Really skinny flock

[rebrascora]

Wazine can be put in the water but only kills adult roundworms and needs to be repeated 10-14 days later and there is an egg withdrawal period I believe which is going to be significant with 2 applications that far apart, so almost a month of chucking eggs!
There is a new wormer on the market which is called AquaSol which is also dispensed via drinking water and I believe that may have no withdrawal period but it is rather expensive from what I have read and may not be effective against tapeworms.

 

[rebrascora]

From what I have read, Ivermectin should not be used at this time of year when birds are moulting as it can affect new feather growth..... hopefully someone will correct me if I am wrong about any of this. I am in the UK and we have Flubenvet which does not have a withdrawal period and is mixed into the food, although I am yet to need to use it.

 

[Northern.Ontario]

You should be giving your turkey a higher protein feed; at least 20%, ideally up to 28%. Turkey's need higher protein than the layers.

 

[snow5164]

I suppose I disagree with Apple Cider Vinegar because its not worth my time filling all my waterers with something that doesn't work.
Worms can still be there...
It's not easier, it gets rid of worms. I just thought it would be worth getting rid of worms. .

You should research avc before making such statements, no it doesn’t get rid of worms , but it changes the ph levels in the birds which can make it a less pleasant place for worms to live .All creatures can have some worms including you and me .

Also the point I keep emphasizing is THE POOPS ARE NORMAL!!! And the poster is using acv I just said keep using it because they’re used to it and it does have natural benefits .

Using drugs is just an easy way out when you don’t know what else to do .

Don’t we have enough drugged chicken available in the grocery stores ??

 

[rachelsflock]

...actually, on the drugged chicken...withdrawls and laws and all......but that's another story.
To keep your flock healthy and alive, it's up to whatever floats the flock keepers boat, and if it doesn't work, it's their responsibility to revise their practices until it does. It would be nice for general reference purposes, to know both ways, since we are all trying to perfect our methods.
Ivermectin has kept my birds healthy and happy when they need to have external or internal parasites removed (not very often). I do two or three rounds of cattle pour on in the dose mentioned above (.5ml, 1 for large birds), 7-10 days apart. No egg consumption during or at least two weeks after you stop-unless you don't mind drugged chicken seeds. I usually do this once a year, sometimes less. I really like worming when it freezes so I know my chickens can be at their lowest parasite load when they need their groceries the most.

 

[Ptera]

I would keep commercial feed pellets full in their trough 24/7 (instead of feeding them twice a day) so they can eat as much as they want. If they still don't gain weight then I'd investigate other causes. I have always free-fed and have never had an overweight bird.

 

[Amer]

...actually, on the drugged chicken...withdrawls and laws and all......but that's another story.
To keep your flock healthy and alive, it's up to whatever floats the flock keepers boat, and if it doesn't work, it's their responsibility to revise their practices until it does. It would be nice for general reference purposes, to know both ways, since we are all trying to perfect our methods.
Ivermectin has kept my birds healthy and happy when they need to have external or internal parasites removed (not very often). I do two or three rounds of cattle pour on in the dose mentioned above (.5ml, 1 for large birds), 7-10 days apart. No egg consumption during or at least two weeks after you stop-unless you don't mind drugged chicken seeds. I usually do this once a year, sometimes less. I really like worming when it freezes so I know my chickens can be at their lowest parasite load when they need their groceries the most.

I agree with you. It is a good practice to deworm your flock annually, twice annually is better. Not only does Ivermectrin prevent worms, it also prevemts mites. I usually deworm when they are molting, so it doesn't matter about withdrawal. Or in winter when the eggs are at their lowest levels for young and old birds alike.

I would keep commercial feed pellets full in their trough 24/7 (instead of feeding them twice a day) so they can eat as much as they want. If they still don't gain weight then I'd investigate other causes. I have always free-fed and have never had an overweight bird.

one hundred percent agree. I use large tube feeders. Then I only have to feed my flock of fifty something once every three or four days at least, the feeders have great capacities and the birds get most of their food from free ranging. (All the ducks seem to eat is grass, and seem all the better for it, but they are just Call ducks.)

