Tuesday, April 12th
17:40
Check that I have the hand-outs, pictures of worm eggs, copies of Practical Poultry and first aid kit. A first aid kit for poultry not attendees!
Make space in the car and Anita and I drive to collect Paula and a couple of bantams for Parsons Poultry Party tonight. As usual, I underestimated Paula’s enthusiasm and she had already loaded bantams, feeders, drinkers, feed, books, quail eggs, bantam eggs, blue eggs (from Cream legbar), white and brown eggs, duck and goose eggs into the back of her car. Unpack her car and load mine. Leave one bantam hen behind who had decided it was fun to beat the other two up.
18:30
Avoiding a mother and two children drive into Estcourt Vets car park and unload. Evening surgery is still in progress. The waiting room now contains one spaniel and two bantams, assorted management equipment from this century and last, books and eggs displayed in a wicker basket.
18:45
The warmest day of the year, so far. Best take my jumper off, even with just jacket and tie it is going to be warm or is that nerves?
19:00
Tea, coffee, biscuits all in place, thanks for putting all of that up for me Cara. Time to start.
An entusiastic group with experience ranging from those that were looking to start keeping chickens, to those who were relatively new to the hobby and those that had been keeping fowl for many years. The largest flock being seven brown egg laying hybrids.
The intention was that each attendee had the opportunity to bring dropping samples representative of their flock so that they could be checked to assess whether the flock had a worm infection. So that is where we started with an explanation of what I might find.
Discussions then followed as to what to depending on the results.
I am not a believer in randomly treating. Rather I prefer to test. If a worm infection is detected then treatment can be started using the most appropriate product. Importantly remembering that very few are available to treat hens that are laying eggs that we eat. If no worm eggs are detected, then nothing needs to be done.
This led to discussions on how to recognise good health in your birds through careful and correct handling and a methodical approach, assuming of course that you can catch them.
My approach is to start at the head checking the comb, wattles, skin, nostrils, eye and eyelids for blemishes, unusual discharges or other damage. Then I check the feathers going down the neck over the back, wings and under the wings to the tail and vent.
Finally, I look at the feet and legs, particularly noting how smooth and closely the scales fit together.
Whilst I would like to suggest that the meeting followed a well regimented programme, this would not be strictly true. We did tend to digress and swap subjects. The advantage was that we could talk about the subjects that mattered or had given concern. Drawing on Paula’s knowledge and with the aid of all the items she had brought we could all see and appreciate the advantages or disadvantages of particular pieces of equipment. This highlighted the benefit of using plastic drinkers over galvanised ones. The addition of some additives e.g. garlic cloves and acidifiers, to the water will hasten the appearance of rust in the latter!
She brought samples of layers pellets, mixed corn and mash which highlighted the fact that your birds could be fussy eaters whilst reminding us all that grit is an essential feed ingredient which it is also useful to supply to prevent problems associated with blockages due to eating grass, sticks and feathers.
Time flew by and 20:00 was rapidly approaching. Accidents do happen, toe nails are broken, skin can be torn or feathers pulled out. A first aid kit is an essential for all poultry keepers. The last thing you need to be doing is hunting around for cotton wool to clean up the wound, powder to stop the bleeding or veterinary wound powder to prevent further infection.
Keeping your flock healthy is a team effort which this evening demonstrated admirably. One size does not fit all. The trick is to pick the best that can be practically accomplished from a wealth of alternatives.
Acknowledgements
I am very grateful to Paula for providing the Serama bantams without whom it would have been a very dull evening as well as sharing her years of experience.
To James for joining in and allowing me to use Estcourt Vets practice premises and Cara for ensuring that I could find the tea and biscuits.
To Anita for taking the photographs, the drawing of the reproductive tract of a hen and proof reading my hand-out.
The next Parsons Poultry Party will be May 10th (the last one until after the show season ends in the autumn)
Time and venue – 19:00 to 20:00 at Estcourt Vets, 5 Estcourt Street, Devizes, SN10 1LQ
Places are limited, so to reserve your place please ring 01380 723687
Useful sources of information and help
D.G.Parsons MRCVS poultry consultancies at Estcourt Vets. Telephone 01380 723687 for an appointment.
Salisbury Poultry Club – http://salisburypoultryclub.com/ and Facebook
Practical Poultry magazine is a useful source of fancy fowl related matters and I also contribute a monthly article on veterinary matters.
Anita Parsons – pet portraits, peacock and fancy fowl crochet patterns
Shows
I will be attending the following with Salisbury Poultry Club
June 18th – 19th The Wessex Midsummer Vintage Show, Semington Village, Trowbridge to Devizes Road A361
July 26th, 27th & 28th – New Forest and Hampshire County Show