Forage when worming?

[rick]

I'm about to start a weeks worming with Flubenvet tomorrow. I won't be giving them any extras ( they're going to miss their cabbage and sprouts!) but will I need to keep them in to stop them foraging? We have a fairly small coop (sold by a pet shop chain for up to 4 chickens but clearly too small for that, we have 3) and so they spend at least 4 hours a day out in the garden. Its a small garden and they only have a bit of soil and behind the shed but do find worms, snails, bugs and the occasional unlucky frog.
Can I let them out while being wormed do you think?

 

[dinosaw]

Yes you need to keep them in for flubenvet to be fully effective and it isn't a good idea to let them out during the treatment if they will have access to another food source. The drug works as a % of feed consumed so if they are getting additional food from another source it will dilute the dosage. However having said that it depends on how much extra food you think they will have access to compared to if you keep them in really, I presume from what you have said they have cleared all the vegetation, if it is only a matter of them picking up the odd insect then letting them out may be the lesser of the evils.

 

[rick]

Thanks dinosaw. They would definitely starve if they tried to live on forage alone in this garden but they do seem to prefer anything else over having to eat chicken food. I've been thinking about extending their run with an enclosure. I'll do that.

 

[KittyKat]

Hi, as dinosaw said, you do have to keep them in. When our hens are free ranging during the day, they acquire over 50% of their food from other sources which would render the Flubenvet ineffective. Our hens do *not* like to spend a week locked up while being wormed, but it needs to be done. You will find that their poo will comeout quite different when they get their proper dose of wormer, even if they don't have worms.

 

[rick]

Its a bit difficult to see their droppings at the moment as they are in shavings but they did come out of the run very briefly this evening when I gave them a fresh bowl of medicated pellets and water and the droppings did look different. A bit like black 'ceca' droppings? They have also taken to spending the night together in the open air on their roosting bar - out of boredom probably but are still laying in the nest.

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