 

[Seriph]

The all flock pellet I use is 18% and the fish food is 30%. It’s only been in the past few weeks I’ve switched to fermented feed. I’m thinking I’ll just go back to feeding straight dry food and a more limited fermented feed as a treat in the afternoon. Before I was feeding 3 scoops all flock and 3 scoops fish food (during moulting, after it’s down to 1/2 scoops fish food.) and 1 scoop of corn thrown out randomly during the day for a treat. I’ve picked 5 chickens I’ll weigh in the morning over the next week before feeding just pellets to see if there is any increase in their weight. These 5 are from the bottom to the top in the pecking order. One aggressive eater, one timid eater, and three in between. If they aren’t steadily increasing in weight over the next 7 days I’ll be sending out a fecal sample. I have troughs that they drink out of so I’ll just keep adding acv to that. I’d love to leave out free choice feed, but I have a 2 1/2 year old BBW who would gorge herself on it. She’s maintained a healthy weight and has been healthy otherwise. She’s a pet, and her health is really important. She’s vet checked annually to make sure she isn’t suffering in anyway. It was my mistake buying her and getting attached. So I do what I can to keep her healthy and comfortable. I may have to find somewhere to pen her up though if I do have to offer free choice feed. I’m also concerned about attracting other critters to the feed. Other birds, squirrels, rats, mice, etc. daytime vermin. We do try to reduce the use of chemicals here, but I do use them when necessary. Like with my horses. I never miss a worming for them. I’ve just never had this weight problem with my birds. They have always been a good weight with minimal care. Thanks everyone for your input! I’ll post again in 7 days with an update.

 

[Amer]

The all flock pellet I use is 18% and the fish food is 30%. It’s only been in the past few weeks I’ve switched to fermented feed. I’m thinking I’ll just go back to feeding straight dry food and a more limited fermented feed as a treat in the afternoon. Before I was feeding 3 scoops all flock and 3 scoops fish food (during moulting, after it’s down to 1/2 scoops fish food.) and 1 scoop of corn thrown out randomly during the day for a treat. I’ve picked 5 chickens I’ll weigh in the morning over the next week before feeding just pellets to see if there is any increase in their weight. These 5 are from the bottom to the top in the pecking order. One aggressive eater, one timid eater, and three in between. If they aren’t steadily increasing in weight over the next 7 days I’ll be sending out a fecal sample. I have troughs that they drink out of so I’ll just keep adding acv to that. I’d love to leave out free choice feed, but I have a 2 1/2 year old BBW who would gorge herself on it. She’s maintained a healthy weight and has been healthy otherwise. She’s a pet, and her health is really important. She’s vet checked annually to make sure she isn’t suffering in anyway. It was my mistake buying her and getting attached. So I do what I can to keep her healthy and comfortable. I may have to find somewhere to pen her up though if I do have to offer free choice feed. I’m also concerned about attracting other critters to the feed. Other birds, squirrels, rats, mice, etc. daytime vermin. We do try to reduce the use of chemicals here, but I do use them when necessary. Like with my horses. I never miss a worming for them. I’ve just never had this weight problem with my birds. They have always been a good weight with minimal care. Thanks everyone for your input! I’ll post again in 7 days with an update.

I'm sure she'd be fine if you offer free choice feed. Chickens are surprisingly good at pacing themselves. If they are fed twice a day sometimes they will gulp it up faster before it's gone. If it's plain old food every day, generally it will seem pretty boring in comparison to range outside. Even my most food motivated have only cared about treats. (Which is how I trained one to walk through an obstacle course. )

 

[Seriph]

It’s been several days since I’ve started feeding copious amounts of food. Some are gaining weight very well. A couple feel nice and filled out. Some are still thin and some are still down bones. But it does correlate to their place in the pecking order. I’m separating out the thinnest ones and treating them with corid just to be sure. I’ll have feed constantly available to them. Still no one seems lethargic or sick, just thin.