Flubenvet layers pellets

[dianefairhall]

I have bought a 5 kg bag of pellets which as you know have a limited life as a wormer. If I have any left over after the worming week would it be OK to mix the remainder with their usual food to save wasting them?

 

[Marigold]

How many days of treatment will be left in the bag? If they will have nearly finished them up, ie only about 3 days or so left over, I would just go on feeding them as usual until they’re gone. If more than 3 days, it would be better to wait 2-3 weeks and then give them another short course to use them up. Where there has been a heavy infestation this method is recommended to deal with any worm eggs which have remained in their gut and hatched after the first course has been finished, as Flubenvet only works on hatched- out worms, not worm eggs. It would be harmless and possibly beneficial to do it that way.
And then, if you order a pot of flubenvet powder, next time you’ll be able to mix your own and tailor the amount to exactly what they need. The powder has a long shelf life, unlike the pre- treated pellet mix, and a pot gives enough for 20 hen treatments. It’s good to get it well in advance as sometimes it goes out of stock nationally for months on end, - maybe one of those items for our Brexit emergency packs?

 

[dianefairhall]

Thank you, Marigold, that is very useful. I didn't know whether it would harm the girls ie would they OD on it! I have been using Vermex and didn't realise it wasn't effective until I read something on here recently.

 

[Marigold]

Oh well it will have done them good to have a bit longer course, if they’ve not had an effective wormer before. If you do get powder, there are several posts on here about how to mix and use it, or do ask when the time comes. They are supposed to eat only treated pellets for 7 days, abd then each hen is supposed to dose herself with the right amount for her individual needs in weight and appetite, and this diet is normal for commercial hens who never get a more varied diet anyway, poor things. But of course our lucky girls get a much more varied diet than that, and don’t appreciate being shut in with a whole week of just boring pellets. Instead, you can mix up a smaller amount of ‘treat food’ including corn, sunflower seeds etc, add the right amount of powder, and feed measured amounts of the mix each day and just watch it going down, with them eating normally otherwise.