Please help I have lots of questions

[ann11e]

Hey all I need some advice bad as the weather is heating up no matter how many times a day I clean and disinfect the floor to my girls pen I sill have flies what can I use to kill em off or stop having so many around as I dnt know if using them fly catchers that hang r good around nosey chickens lol also I have been using straw on the floor of my pens but I think as it sweats and that I shud change what I use. What does anyone advise and would sawdust be ok? Also I use apple cider vinegar in the water to prevent my 2 1/2 week old chicks from getting anything I know they shud stick to chick crum but they always seem to be hungry and mumma bird seems to have lost weight too when can I start to put them on growers pellets? And is corn and chopped baby tomato ok as they love it? Please help

 

[Stiggy]

vegetables and scraps of such are good for them, don't worry about those. also try them with grapes, mine go nuts for grapes. cleaning out your pen multiple times a day must be hard work, I personally don't think its nessocery but then who am I to judge. sawdust/ wood shavings is a great thing and I would highly recommend it. also it can be turned over each day and thus lasts longer. it also doesn't harbour mould spores as easiely as straw/ hay ( never use hay for this reason) . if they are loosing weight and still eating worming them would likely be a good idea. they are still a bit young to feed the growers pellets, but you can slowly intergrate them. I would try feeding more protein eg a small slice of dog roll, some grated cheese ( a fave )and meat scraps, just small amounts at first. to much will give them the *****. when I'm trying to feed up my girls I give them plenty of food, and plenty of choice, I also give them some aviary seed, which they love and its full of goodies. it can be used as a treat also, and thrown into the grass ( if the grass is shorter than 2 inches) for a fun scratch time. it helps to teach the babies how to forage and look for bugs also.

as for the flies, a mix of jays fluid and water keeps them away ( they hate the smell and I agree) of things like diesel with a mix of ripcord and sprayed around, this mix is also good at keeping mites at bay as if you make it to the correct strength then it will kill them

 

[ann11e]

vegetables and scraps of such are good for them, don't worry about those. also try them with grapes, mine go nuts for grapes.  cleaning out your pen multiple times a day must be hard work, I personally don't think its nessocery but then who am I to judge. sawdust/ wood shavings is a great thing and I would highly recommend it. also it can be turned over each day and thus lasts longer. it also doesn't harbour mould spores as easiely as straw/ hay ( never use hay for this reason) . if they are loosing weight and still eating worming them would likely be a good idea. they are still a bit young to feed the growers pellets, but you can slowly intergrate them. I would try feeding more protein eg a small slice of dog roll, some grated cheese ( a fave )and meat scraps, just small amounts at first. to much will give them the *****. when I'm trying to feed up my girls I give them plenty of food, and plenty of choice, I also give them some aviary seed, which they love and its full of goodies. it can be used as a treat also, and thrown into the grass ( if the grass is shorter than 2 inches) for a fun scratch time. it helps to teach the babies how to forage and look for bugs also.


as for the flies, a mix of jays fluid and water keeps them away ( they hate the smell and I agree)  of things like diesel with a mix of ripcord and sprayed around, this mix is also good at keeping mites at bay as if you make it to the correct strength then it will kill them

That's great advice thank you I will change to sawdust as straw makes it smell bad lol and may not need cleaning a lot yes I'll try the jays fluid and it's only mumma bird that seems thin but before she sat on eggs I took her vets thinking she was I'll and she didn't have worms but I am treating their water just incase thank you for ur advice

 

[Stiggy]

some people reckon that the apple cider vinegar does wonders for chickens, some don't, its a personal thing. from my understanding it doesn't help with worms, and can make their bones brittle as they cannot absorb the calcium properly . I personally wouldn't be using the apple cider long term, and would use a recommended wormer when they get to a month old

 

[ann11e]

some people reckon that the apple cider vinegar does wonders for chickens, some don't, its a personal thing. from my understanding it doesn't help with worms, and can make their bones brittle as they cannot absorb the calcium properly . I personally wouldn't be using the apple cider long term, and would use a recommended wormer when they get to a month old

What wormer stuff do I buy I live in uk I don't know we're to get these things lol and I only started today with a teaspoon in the water of the apple vinegar I got the chicken one not just any apple cider it says use 1 a week or 1 every 2 weeks but wot wud u recommended

 

[bobbi-j]

Personally, I wouldn't give them wormer if they don't have worms. Why give them unnecessary chemicals? Especially since your hen seems to be compromised already if she's losing weight. I have never wormed my chickens, but they free range most of the year so that may make a difference. Friends ours run a concession stand, and they hang ziplock bags with water and food coloring in the building to keep the flies out. Works great when the sun is out. Not so much in the evening or when it's cloudy.

 

[Traphill]

bobbi-j is correct, do not worm if you don't even know if you have worms. I doubt that they do the age that they are. If you suspect that they do take a sample to the Vet and find out for sure. My oldest are 3 years and I have never wormed them and they are so healthy I usually get about 5 eggs from 7 laying hens daily.

 

[Stiggy]

I worm once every 6 months as advised by my vet. Same for the dogs and sheep . as chickens spend so much time pecking at things in the dirt they often pick things up.