Wormed ready for winter

This weekend I made a start on winter preparations, moving the pink and green eglus onto the patio. It is still relatively mild (7C to 10C) so I'm not to worried, but I'd like to have them ready to move into before the cold really hits. I had to completely wash the pink eglu as it had been in the WIR with the bantams and got really, REALLY dusty.

I have one run out ready to attach to one eglu. I will set up the other eglu as well, but I'm debating about moving the eglu cube onto the patio. Having 5 bantams in one eglu with a 2M run seems a little tight, whereas having the two medium hybrids, Amber and Maud, in an eglu with a 2M tunnel would work, and then having the 2 bantam wyandottes, Buffy and Vera, together with the tiny bantam silkies, Lulu and Velvet and the event tinier bantam frizzle, Lyra together in the larger cube seems rather nicer. The cube does wheel around very easily so I may do this all next weekend.

I started worming them today - 7 days worth of Flubenvet. I mixed 12g in with 4Kg of feed and followed advice I'd seen on one of the forums. I mixed the first cupful of feed with a small amount of olive oil to ensure that the flubenvet powder would stick. I then mixed handfuls of dry pellets with the oily ones. The oiliness (and flubenvet) spread evenly throughout. Once I'd mixed up about 1kg of this mixture, I reversed the process, mixing the flubenvet pellets in with the untreated ones until I had 4kg of fully mixed worming pellets.

I also read on the Omlet forums that working chooks can improve their condition. Mine are looking a little pale (apart from the two black skinned ones). Amber has recently had some mycoplasma infection which I successfully treated with tylan. She is no longer snuffling or having clicky breathing, but she does look under the weather and they all have pale combs.

I think some chicken spice and maybe a bit of tonic in the water may be in order.

Amber, Clicky Breathing and mucus around the eyes

Crouched down watching & chatting to my hens just before shutting them up tonight, I spotted Amber's (amber star) cheeks were going concave each time she breathed in, and bulging out when she breathed out. There was a slight click between breaths, and occasionally, a few bubbles would appear in the inner corner of one or other eye.

I would suspect some sort of cold virus, but her nostrils are completely clear - no discharge or snot and she seems otherwise absolutely fine.

I have had hens for 8 years, and have had snotty chickens that have recovered after a few days. I've never noticed this cheek movement and bubbly eyes before.

I have some Tylan so I'm going to give amber a 7 day course.