Solid stones at base of feathers near vent

[Mark Park]

My vet in the UK told me to put Frontline on the chickens. Year later, I was importing commercial incubators from China to the UK, so I met a lot of fancy poultry people, and I heard the same thing from them -- they put Frontline on their shiw birds. For those unfamiliar with it, Frontline is dripped onto the neck of dogs to control fleas and ticks. I wouldn't eat the eggs afterwords but it certainly works, and you xan't eat the eggs for a few months no matter what you put on them, so why not just use Frontline?

 

[HollyWoozle]

@Mark Park - I prefer not to use Frontline since the active ingredient, Fipronil, stays in the eggs of the chicken for a very long time, significantly longer than permethrin, ivermectin or other similar substances to my knowledge (which is limited to be fair!). Whilst permethrin is not approved for poultry in the UK, it is licensed for poultry in many other countries whereas I don't think Fipronil is anywhere? I believe the WHO consider it a hazardous substance.

Personal choice but I am more comfortable using permethrin and happy to eat eggs from those hens, whilst I would not be comfortable consuming eggs from chickens which had even been treated with fipronil. Having said all of that, I do know that quite a few poultry-keepers do still use it and I am told it's very effective.

 

[Mark Park]

@Mark Park - I prefer not to use Frontline since the active ingredient, Fipronil, stays in the eggs of the chicken for a very long time, significantly longer than permethrin, ivermectin or other similar substances to my knowledge (which is limited to be fair!). Whilst permethrin is not approved for poultry in the UK, it is licensed for poultry in many other countries whereas I don't think Fipronil is anywhere? I believe the WHO consider it a hazardous substance.

Personal choice but I am more comfortable using permethrin and happy to eat eggs from those hens, whilst I would not be comfortable consuming eggs from chickens which had even been treated with fipronil. Having said all of that, I do know that quite a few poultry-keepers do still use it and I am told it's very effective.

Yeah, you can't eat the eggs.

To be honest, I would start over after the clean up, and keep these chickens as pets and get a couple of others for eggs -- maybe get a few Copper Black Marans so you know which eggs are clean and which are not. The dark brown eggs will be from chickens with no toxins and the rest will just be from the pet chickens and will not be edible.

 

[Yorkshire Coop]

Excellent, I looked at that. Due to it not being for poultry it doesn't give dosage or withdrawal periods - are you able to advise please? I've had them a couple of years but still feel too much of a novice to freestyle it

I put 4 drops on my bantams & 8 drops on my bigger commercial hens. I only did not eat the eggs for 2 weeks for my own piece of mind but I’ve heard many still eat them with no withdrawal period.