Okay to give Ivomec to broody hen?

[RoosterMania]

I have a hen that is setting on a clutch of eggs. Her comb and wattles are getting pale and I suspect lice. I've dusted my other hens with Sevin. Is it okay to dust her and give her some Ivomec?

Thank you.

RM

 

[kelar]

Treat her for the external parasites first & be sure to treat her nesting area as mites and lice are very fond of attacking brooding hens and new chicks. I'd wait to worm her with the Ivomec until she is done brooding and back in better condition. Worming is stressful on their systems & best not to do it until they are feeling good and eating normally. Karen

 

[RoosterMania]

Thank you, Karen. Is it okay to go ahead and dust her with Sevin dust while she is setting?

 

[Keito1]

i am new to this site and have just seen where u and others use or have used ivomec and sevin dust. I have a few questions which type of iveomec is used pour on or injectable! How is it given and the doseage, and how about the sevin dust! Any info would greatly be helpful. Thanks!!

 

[kelar]

As far as the Sevin is concerned, I think a lot of people use it for their birds, but I personally use Frontline pump spray as I don't like the respiratory issues created by dusting. I use the poultry dust made for chickens in the nest boxes - clean out the litter & then sprinkle the powder in before replacing with clean shavings. I think this is a permethrin based dust & seems to slow down the creepy crawlies, but that's about all it does if you have a bad case. If you want to use the frontline, please keep in mind that it is not approved for poultry & although it is extremely effective, it must be used with great caution. One application will last for several months or more. This is NOT the Frontline spot-on which is much too concentrated. To use the frontline spray, get a small syringe, spray some of the liquid into a small container and draw up about .4 to .5 cc. in the syringe. This is an appropriate dose for a silkie bantam so if you have a large hen you could increase it slightly. Put one drop on the skin behind her head, one drop under each wing, and the rest in drops around her vent (on the skin) No more than 10 drops per bird. Always make sure you do not put a just treated bird in a carrier, box or other area with no ventilation as the carrying agent in frontline is alcohol & it can kill them or cause brain damage if there is no ventilation. I use this on my broodies and then put them off the nest until the alcohol has dried & have had no problems. Just never, ever spray them with it as there is a lot of frontline in one spray. If you decide to use the Sevin, I would dust her and then put her off the nest to shake and get the excess off of her. If you've used it on your birds before, it will probably be fine to use on your broody & it's extremely important to get her free of parasites before the chicks hatch as they can overwhelm & kill young babies. Not to mention that they reproduce at a truly frightening rate If I end up with one that is really having problems, I use the frontline, wait a few days & then bathe them with Adams flea & tick shampoo to make sure everything is dead. Not possible with a broody though.

For worming, I use the Ivomec Eprinex liquid which is also a spot on application to the skin of the neck. The dosage is 1 ml (cc) per 22 lbs, so you need to weigh your birds and dose accordingly. For my silkies, I use only about a tenth of a cc, slightly more depending on their weight. I use some tiny syringes from the pharmacy and mark them so I can measure accurately. If I'm doing a larger bird, I apply the liquid in a couple of different spots to minimize irritation to the skin. Ivomec also discourages external parasites so is a good companion to the frontline. However, I usually use the frontline first (I do my birds twice a year unless needed more often) & then wait about 2 weeks to do the worming. As a caveat to this information, it's a good rule of thumb to never worm a sick bird. I've lost one bird after dosing with eprinex - not sure what happened, but there is always a risk. However, that is the only loss I've had with hundreds of birds, so for the most part, I think it's pretty safe.
Hope this helps & glad to know you're taking good care of your broody. There's nothing more endearing than a mother hen