Worming

I have decided to wom the birds as I think it's possible that one or two may have Gapeworm. I'm not positive, but it's a good idea to worm every 4-6 months I read so it'll be a good precaution anyway, particularly as they spend so much time free-ranging.

After reading through many posts on the Omlet forums and others, I discovered that Flubenvet was the only approved wormer effective against all worms (unlike the Panacur prescribed by the local Vet). I ordered a 240g pack online from www.petmeds.co.uk which arrived within a couple of days.

I plan to put 1/4 teaspoon into 1kg of feed to achieve the correct dose as well as to offer the same proportion by volume with porridge in an attempt to ensure that each bird gets a proper dose over the 7 day period required.

Learning Curve

We've had a lot of rain recently. The girls figured out last week that standing about in the open while the rain comes down like stair-rods is not a great idea. I was really concerned and spent some time pointlessly trying to persuade them under their house to no avail. After consulting a friend who's previously kept chickens I decided to let them learn the lesson. As he pointed out - they're young and still learning and they'll only get soaked once!

The meadow area has now been cut down; the picture here shows five of the six birds enjoying the remains of the grass seed heads before it was cut.