Young bantams and Ivomec? Is it ok?

[Miss Chuckles]

Hi folks, I recently acquired a pair of bantams at a local poultry show. I've kept them separate from the other hens to keep an eye on them and make sure they're disease free. Thank goodness I did because it turns out they have a worm infection. My question is how old should birds be before using the topical drops of ivomec? This pair are about 4-5 months old. Also, what dosage should I give them? The rooster is obviously the bigger of the two but compared to my other hens (never had bantams before) he's tiny. I'm thinking one drop for her and two for him?

 

[Judy]

If you are you talking about Ivomec Eprinex, I would go by weight. It's usually stated as 1/2 ml for large fowl and 1/4 ml for bantams (Sorry I can't type that correctly; my "five" number on my keyboard doesn't work.) At 4 or five months they should be full size, or close to it. I wouldn't use drops as there are many different sizes to droppers; a 1.0 ml syringe (cheap, from the feed store) is so much more accurate. Or you could give 0.3 ml to be sure you aren't giving too much.