator and you would not be able to fog the solution into any area where the birds are present. Without activation, I am very comfortable with using the product without a respirator or mask, although you should follow whatever precautions you are most comfortable with.
Oxine has so many approvals for use in the (human) food industry that they’re too numerous to mention here, but it’s worth noting since it reinforces Oxine’s overall relative safety.
The directions below are for INACTIVE Oxine. Active is only for extreme cleaning/disinfection of processing objects and is not safe to use around live animals.
- For Chickens water = 1/8 teaspoon per gallon keeps it fresh and slime free
- Water reservoir in your incubator = 7 drops/gallon of water in your reservoir stops organism growth in the water.
- For an egg dip prior to incubation (always using water warmer than the egg and at the rate of 4 oz/gallon of water). In this case, you would simply dip the egg in the solution and lay it on a clean paper towel to air dry
- Sick chickens (especially respiratory issues) = 6 Oz's in a gallon of water. Run 1/2 gallon of this solution through a Vaporizor or fogger each evening
- To exercise good sanitation, preventive measures, and keep the smell at or near zero in the hen house: Run the above solution one evening a week as maintenance (with the birds on the roost, and leave the feeders and waterers in place)
- To mist chickens directly (useful at shows before they are in the barn with strangers) 6 oz in a gallon of water. This gallon used to refill pint or quart misting bottles. Lightly mist the bird (inclusive of the face) before taking to judging pens.
DISCLAIMER;
I am not providing medical advice. If you have a question you should seek advice from a doctor of veterinary medicine. All opinions and views expressed on this page are my own. There may be many others who share my opinions, or have similar opinions, however, everything I write on this page is my own opinion gathered through what has worked for me. I may quote other sources, I may state fact. But the fact remains that if I do these things they are to simply support (yep, you guessed it) my opinions. In a nut shell (lest there is still any doubt), all readers of this page may assume that each and every sentence I write is prefaced with the acronym “IMHO” (or “In My Honest Opinion” for those who disdain acronyms)
I am not providing medical advice. If you have a question you should seek advice from a doctor of veterinary medicine. All opinions and views expressed on this page are my own. There may be many others who share my opinions, or have similar opinions, however, everything I write on this page is my own opinion gathered through what has worked for me. I may quote other sources, I may state fact. But the fact remains that if I do these things they are to simply support (yep, you guessed it) my opinions. In a nut shell (lest there is still any doubt), all readers of this page may assume that each and every sentence I write is prefaced with the acronym “IMHO” (or “In My Honest Opinion” for those who disdain acronyms)