Prominent Keel and Low Weight on Buff Orpingtons

[greenbum]

I have 4 Orpingtons and 3 Barred Rocks; the Barred Rocks are about 5 months old, and the Orpingtons are about a year and a half old. The Orpingtons have never put on their full weight; they are only about 5 1/2 pounds right now, which is drastically underweight for the breed. They have prominent keels, and two of them have slightly paler combs (the other two are vibrant). I have wormed them with piperazine, once about 7 months ago, and once a month ago, but I haven't seen any weight gain. I know that piperazine only affects roundworms, but I don't have access to anything else, because I live in Canada and piperazine is the only antihelminthic available (I even tried ordering broad-spectrum dewormers from the US, and they wouldn't ship them to me). They are seemingly active birds, I can't see any external parasites, and they continue to lay even though it is December. I feed them 16% layer pellets, they have access to oyster shell, and I throw them a handful of scratch once a day. They have the entire backyard fenced off for their run. There are no overt health problems, but I am really concerned about their weight. Any advice?

 

[casportpony]

You can get Safeguard (10% fenbendazole) horse paste easily in Canada.

-Kathy

 

[greenbum]

Hi Kathy, thanks for your response. I looked up the Safeguard website. Do you have any recommendations on how it can be applied to laying hens? Also, is there an egg withdrawal period that should be observed after administration. Thanks again.

 

[casportpony]

Hi Kathy, thanks for your response. I looked up the Safeguard website. Do you have any recommendations on how it can be applied to laying hens? Also, is there an egg withdrawal period that should be observed after administration. Thanks again.

The dose my vet recommended was .5ml per kg (2.2 pounds) once and repeat in ten days. That dose is more than horses, cattle and goats get, but it's what I've been using. I've never seen any documented egg withdrawal info, but most people here say 2 weeks, I think.

-Kathy

 

[greenbum]

Great. I will look in to picking some up this weekend. Thanks for your time.