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Our passion lies with the healthcare of poultry, We pride ourselves in being the only 'chicken shop' in the uk to be qualified to prescribe vaccines.
Poultry healthcare is not all about expense. Infact 9 times out of 10 it's something in your kitchen cupboard that can help a hen.
Below is a list rare but possible problems. These can all be easily fixed, but if you do struggle don't hesitate to give us a call
Following is a list of possible problems
Options are Apple cider vinegar, ground sanitiser or plenty of live yoghurt.
Products; Apple Cider Vinegar, Ground Sanitiser
Tip: Many feed mill's chick crumbs and growers pellets say ‘ACS’ in their title and this is ‘Anti Coccidiostat’ to help them through their younger weeks when they are vulnerable. Keep their ground clean and fresh with a dusting of ground sanister every few months - this will neutralise odours and eliminate early stages of eggs and larvee of internal worms.
Diarrhoea could be a sign of worms. Worms are an internal parasite that can easily transmitted bird to bird. Regular rotation of the ground they are on easily avoids them getting worms. But if your hen is in a fixed house and using the same ground throughout the year worming is essential. If you want to be sure, or you think your hen has a worm problem Flubenvet is the only product that will kill the worm, larvae and eggs, and is proven to do so.
Products; Flubenvet, Ground Sanitiser
Dosage: Flubenvet 6g per 2kg of feed,. We also now sell the layers pre-mixed with Flubevet - see the feed section
This is very common in late summer through to winter. Hens ‘moult’ once a year and can drop all their feathers. They will grow their feathers back quite quickly and start laying again soon after. This is natures way of giving the hens a break for laying you all those eggs throughout the year!! There are a couple of tonics available to help hens get through this time when their condition is down
Products; Poultry Spice, Apple Cider Vinegar
Another reason for hens losing feathers around their ‘back end’ could be caused by mites or lice. You should regulary ‘dust’ your hens with louse powder and red mite powder to ensure they don’t get them. To check if your hen has lice hold them upside down and check their vent for lice or their eggs. These will be gather at the bottom of the feathers. To check for red mite pick up one of your hens at night and shine a torch on their skin. Red mite only come out at night, so should be visible then. To check for them during the day, lift up the perches and if you see any white ash, that’s a sign that red mite are present.
Products; Red Mite Powder, Louse powder, Paragon, Smite Professional
When introducing new birds to your existing flock you can sometimes get problems with a ‘pecking order’ this is perfectly natural and normally resolves itself within a few days. But... if the pecking continues or a hen is pecked so some irritated skin is visible you should spray with an anti-pecking spray. This discourages the hens from pecking any further and also acts as an antiseptic so the hens wound heals more quickly.
If yours have simply got into a bad habit, try Stockholm tar to the affected area and apply ad lib until the habit is broken. Feeding mixed corn or a pecking block also helps and make sure there is no way for natural light to aggravate them before they are released in the morning.
Products; Gentian Violet, Stockholm Tar, Scarper
You help a hen with an open wound the same way you would if it was pecked - Gentian Violet. This has an immediate effect and straight away helps keeps any cuts from getting infected. For deeper cuts always use the wound powder.
Products; Gentian Violet, Veterinary Wound Powder
The chances of your hen getting egg bound is very slim, but when it does happen quick help is needed.
Put a liitle castor oil down her mouth. To help her more give her a warm bath as this will make it easier to push the eggs out
Products: Castor Oil
If your hen has a very enlarged crop, far bigger than a tennis ball, the chances are that she has a problem. Syringe 10-20ml of castor oil down her throat and massage it. Once the crop has softened turn the hen upside down and hold her by her legs. Squeeze the contents of the crop back out through her mouth. You may have to do this several times until you get to the root of the problem. i.e a ball of grass or piece if string.
Do not leave her upside down too long, as she will need to catch her breath.
Products: Castor Oil and Live Yoghurt
Prevention is so much better for your hens, and your eggs. If at all possible deal with a breeder you feel you can trust, who sells their own birds. Mixing flocks is the cause of so many problems and illnesses, just like moving your child to a different school. Each group has their own immunities and behaviours. Keep away from ‘traders’ who buy wherever’s cheap and mix them together, and if you want to buy at auction, keep those birds strictly quarantined for at least 3 weeks. Only consider auctions with a catalogue showing the breeders details.
The key ingredients for essential healthcare
HERBAN • PARAGON • FLUBENVET
Conscientious poultry keepers need to have a selection of products to hand to cover everyday issues.
HERBAN – Excellent healing properties so ideal for ex battery hens or as a monthly tonic. A great all rounder with positive results, a must have product for your first aid shelf.
PARAGON- Red mite, lice and other creepy crawlies are a very unwelcome addition to your coop areas but without care and attention these visitors can over run your coop causing illness and distress to your birds. Your egg production will also drop and especially in the case of ex battery hens, a weakened bird due to red mite infestation may prove fatal. Paragon is a preventative powder for dusting the backs of your girls and the nooks and crannies of your coop area. Remember, red mite are usually nocturnal so just because you cannot see them does not mean you do not have them. Prevention is better than cure!
FLUBENVET/LAYERS - Your girls will need reworming and we have made the process extremely simple and cost effective. Available in either 25kg or 5kg we supply layers pellets with flubenvet wormer already added, so no mess, no measuring, simply feed the medicated pellets for 7 days instead of your normal layers pellets and your girls will be wormed. The process needs repeating just twice a year making life
