Ivermectin – For Worms, Lice & Mites
Ivermectin is an anti-parasite medication, effective against most worms (not tapeworm), mites, and lice, including scaly leg mite and northern fowl mite.
Flubenvet 2.5% Poultry Wormer
Flubenvet 2.5% poultry wormer is a medicated feed supplement commonly used to worm chickens, turkeys and geese. It is not licensed for use with ducks although many people do use it. My article on worming chickens provides lots of information about worms and worming and there is separate information on Worming Ducks here.
Tapeworms and Fluke in Backyard Fowl
Over the past few years, awareness of roundworms and gapeworms in backyard poultry has increased dramatically with owners either routinely worming with Flubenvet, or using treatment in response to routine worm egg counts to successfully control worms in their backyard flocks. However, we are frequently contacted by owners asking about both tapeworms and flukes in […]
Chicken Roundworms or Ascarida Galli
Chicken Roundworms are 5 to 8cm long and live in the middle part of a bird’s intestine. Bad infestations usually occur when birds are kept in intensive conditions on dirty litter or in runs that have been used for many years.
Gizzard Worm or Amidostomum Anseris
Gizzard Worm or Amidostomum Anseris are thin worms about 2cm long that predominantly affect geese. Infestations occur directly by birds eating eggs passed out in droppings, so they are most likely to occur when geese are kept on the same pasture.
How to Trim Rooster Spurs
As roosters get older, their spurs grow longer, and some can become very sharp and pointed, causing damage to the sides of a hen during mating. This article will show you how to trim rooster spurs and what to do if spurs bleed if you cut too much off. A rooster’s spurs gradually grow, and […]
Hairworms or Capillaria Worms
Hairworms or Capillara are incredibly thin, almost as thin as hair which is where they get their name from. They are 1 to 2cm long and even in moderate infestations can cause significant damage to chickens. There are several species of Capillaria worm but they all live in the upper part of the digestive system, that is, the crop, oesophagus, and […]
Cecal Worms or Heterakis Gallinarum
Cecal Worms or Heterakis Gallinarum are very common. They don’t actually do much damage, however blackhead organisms can live in the worm’s eggs for many months and cause Blackhead many months later which can kill Turkeys. They are a particular concern if you keep both Chickens and Turkeys. It is usually best not to keep them on […]
Tapeworms
Many different tapeworm species affect poultry, although they are not often found, and thankfully, most of them are completely harmless.
Can you Keep Chickens and Ducks Together?
From a purists point of view, we should keep chickens and ducks in separate enclosures, but I have kept my chickens and ducks together for many years with very few problems. Here are a few things for you to consider.
VSB Chicken Door Opener
I own three VSB Chicken Door Openers and have just bought a forth for another hen-house; I thought it was about time to write an Equipment Focus review!
Guide to using Poultry Saddles on Hens
In this guide, I explain what poultry saddles are, and how we can fit one to protect a hen’s back from a cock’s feet and spurs during the breeding season. Poultry saddles prevent feather loss when a cock mates with a hen. After a short time into the breeding season (and it doesn’t take long […]
Pickled Quails’ Eggs
This recipe was handed down to me from my grandmother and is a favourite in our house when we have a glut of quails eggs. Pickled chickens eggs are very common in fish and chip shops in the UK but pickled quails eggs are much tastier! The chillies, cayenne pepper, mustard seeds and garlic in […]
Brinsea Hatchmaker Incubator Review
The Brinsea Hatchmaker can take around 40 eggs and a popular choice with poultry breeders to be used as a separate hatcher for hatching eggs.
How to Stop a Broody Hen
How to break a broody hen? A hen may go broody and decide she wants to hatch some eggs out herself. Here’s how to stop a broody hen.
Sexing Guinea Fowl
Guinea fowl are notoriously difficult to sex – it’s hard to tell keets apart until they are at least 8-10 weeks of age when they start to call. Male guinea fowl have a one-syllable call that sounds like they are saying “wheat” and the female guinea fowl has a two-syllable call that sounds like “buck-wheat”. […]
Diatomaceous Earth for Chickens: A Complete Guide
Guide to using diatomaceous earth for chickens: parasite prevention, benefits as a feed supplement for health & better eggs, worming & tips for safe use.
Blindness
The eye is obviously very delicate and any cleaning should be performed with great care. Blindness isn’t a particularly common problem, however poultry can get damage to the eye, conjunctivitis or even go completely blind for a number of different reasons. Here are some of the causes that poultry can go blind:
Introducing New Chickens to Your Flock
There are times when we need to introduce new chickens to our flock. Maybe you’ve purchased some new birds or have raised some chicks that have reached point-of-lay and are ready to join your layers. Whatever the reason, you will want it to go as smoothly as possible, without too many feathers flying! In this […]
Feeding Turkeys
Feeding turkeys is not that dissimilar to feeding chickens in that turkeys require a starter crumb, then a grower’s pellet and a maintenance diet once they are mature. Turkey poults however have a much higher protein requirement than chicks and most poultry feeds will be unsuitable for turkey poults and may even lead to growth problems.