- Apr 19, 2013
- 9
- 1
- 9
One of our Buff Orpington hens died this week. She was totally healthy looking, so we weren't too sure what to think of it. Our girls are moulting right now, and we're working to get a couple of broody hens out of their hormonal haze. Because of this, we had wondered if she neglected her food and water (as some broody hens will do) to the point of death, but she was much heavier than a lot of our other girls and looked fantastic. I've also wondered if she was egg-bound, but it's hard to tell as our egg production has gone down since they started moulting.
We gave all of our birds a dusting with DE and dusted the corners of their coops as I've read that mites can make a broody hen weak. During this time, we noticed that several of them are quite thin. They have free access to food (laying mash with oyster shell), get appropriate produce scraps and egg shells, and we have upped their black oil sunflower seeds to help them with protein while they work to grow their new feathers, so I can't think of why they'd be that thin. They range in a run, however, and the great outdoors has lots of creepy crawlies in it, so I'm going to worm them just to be sure.
Before anybody bothers responding to this question with the thousands of natural remedies out there, my research has shown me that, while they can create a less hospitable environment for parasites, they don't actually help with serious internal infestations. As a former dog daycare owner, I can't tell you how many times I handed dog owners giving their dogs garlic as a dewormer baggies full of their dogs' wormy poo to show them why I insisted on regular deworming. I'm less familiar with bird parasites, but with 30 hens potentially at risk and dogs kids on the property, I'm not going to muck around.
So, here's what I need to know and cannot find answers on:
- Do I need to toss the eggs after treatment with Piperazine? If so, for how long? (I've heard two weeks, one week and not at all.)
- After Piperazine (which I'm starting with as roundworms are the most common), should I follow up with a broader spectrum wormer? And if so, which one do we use in Canada and what's the egg withdrawal time?
Thanks in advance, BYC peeps.
We gave all of our birds a dusting with DE and dusted the corners of their coops as I've read that mites can make a broody hen weak. During this time, we noticed that several of them are quite thin. They have free access to food (laying mash with oyster shell), get appropriate produce scraps and egg shells, and we have upped their black oil sunflower seeds to help them with protein while they work to grow their new feathers, so I can't think of why they'd be that thin. They range in a run, however, and the great outdoors has lots of creepy crawlies in it, so I'm going to worm them just to be sure.
Before anybody bothers responding to this question with the thousands of natural remedies out there, my research has shown me that, while they can create a less hospitable environment for parasites, they don't actually help with serious internal infestations. As a former dog daycare owner, I can't tell you how many times I handed dog owners giving their dogs garlic as a dewormer baggies full of their dogs' wormy poo to show them why I insisted on regular deworming. I'm less familiar with bird parasites, but with 30 hens potentially at risk and dogs kids on the property, I'm not going to muck around.
So, here's what I need to know and cannot find answers on:
- Do I need to toss the eggs after treatment with Piperazine? If so, for how long? (I've heard two weeks, one week and not at all.)
- After Piperazine (which I'm starting with as roundworms are the most common), should I follow up with a broader spectrum wormer? And if so, which one do we use in Canada and what's the egg withdrawal time?
Thanks in advance, BYC peeps.
