Fresh Start for Hens - The Chicken Doctor

Fresh Start for Hens - The Chicken Doctor Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Fresh Start for Hens - The Chicken Doctor, Animal Rescue Service, Biggin Hill.
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Gertrude is NOT impressed with her new crop bra. Gertrude had a severely impacted crop when she arrived and despite surg...
05/06/2025

Gertrude is NOT impressed with her new crop bra.

Gertrude had a severely impacted crop when she arrived and despite surgery to remove the matted grass, she has been left with a pendulous crop.

Due to being overstretched for some time, the muscle of her crop no longer works. The crop bra creates compression and will help her crop function normally as long as she wears it.

. *** FLY STRIKE ***It doesn’t happen often, but if it does, you need to know what to do - this is an EMERGENCY. T...
21/06/2024

. *** FLY STRIKE ***

It doesn’t happen often, but if it does, you need to know what to do - this is an EMERGENCY.

The following is a protocol used by many vets:

Flush the area with water to flatten down the feathers. This will allow you to see the extent of the problem more clearly and will also flush away a few of the maggots.
Next, spray the area with F10 spray. This contains permethrin and the maggots will start to die immediately. Physically remove the maggots as they are dying using the F10 spray, a shower head on a gentle setting and manually with forceps/tweezers.
Removing all the maggots is important because toxins are released when the maggots die.
Keep flushing and spraying until you are sure every maggot has been removed and there are no remaining fly eggs.
Pain relief is important at this stage, the damage inflicted by the maggots is very painful. Meloxicam is the usual medication used.
One application of Ivermectin can be given as it will kill any maggots that you have missed.
A dose of EXZOLT can also be given at this stage (see later).

Shock can be a serious complication when treating fly strike. Once the initial treatment is complete, dry your hen with a hair dryer on a warm setting and put her somewhere where she can relax and feels safe. A dog crate is ideal and food and water need to be readily available. Nutridrops or Critical Care Formula are beneficial too.

Fly eggs are small and look a bit like sawdust. When they hatch, the maggots burrow down into the flesh. Often the first thing you see is a poorly hen with a wet area around the vent.
Provided the damage is not too severe, the resulting open wound will heal. Applying Leucillin or Vetericyn twice daily will help to counter any superficial infection. It is amazing how quickly these wounds can heal.
The hen is vulnerable to repeat attacks so attention to the cause is important. A vent area that is soiled with faeces is the most common initiating factor. Treat any causes of diarrhoea such as too much green vegetables or worms.
Exzolt can be given to help prevent a repeat attack in the early stages. Exzolt will kill maggots as soon as they hatch and start to feed. The two doses a week apart will give your hen a month of protection.
F10 Germicidal Barrier Ointment can also be used as a preventative.

Provided you are well prepared, hens can survive even quite severe damage if you treat promptly.

List of materials and equipment needed:
F10 Germicidal wound spray
Shower head
Tweezers
Ivermectin
Leucillin/Vetericyn
Meloxicam (prescription only)
Exzolt (prescription only)
Nettex Nutridrops or Critical Care Formula
Dog crate and cage cups
F10 Germicidal Barrier Ointment or Battles Summer Fly Cream

https://www.viovet.co.uk/F10-Products-Germicidal-Wound-Spray-with-Insecticide/c22592/
Contains cypermethrin

I know you shouldn’t have favourites but …….. ❤️This little girl had a prolapse when she came from the farm two weeks ag...
14/06/2024

I know you shouldn’t have favourites but …….. ❤️

This little girl had a prolapse when she came from the farm two weeks ago.
Now completely better, look at her, isn’t she gorgeous ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Not all prolapses do well but she is blooming 🥰

‼️ ‼️ RED MITE ‼️ ‼️Red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) is a blood sucking ectoparasite of chickens and turkeys. There is n...
08/06/2024

‼️ ‼️ RED MITE ‼️ ‼️

Red mite (Dermanyssus gallinae) is a blood sucking ectoparasite of chickens and turkeys.

There is no need to panic, the following is a summary of what you need to know……..

⭐️ TAPEWORM ⭐️Has anyone ever wondered what tapeworm looks like? This photo of chicken p**p shows what to look for. In ...
14/05/2024

⭐️ TAPEWORM ⭐️

Has anyone ever wondered what tapeworm looks like?

This photo of chicken p**p shows what to look for. In the second photo, the yellow arrow indicates a single segment and the blue arrow shows some segments contracted and looking spherical.
The VIDEO in comments shows a fresh p**p with the segments moving.

I’m hoping others find this as interesting as I do.

Low level of tapeworm is not considered a problem but a significant tapeworm burden can be debilitating.
Interestingly, a faecal worm count is unlikely to pick up the presence of tapeworm segments.
The treatment for tapeworm is Praziquantal which is the active ingredient in Droncit tablets. Droncit tablets are available online without prescription.
Give half of a 50mg tablet to a commercial hen and repeat 7 days later. Egg withdrawal is 7 days from the last dose.

