Worming the girls

I always worm the flock in March and September. I have been waiting for the flock to be properly mixed so that I could them altogether.

Also the e-mail with information about the delivery of the new girls advised worming them soon. It said that they had been given flubenvet but with so many chicks together it would be difficult to know that they all got a share so they advised doing it again.

I also realised that as Spot had joined our flock at the end of last year she had missed being wormed.

As usual I mixed the flubenvet into dishes of mash and will continue for seven days.

Worming the girls
Snowflake is in the background
Snowflake isn’t brave enough to join the girls on the patio
I put out a dish separately for Snowflake and she has some along with Storm
Storm and Gold share the last dish of mash

Snowflake was the only girl who wouldn’t come to the patio so she had her own dish. As long as they all have a little it will be enough to do the job. As the dishes emptied I took them away leaving the last dish which Storm and Gold finished.

Spot had her usual sit in the nest box and I wondered if today was going to be the day but she left once more with no egg. I can’t remember a girl having so much practice.

In other news the bedtime routine is still a work in progress. I realised that I am a distraction at bedtime as when I am with the girls the main flock stay out later and Gold just wants to jump on me all the time like Sugar used to do at bedtime. Gold would rather perch on me than anywhere else.

Last night I decided to try leaving them to it and to go out after the pop hole had closed.

I found Gold on the shed roof and Storm perched on the edge of the nest box nearest the shed. Snowflake was inside the nest box nearest the shed. I lifted them all to the perch in the shed.

The good news is that they obviously want to be near the main flock. They just can’t seem to work out how to go through the pop hole. Tonight I will try going out just before the pop hole closes and see if I can guide them through it.

They always get the idea in the end but it’s taking longer than I thought it would. I feel sure that once they find their own way through the pop hole we will have cracked it but it’s just getting them to take that step.

I will keep trying different approaches each night until we get there.

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6 Responses to Worming the girls

  1. Sophie says:

    Worming time comes round so quickly! xx

  2. marion says:

    I am sure they will soon get the hang of it all. The girls look as though they enjoyed their worming feed.

    • Carol says:

      They do enjoy the worming mash. It is all gone by the end of the day. Last night the three new girls were together on the roof of the chicken shed. I have now blocked it from them by putting stuff on top and tonight at the end of the day I will close the nest boxes. I hope with no where else to go they will find their way in.

  3. David says:

    Nice pic of (almost) all of the girls together.

    • Carol says:

      It’s a shame that Snowflake is too nervous to join in but it took Spot a long time so I am sure she will change eventually. Tonight I wafted Snowflake towards the pop hole and she went in. Gold and Storm I had to place in front of the pop hole and then almost push them in and that was after Gold jumping on me multiple times. It is a sort of progress but a slow progress!

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