Repeat worming

I started worming again three days ago which is two weeks since I finished giving Diamond a double dose of flubenvet. The advice for gape worm on the internet is to repeat between 14 and 17 days so I decided to start after 14 days but continue for 10 days instead of 7 to cover both time scales. I am determined to cover all angles as thoroughly as possible because I want to be as certain as I can that I completely eradicate this.

I am giving the usual dose of flubenvet powder in dishes of mash each morning for all the girls. At the end of the day I am giving Diamond her extra dose, to make up the recommended double dose, on some chopped tomato. Last time I held the dish in front of her beak and she took it but this time she won’t take it while the other girls are trying to get it. Diamond doesn’t like to compete with the flock.

Because of this I have changed strategy. Diamond is always the first to go in the chicken shed at the end of the day. Once she is in I am blocking the pop hole to keep the other girls out and putting her dish of chopped tomato laced with flubenvet in front of her. Once she has had it I then unblock the pop hole. This is a bit of a pain but I haven’t found anything else that works. I tried picking Diamond up and offering her the dish but she refused it as she doesn’t like being held.

When Diamond came to us she had a mucky bottom. She now has a lovely clean, white, fluffy bottom. The cough/squeak noise is now only occasional. She hasn’t breathed through an open beak since I started the double dose of flubenvet last time.

I am hopeful that at the end of this treatment Diamond will remain free of gape worm and the entire flock will be worm free. I will be remaining vigilant.