New babies worming, immunization etc.

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

This is my first time hatching eggs with incubator. And I have 8 out of 9 that hatched and all are silkies. I have them in a brooder in the garage for the time being since my new coop isn't finished yet.
My question is regarding worming medicine and immunizations. Is it a general rule of thumb to do specific things at certain ages? They are 2 weeks old today so thought I may oughta check on this sooner rather than later.

 

[Folly's place]

Worming for roundworms, etc; much later, only if necessary, with fenbendazole.
If coccidia, and you aren't feeding them amprolium in their chick feed, then amprolium later as treatment, again, only if necessary.
Tapeworms, much later, and likely not.
Vaccinations; Marek's vaccine if you have it in your flock, at hatching, and totally isolated from the flock and everything connected with it for two weeks.
Most of us don't vaccinate for anything else, unless we have a show flock.
Mary

 

[3KillerBs]

Why would you expect hatchlings to need worming?

I would not worm chickens of any age on a routine basis unless I knew 100% for sure that I had a persistent and ongoing problem with worms.

I would not worm them at all unless I had a positive fecal float with the worm species identified.

 

[Folly's place]

Exactly!
Flocks in southern states may have more issues with intestinal parasites than what's typical up here. However, many backyard flocks do fine, depending on conditions where they live.
Getting fecals run by a veterinarian or veterinary lab is not difficult, or madly expensive, and then targeted treatments are possible, and best.
Mary

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

I had no idea...truly just going off when we've had puppies n kittens in the past. Never had anything other than that except my Granny's cattle...and I knew she gave em something after birth but I was too young to know what.
So basically I just feed em (I'm doing the Medicated chick starter) and water em n chick grit? Nothing else unless there is a problem...they are all doing well and literally growing by the hour!
Thank yall!

 

[Folly's place]

Living closely with dogs and cats, a different set of issues for us, rather than the chickens outside. We want our house pets to be as parasite free as possible, and we aren't eating either them or the eggs they don't produce.
Poultry in general are pretty tolerant of low levels of many intestinal parasites. We won't be infected ourselves by these parasites, and because we do eat those eggs, and the birds, there's a very short list of drugs that we should consider giving them.
Mary

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Living closely with dogs and cats, a different set of issues for us, rather than the chickens outside. We want our house pets to be as parasite free as possible, and we aren't eating either them or the eggs they don't produce.
Poultry in general are pretty tolerant of low levels of many intestinal parasites. We won't be infected ourselves by these parasites, and because we do eat those eggs, and the birds, there's a very short list of drugs that we should consider giving them.
Mary

Oh so good to know! Thank u for explaining it this way!
One last question...I'm doing deep litter bedding in the brooder - should I just continue to add more pine shavings n stir or should I add DE or something else for preventing mites n stuff.
I do that I'm the big run n coop as well as PDZ in pre-fab coop.
Once new coop is finished I plan to add a divider with chicken wire to introduce/ integrate the 8 littles to the flock of 3. It will have deep litter bedding and be primary source of shelter on really wet cold days.

 

[Folly's place]

Leave the DE out! It won't manage mites or lice, and will potentially damage their lungs, and yours.
I use shavings in the brooder, and just add more if necessary. if a waterer leaks, I'll clean out the wet shavings. And having the little ones out there next to the adults is the way to go!
Mary

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Leaving DE out!! Good reminder cuz I totally forgot about that aspect!

And having the little ones out there next to the adults is the way to go!

U mean with the divider between the two so they can see each other but not interact yet right?
If so - how long do you wait for them to interact together and reside as one flock in same coop?

 

[Folly's place]

My chicks go out to their separate coop area at about three weeks of age, with their heat source, until they are feathered out and don't need that heater. Then, they have a larger section of the coop, next to the adults, and start going outside for a short time without the main flock. In another few days to a week, the birds are all free ranging at the same time, and then in another week or two, all mingle in the whole coop. There are several feeders and waterers available in different areas, places to be out of sight, and lots of roosts in different areas.
Everyone eats Flock raiser, with oyster shell for the hens.
Mary