[ellied]

I have been using the Marriages Flubenvet layers pellets for the last few days and some of the girls have rather dirty back ends, one or two had beforehand which is why I bought the wormer laced variety as I assumed they needed done, but one of those has been looking rather fluffed at times since I started the worming.  Egg numbers have also dropped off tho as they free range I may just have not found a new nest site, that's quite normal     

I checked her crop which isn't hard, as I thought maybe she had sour crop from something they're eating in the garden (they've mauled rhubarb and hostas recently and I know rhubarb leaves are toxic to some animals tho the hens seem to love them).

She has been eating and drinking, moving around, going to roost and coming out again, just a little lethargic in between - hence my being able to pick her up and check her crop, that's not normal. 

Is it just a side effect of excess worms followed by the wormer or are there other things she might have found that upset her digestion and I'm mistaking the cause and making things worse feeding the wormer while she's already out of balance?

Do hens eat yogurt to settle digestion?  Would that be worth a try?

PS this isn't the hen that went broody - she is now sitting quite happily a week on, after I decided that if removing eggs wouldn't put her off and I'd chuck the eggs she'd sat on anyway, she might as well have a chance to see if she can hatch anything.  She comes out to the feeder and evening corn every day and then goes back so she seems to be coping condition wise at least.

[jaykay]

I think the oxalic acid in rhubarb leaves would be enough to give anything the squits. That hens love them is just the perversity of hens!

I've never had the Marriage's flubenvet pellets cause any problems but I suppose if she did have plenty of worms, and they're dying inside, that might make her feel a bit squiffy before she passes them.

I have never given my hens yoghurt but I really don't see why not - they like whey and buttermilk left over from cheese and buttermaking, so I can't think yoghurt would do any harm and it might just help. Poultry Spice is a good tonic too, or Battle's poultry drink in their water.

[Daisys Mum]

After my hens had finished their course of antibiotics I gave them probiotic yoghurt drinks mixed with their corn for about a week.

[HesterF]

I've not had any side effects from the Flubenvet either - suspect if they're free-ranging, they probably don't eat that many of them anyway. Certainly could be the rhubarb.

Just a thought on the broody. I've been getting Panacur from the vet for the broodies. You dose them three days on the trot and then you know they're clear which means they're healthier for the broody period and they also don't introduce their chicks to worms in the early days. I just tell the vet how much they weigh and he'll work out the prescription and I can't remember exactly how much it is, but £2 or £3, I think.

H

[doganjo]

Mine have had milk, cream on teh turn,  and yogurt - they love it all. Does them good I reckon.  I would say the Rhubarb is your problem and I'd fence it off from them..