I have been reading threads for about 5 hours (maybe more!) now and I think I finally have a plan of attack! I've been keeping chickens off and on for around 18 years now, I guess we've always been lucky in the past since we've never had any diseases or problems other than a few chickens dying of old age. I guess we're really lucky because I've never thought to worm them before now!
I have a flock of 13 hens and 1 roo in the coop and 1 banty with 5 feedmill chicks in the tractor w/ a plastic doghouse. Last month I lost two of my old girls, I thought they had died from old age since they were both getting up there (one almost 9 years old). This past week though, one of our 2 year old hens started acting weird, kind of just standing around and not very active, her comb was pale as well. My husband locked up the chickens on Thursday night before bed and thought he had them all in, the sick one must have still been out because I heard something and looked outside and there was a possum dragging her across the yard. Hubby didn't get out there in time to shoot it but nevertheless, the hen was dead.
poor girl!
Before the possum got her, I was starting to wonder if maybe my two old girls didn't die of old age, and thought that it may be gapeworm becasue some of the hens will stop and stretch their necks out really weird and crooked-like and shake their heads every once in a while. Their feathers also look a bit duller than they did in the early spring. I was researching how to treat gapeworm on the forums when I came across a few threads that talk about other worms (yuck!) and mites. I checked a few of the girls and don't "see" any mites but a few of the other ones have poopy butts and their poops aren't very firm. I think I am going to go ahead and worm them all since I never have before.
Does this sound like a good plan:
Also, what about the banty hen and 5 chicks? They are around 6 - 7 weeks old now and all seem healthy. Are they too young to be wormed or dusted with Sevin? Should I just do the banty hen, or will treating her harm the chicks she is mothering?
I think that's it, whew! Sorry for the long post, just trying to make sure I've covered everything as I don't want to lose anyone else!
I have a flock of 13 hens and 1 roo in the coop and 1 banty with 5 feedmill chicks in the tractor w/ a plastic doghouse. Last month I lost two of my old girls, I thought they had died from old age since they were both getting up there (one almost 9 years old). This past week though, one of our 2 year old hens started acting weird, kind of just standing around and not very active, her comb was pale as well. My husband locked up the chickens on Thursday night before bed and thought he had them all in, the sick one must have still been out because I heard something and looked outside and there was a possum dragging her across the yard. Hubby didn't get out there in time to shoot it but nevertheless, the hen was dead.
poor girl!Before the possum got her, I was starting to wonder if maybe my two old girls didn't die of old age, and thought that it may be gapeworm becasue some of the hens will stop and stretch their necks out really weird and crooked-like and shake their heads every once in a while. Their feathers also look a bit duller than they did in the early spring. I was researching how to treat gapeworm on the forums when I came across a few threads that talk about other worms (yuck!) and mites. I checked a few of the girls and don't "see" any mites but a few of the other ones have poopy butts and their poops aren't very firm. I think I am going to go ahead and worm them all since I never have before.
Does this sound like a good plan:
- Clean out and completely disinfect the coop (maybe with oxine if I can find it, I don't see it on Jeffers.com??)
- put al the birds in the growing pen then inspect them one by one.
- Give each bird 3/4cc of either Safeguard liquid goat wormer or 1/2cc of Valbazen using a syringe w/ plastic end (which one would be best for all-purpose wormer?)
- Wait 10 days and do the wormer again (should I rotate and use Valbazen the first time then do safeguard the second, or does it not matter?)
- Dust each bird with Sevin dust (use old nylon filled with dust to pat on)
- sprinkle Sevin and DE all over coop and run
- Thinking about getting a few bags of sand for one end of the run, they do free-range and have access to an old dirt filled raised bed to dust in so maybe I should sprinkle some sevin/DE in there too?
- take down the old wooden crate nest boxes and replace them with plastic ones made out of either barrels, tubs or kitty litter pans to help deter mites
- eventually this summer I would like to paint the interior and exterior of the coop since it's just bare wood. This is a ramshackle coop and I just don't have the funds to build a new one at the moment
Also, what about the banty hen and 5 chicks? They are around 6 - 7 weeks old now and all seem healthy. Are they too young to be wormed or dusted with Sevin? Should I just do the banty hen, or will treating her harm the chicks she is mothering?
I think that's it, whew! Sorry for the long post, just trying to make sure I've covered everything as I don't want to lose anyone else!
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