I worm the girls twice a year, in September and March, so worming time has come round again. I use flubenvet powder which needs to be given for seven consecutive days.
I have in the past added the powder to various treats but eventually I found that the most simple way to give it is in dishes of mash. I make up three small dishes of mash and sprinkle the powder on top then mix it in a bit.
The girls all equally love the mash and all quickly get a share. By the end of the day all the mash is gone so I know that all the flubenvet has been consumed.
I took these photos a few days ago as it is now day four of worming. The snow came along and those posts needed to go out while they were relevant whereas the worming is following this same pattern for seven days.
Worming the girls
Three dishes but this one is clearly favourite.
Three dishes of mash with flubenvet powder mixed in
Speckles tries the next dish.
The girls play musical dishes
Suddenly all the dishes are popular. There is a bit of chasing round but eventually as the novelty wears off the girls settle down and they all a get share.
The funny thing was that later in the day the first dish was empty then later still the second dish then by the end of the day the third dish was empty. Instead all of the dishes going down equally they disappear one dish at a time.
I don’t care what order they eat from the dishes as long as all the girls get a share. For me this is the easiest way of worming the girls. I think they rather enjoy having mash for a week.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
When I next buy feed I’m thinking of the layers pellets with flubenvet added, I just need to check that the ducks can safely consume it, I think they can.
It’s a good idea adding it to the mash, I might consider that too.
I think the pellets with the flubenvet tend to be in a really big bag and don’t have a long date so if you don’t have a large flock they can prove wasteful. I think that my little girls only need a very small amount of flubenvet so this works well for me. It’s never an exact science but I think that as long as they get a little it is enough.
A good job done,We have to take Sam next week, for his yearly jab,
and get his next lot of flea and worming tablets.
Always something isn’t there but good to get these things done.