Poorly hen and saying hello

[paula]

Hello there....

I couldnt see where to say hello on the board so Im saying it here.. 99

Need advice re a poorly hen, not diagnosed with anything specific by vet (they werent sure) I was given wormer and antibiotics for her. She is approx 2.5 yro. For the 1 year Ive known them they have been ok but not wormed...I must add that they are not mine, I am here on behalf of their owner but more on their behalf. She was displaying syptoms that may indicate crop problem...her owner wasnt sure and he emptied her crop himself, maybe not a good idea?

My Q is how much wormer for her individually? Ive isolated her.. having being brought indoors in a crate. Its really difficult to break down the 6g scoop per chicken per week and she wont eat the pellets or corn mix (shes being fed a buffet of different foods she likes instead right now) she is seeking the grit out of the mix though. She has picked up quite well in just 2 days, Im hoping she continues.

Any advice? There are 3 other ok hens and thats another mathematical conundrum to do aswell!



Thanks in advance

P and Dolly

 

[chrismahon]

Hello Paula and welcome to the forum. A 6g scoop of Flubenvet mixes with 2000g (2Kg it says in instructions) of pellet feed. Each laying hen consumes about 150g a day of layers pellets when eating properly. That equates to approximately 1050g of feed over the 7 day treatment period. So you need a couple of 1.0mL syringes (no needle) and keeping it simple, if you mix half the scoop with 1.7 mL olive oil to make a paste you actually end up with 2.1mL of mixture. Keep it well stirred and draw up 0.3mL in a syringe and feed directly to the back of the throat once a day before feed. Repeat for the remaining 6 days. If it is a worm problem you will see her pick up the next day, but you must complete the treatment otherwise the worms can evolve immunity to Flubenvet. The seals swell in the syringes because of the oil, so you may find that the plunger gets stiff, hence needing a couple of syringes. The only hassle in my experience is when telling the pharmacist why you need the syringes !

Helps a lot with two people, one holds the hen still in a towel if necessary (stops wing flapping) and other prises beak open with forefinger and thumb whilst putting pressure on the back of the head under the comb with the back of the second finger to stop the head moving back. Tilt the head upwards at 45 degrees whilst using your index finger as a wedge in the beak to keep it open. After you have done it once it's easy.

We treat cockerels with this method and 'not eating' sickies. It is so easy that we will be doing all the hens as well like this in future. Pre-mixed feed has its limitations and mixing to feed yourself is a real pain and a health risk. The hens benefit from the handling and you can check them over as well.

Our pet cockerel has all the symptoms you describe, including wanting only grit. Perhaps we'll try worming him although he was done recently. Might be wanting the grit to drag out the worms?

 

[Marigold]

An even easier method is to work out how much Flubenvet powder a hen would probably consume if given in pellets in a week, as Chris says about 1 kilo of feed, for which half a scoop of Flubenvet powder would be right. Now make up a tasty mixture of corn, sunflower seeds, maybe a few mealworms, and measure out 7 eggcupfuls of this. Add a little vegetable oil, enough to coat the food when well stirred. Then gradually mix in the half a scoop of powder, mixing very carefully between additions. Feed this to the hen at the rate of one eggcupful per day, as a treat food. It will go down the hatch in no time and there will be no need to struggle with syringes. As your question is actually how much to use, rather than how to get it down her, I hope this idea will help.

 

[foxy]

Usually with "non specific" symptoms, combined with a crop issue there is an underlying problem. I would not worry about the wormer, or emptying her crop at this point in time see how she is after her course of antibiotics. Has she just gone through a moult? That can also bring a bird down this time of year.
Have they been generally well? Any new birds introduced in the last 2 months?

 

[paula]

Hello folks

And thank you for your very helpful replies....I apologise for not replying sooner...the inbox kept saying no new messages so I didnt look at the post.

Hen (Dolly as I call her) appears to be ok now. She has appetite, the usual stance (instead of looking like a ball of feathers with her head low) I think the antibiotics may have helped her. She was eating probiotic yoghurt as one of her special foods whilst away from the other 3 so I hope that will help too. I worked out the wormer and gave it in treat food of meal worms. So yes she seems to be back to norm.

She still curiously does not have alot of power to eject herself from places or jump up steps. She runs like the others and bosses her least favourite coop mate no trouble though.

Thanks

P

 

[Marigold]

Very glad to hear she's getting better, Paula.
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