Which products?

[Sue]

I'm afraid it's me again with silly questions!! It's 2 weeks to go until my lovely hens arrive and I'm trying to make sure I have everything ready for them. Please can you experienced forum members out there humour me and tell me whether I'm overdoing things! I've got on my shopping list Poultry Spice, apple cider vinegar and Respite (to help them settle in) and Ivermectin spon on lotion. Does anyone use the Ivermectin and if so can they recommend it instead of all the other powders, lotions and potions available. Do you use it twice a year? Spring and autumn? I've already got the Diatom powder for the house and dust bath. Do I have everything covered or is there anything else I should have or have I already overdone things!! Sorry to ask so many questions, but this forum is fantastic and the best place for beginners to learn and ask silly questions!

 

[Tim]

Hi Sue,

Not silly questions at all.

Try having a look at this page: What to keep in Stock

It is a list of must haves and useful to haves that I helped put together. Many you have already covered

Tim

 

[foxy]

Looks like you already are well prepared Sue. 17 Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions either!

 

[Tim]

Sorry, I didn't answer your Ivermectic question...

If you're thinking about worms - Flubenvet is the only licensed in feed wormer, this is generally done twice a year unless you suspect a problem or have birds on the same piece of ground / high stocking density etc. You can buy this online and you don't need to withdraw eggs at the doses on the packet.

Ivermectin is prescription only from your vet - but is commonly prescribed to treat for lice / mites. Vets sometimes use it to treat worms too (it is usually in stock) but is not licenced for chickens and you would need to withdraw eggs from consumption according to your vets advice...

The powders and so on are useful to have in stock because if you have a mite or lice problem, you can dust the birds immediately and add it to their dust baths. They tend to carry a few lice from time to time and personally I use diatom for this and don't worry if they are fit and healthy in other ways - if they get a real problem with them, I would then go to the vet and ask for the ivermectic drops and not worry about trying to keep some in stock.

ACV is great for settling them in. Oh, you can mix garlic (fresh) in water too

 

[Sue]

Than you for your replies. Regarding the Ivermectin, you say it is only available on prescription from the vet, but it seems to be available on several poultry supply website, including Wells. Is this the same stuff or is this something to be avoided?

Would the Respite or Poultry Spice be better to give them to help with the stress of moving home? Could they have both, or is this pointless when one or the other will do the same job? They will be about 18 weeks old.

 

[Tim]

Ah yes, so it is - a product from Harkers by the looks of things that contains ivermectin...

They are selling it under the Small Animal Exemption Scheme which covers small domestic pets not intended for food use. In other words, not chickens 11 Looks like a product used on Pigeons who also suffer from many similar mite / lice problems.

The way it works is if I said yes that would be suitable for say Scaly Leg Mites or Lice for example, I could get into trouble - because it's not licensed for chickens - you would need a vet to prescribe it to you.

Medicines must be prescribed to pets under something called the cascade. The cascade is a legal guideline which states that authorised medicines must be used where possible but gives vets the flexibility to use other medications in situations where an authorised product is not available.

This is how the cascade works:

Ideally use a drug licensed for a specific condition in a specific species

If not...

Use a drug authorised in the UK for use in another species OR for a different condition in the same species

If not...

Use a medicine authorised for human use OR a medicine from another country authorised for that use OR a medicine prepared by a vet, pharmacist or Suitably Qualified Person (SQP) holding a manufacturer's licence.

You find this alot with chickens - because they produce eggs and meat for consuption, you can guess what a huge cost it must be to test products so most companies tend to go for the Small Animal Exemption route and we're left with having to go to a vet to get a product prescribed.

That said, many just see what others use or have had prescribed in the past and use some common sense.

I think I'll put some of this info into an FAQ in this forum it will be useful ;-)

 

[Sue]

Thanks Tim. The trouble with having to get things from the vet is that they charge much higher prices than getting it elsewhere. Not sure why they're allowed to get away with this, but they are. Sorry if there are any vets reading this, but it's a fact, anyone with animals will agree!

 

[Tim]

Yes, prices can be higher but they do have to provide the service / staff etc and they are often buying these things in small quantities.

Something you can do is get the prescription from the vet and then buy the product online (you have to fax / scan your prescription and send it).

Medic Animal for example carry stock of quite a few useful prescription products.

Tim