Recent Posts

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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Worming

« Last post by Tailfeathers on August 14, 2017, 09:32:07 PM »

I can only echo Russ' comment.  I should also say that years ago when I had the mite infestation I fought for 2-3yr I used the Eprinex because there was no withdrawal time on the eggs and the application method was easier.  Now, as I said before, I'm absolutely sold on Fipronil for mites/lice and Piperazine-17 (same as Wazine but cheaper) for worms when needed.

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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Worming

« Last post by Russ Blair on August 14, 2017, 06:39:26 PM »

I personally use Wazine while I am growing them out for one reason. I try to raise 500+ and the cost not to mention time it would take to treat each individual bird with ivermectin is not economical or worth the time. At this age I have rarely noticed any external parasites and am more concerned with the internal ones that might hinder the growth. So it's just easier to add Wazin to the water and hit them all for internal parasites, not to mention why invest more money in culls?. Once I get them down to a 100 I can justify treating with ivermectin lol.

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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Worming

« Last post by Schroeder on August 14, 2017, 08:02:09 AM »

Thanks guys.  This is the information I was hoping for.  I'm still not clear about the dual purpose aspect of Ivermectin.  Royce and Russ comment about sometimes using either Piperazine-17, or Wazine 17.  Is that solely because Ivermectin is more expensive or do you doubt its effectiveness on worms?

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Exhibiting, Promoting & Club Notes / 8 weeks until our National Meet

« Last post by Russ Blair on August 13, 2017, 12:09:42 PM »

 Well folks we only have 8 weeks to go until our national meet. Which means it's been super busy around here. I have been sorting birds and placing them in conditioning pens, not to mention pulling broken and damaged feathers. I have found some feathers don't grow back in time if I wait until 6 weeks so I always try and do it at least 8 weeks prior to a show. What has everyone else noticed???

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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Worming

« Last post by Russ Blair on August 13, 2017, 12:01:59 PM »

I would just like to also share my method which is like Mikes with a twist. First off I swear by ivermectin, I have found a generic brand by durvet that is 1/4 the cost. It has the same active ingredients to a tee. This spring I accidently bought Eprinex, there was little differance in the look of the bottle (which is how I accidently grabbed it). What I found is there was a huge differance in effectifness though. The Eprinex didn't have the knock down effect ivermectin has, I dosed birds twice within a week and they still had mites. Since most of my pens don't stop wild birds from entering (2x4 welded wire) I treat twice a year. I like to treat all my breeders in early spring/late winter prior to breeding season. I then treat all my birds late summer/early fall after my final cull and before show season. This way seems to cut down the cost and time since I only treat the birds I am keeping.Here's the little twist, during grow out I will also treat my young birds with Wazine 17. I try to treat them twice within a two week period. Now I also spray my coops twice a year as well. Usually the same time I treat with the ivermectin. I use a fruit tree oil spray containing Pyrethrin mixed in a pump spray applicator. Like Mike I always treat any bird I plan on selling just for my piece of mind. I don't usually ever find mites on my pullets or hens it is usually the cockerels and cocks since they don't dust themselves like the ladies 

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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Worming

« Last post by Tailfeathers on August 12, 2017, 10:46:15 PM »

We still need that "Thumbs Up" button!  I agree and would echo Mike's comments.  I don't treat for mites or lice unless I start seeing them.  Then everybody gets a treatment.  For worms, to be honest, I usually don't even think about it until I start seeing some in the droppings.  That said, when I do remember, I'll sometimes treat once before they go in the breeding pens and once in the Fall.  I use Piperazine-17 in the water for worms.  A LOT cheaper than Ivermectin.  Though Ivermectin does have the dual purpose to it.

I've also got a big plastic garbage can out by the coop of Permagard DE and I'll put a flour sifter full of that into about 10gal or so of feed a few times a year.  I've been seeing a lot of folks recently say that DE doesn't do anything.  I can personally attest that it does.  Not only on chickens but I really noticed it when I mixed up a batch of canned catfood and dogfood and fed it to mine.  Made 'em pass round worms the very next day if I remember right.  And, whereas that's not why I did it, I can personally attest to the fact that DE will give your innards a good scrubbing!  LOL

Oh, and if you've never used DE, be absolutely sure to read up on it.  Get the wrong stuff and it's deadly.

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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: The Latest: Possibly Tainted Eggs Found in More Countries

« Last post by Tailfeathers on August 12, 2017, 10:35:46 PM »

When I read that it's not unsettling to me at all and, while I don't have the info I read way back when from some scientist that broke it down, it says basically the same thing.  In essence it can be summed up by saying by the time one ingests and egg that has come from a 5 lb. hen given 3-4 drops, processed thru her body, and the minute amount that would exists in an egg, eaten and processed by my 200 lb body, I probably got a greater dose that was soaked thru my fingers while applying it to a hundred birds or so.

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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: The Latest: Possibly Tainted Eggs Found in More Countries

« Last post by Beth Curran on August 12, 2017, 05:28:16 PM »

This is a bit unsettling. I have to wonder a) if there is in fact a real health risk or if this a fear of the unknown since it's an off-label drug, and b) just exactly how much was dumped on these things for a test to pick it up in eggs, since even deliberate frequent high doses for testing purposes produced only trace amounts in eggs: https://books.google.com/books?id=soU9Aaqr7jQC&pg=PA352&lpg=PA352&dq=fipronil+in+eggs&source=bl&ots=1XGpKZXWjX&sig=hx1BDmBuqkrIpjAS3JMQKA9coz8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjU6oXYp87VAhVCJCYKHZ6WBHQ4ChDoAQhAMAc#v=onepage&q=fipronil%20in%20eggs&f=false

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Exhibiting, Promoting & Club Notes / Re: National Meet for 2017?

« Last post by Russ Blair on August 12, 2017, 04:48:43 PM »

Wow, thanks Duane and Beth for your generosity.

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Housing, Health & Hatching / Re: Worming

« Last post by Mike Gilbert on August 12, 2017, 11:56:19 AM »

I don't treat them until I discover mites, and yes, ivermectin does work for mites - at least the ones that show up here.   There is always an exception:   when I sell birds I treat them before they go just as a preventative;  I don't want anyone thinking my birds brought lice or mites to their flock.    Since there is a residual effect, I don't follow up with another treatment.  It works by far the best to do the entire flock, even if mites are on just one or a few of them.  I have never worried about eating the eggs since there would be such a small amount in any given egg.   Ivermectin has been used to treat eye worm in humans in third world countries, and it probably has been used in humans for other things - but I never investigated that.   So far I haven't grown horns and my skin has not turned green.   And I've been cancer free for over ten years.  And probably worm free as well since I sometimes get the stuff on my hands while I'm working with it.  I rinse it off as soon as possible of course, but it is absorbed through the skin.   
Edited to say:   I have not seen a mite on my birds so far in 2017 - none.  And I do check often.