.FUN FACT FRIDAY ………This is known as a WHITE BANDED EGG and anyone who has rehomed hens straight from a commercial farm ...
19/04/2024

.
FUN FACT FRIDAY ………

This is known as a WHITE BANDED EGG and anyone who has rehomed hens straight from a commercial farm may have seen one.
The white banding occurs when two eggs come into contact with each other in the shell gland. When this happens, normal calcification is interrupted. The first egg, which has been retained in the shell gland, will receive an extra layer of calcium seen as the white band marking.
The delay in laying the first egg can be caused by any stress, but in the case of the ex commercial hens, the delay occurs because of the stress of rehoming day.
These hens are SO lucky to be going to their forever homes but to do so they must be crated early in the morning and be transported to collection points all over England and Wales. It is only then that they get a chance to rest, to eat and to drink.
Often it’s not until the next day that they lay the egg that was on its way down the oviduct on rehoming day. By that time a second has also arrived in the shell gland.
Of course, once in their forever homes, normal egg laying resumes.

IN CASE OF EMERGENCY ………..This is just a guide to what can be useful in case of emergency, you will already ...
10/04/2024

IN CASE OF
EMERGENCY ………..

This is just a guide to what can be useful in case of emergency, you will already have many of the items.

Don’t panic at the length of this list, this is just a guide to what can be useful.

Finally, and most importantly, have your Vet’s phone number readily available.

Whilst it would be nice to do an in-depth post on crossbeaks, I thought I’d share this picture of Barbara with her owner...
30/03/2024

Whilst it would be nice to do an in-depth post on crossbeaks, I thought I’d share this picture of Barbara with her owner’s permission.
As you can see Barbara has quite an impressive crossbeak.
This lovely hen has survived on the farm so is likely to do well in the caring pet environment.
These hens usually manage best with a deep food bowl and it’s worth trialling pellets and mash to see which she can manage best (she will have had mash on the farm). Checking her crop at the end of the day will confirm she is managing to eat and weighing her regularly will help to spot if she is not coping.
She will not be able to preen effectively so the occasional help using a damp cloth and rarely even a bath, will help her with her feathers.
In Barbara’s case it would be nice to shorten that lower beak a little, but the blood vessels will be nearly to the tip so must be done with care. Fortunately for Barbara, not only does she have a very caring owner, she also lives fairly close to the Penkridge collection point. So she will be able to get experienced help if needed.
The Fresh Start For Hens collection point hosts are extremely knowledgeable and will always be happy to help when needed 🥰

BACTERIA 🦠 🦠 🦠 ANTIBIOTICS and VITAMINS ………. Did you know that the good bacteria in a hen’s gut produce much of the vit...
29/03/2024

BACTERIA 🦠 🦠 🦠
ANTIBIOTICS
and VITAMINS ……….

Did you know that the good bacteria in a hen’s gut produce much of the vitamins a hen needs?

A complete layers feed (pellets/mash) provides a balanced diet, including vitamins but that assumes the hen herself will make a significant contribution to her vitamin needs. When we give our hens a course of antibiotic we destroy the good bacteria as well as the bad.

So when treating our hens it is important to give with a good multivitamin supplement.
In a previously well hen I add it to her drinking water and with a hen that is debilitated, in a heavy moult or significantly underweight I dose undiluted directly. If she is eating, I add 1ml to a small portion of wet mash.

Double check the one you use contains ALL the usual B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6 and B12) plus A, C, D and E.

Vitamin supplements I’ve checked include Nettex Poultry Vit Boost and AviVit Hi Spec Poultry Tonic , which are the ones I use but there will be plenty of others.
https://www.avivit.uk/

A good prebiotic and probiotic would also be helpful at the end of the antibiotic course to re-establish the gut flora. Beryls Friendly Bacteria is my choice: https://www.avivit.uk/product/beryls-friendly-bacteria-for-poultry-12-bird-pack/

Also Avipro prebiotic and probiotic:
https://www.northernparrots.com/avipro-avian-prebiotic-and-probiotic-supplement-100g/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAkKqsBhC3ARIsAEEjuJipaQujhvPHFFwdWNhDFr3tFQA8LHPjaUfeTn2BjQflMbOwBSoKFWQaAn_iEALw_wcB

WELCOME to this new Fresh Start for Hens resourceWe aim to help YOU to help your hens by providing information on a vari...
29/03/2024

WELCOME to this new Fresh Start for Hens resource

We aim to help YOU to help your hens by providing information on a variety of health issues and, where possible, to demystify some common ailments.

We have lots of ideas for topics to cover so we hope you’ll enjoy this page which is aimed at making your chicken journey all the more fun ❤️

I’ve attached one of my favourite photos, Bridget looking the picture of health 🤩

29/03/2024

This page is provided as an informative service on hen health and welfare.

Information & material is shared by a qualified vet, but this online service is NOT a replacement for consultation with your local veterinary service, who will be able to conduct a proper, physical examination of your pet and provide an informed diagnosis.

Fresh Start for Hens does not accept any responsibility for any loss which may arise from reliance on information contained on this page, nor does the organisation or it's contributors take any responsibility, either directly or implied, for any damage, injury, death, disease, illness or morbidity caused directly or indirectly to your poultry, their owners or the general public as a result of following the advice given in this page. This page and its contributors do not take any responsibility, either directly or implied, for any damage or loss of business, earnings and reputation that might be incurred as a result of following the advice given in this page.

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Biggin Hill

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Monday 8:30am - 7pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 7pm
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Sunday 10am - 6pm

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