As we did not have enough hay from the fields this season I had to buy in 150 bales of alfalfa and alfalfa/grass bales. It is from neighbouring fields, so should have the same mineral make up as our own and best of all it arrived while The Tall Teenager was here, on leave, to help stack it.
For some unknown reason, the moment we bring in new hay the cats are all over it.
The clatter box clattered away, and 150 bales (600 dollars worth) were lifted and stacked in the old barn loft, lickety split watched closely by Daisy who is developing that soft roundness of early pregnancy.
Air freshener for the barn, I love the smell of hay in the barn and that good old feeling of having feed in its proper place for the winter.
While the boys were working on the hay, I dragged out my dog crate then snuck up on Kupa and caught him. The fact that I caught him so easily was a worry in itself. Though I had to get someone to haul me and the bird up as once I had him crept along and grabbed him, my tail bone hurt so much I could not stand up without using my hands that were full of peacock .But I could not leave this job any longer. A little pain had to be dealt with.
Now that all the hay is in the back of the Peacock Penthouse I can lock him up in there for his medicines.
I really do agree that he has a gape worm infestation. I had to order the medicine to be delivered as it is hard to buy and I cannot drive at the moment. Kupa and I have been waiting days for the good stuff. Which is called Rooster Booster® Triple Action Multi-Wormer and when I looked up the order there had been some kind of hold up and it is not going to be here until Monday. This worries me deeply as Kupa is not well. (I am not recommending the Boooster Triple Action yet. But I am advised that it will treat the capillary worms such as Gape Worm.)
So, at a loss, with no change in the peacock after using all my organic remedies, (that are not really remedies but preventatives) I was casting about my animal box for anything that could help – I spied an old bottle of sheep drench from Mama’s last bout with worms (ages ago) which led me to googling treating peacocks with sheep drench. And this is not an uncommon idea. I found a multitude of hits about adding sheep drench to their water. Who knew. So now that he is in his Peacock Penthouse and the door is shut, with Tui, who hangs out in there anyway, (I will get Pania in there tomorrow, my injury has had quite enough herding peahens for the moment). I have doctored his water with Ivomectrin. Worms hunt in packs so hopefully the Ivomectrin will hold the fort until the tripe action arrives. Though (if you are into wormers) Panacure would have been better.
The Tall Teenager is off into the world again today. Now things will really begin the slow slide into deep winter.
I hope you all have a lovely day,
your friend on the couch with a book, (I am really grateful for my Kindle today as I am still unable to sit and drive to a book store!),
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
89 responses to “Loading hay and sheep drench for the Duke of Kupa”
OUCH I know the pain and it is bad you take rest when you can.. Hope your worming stuff helps all who are sickly. Then it will be that much happier you can be 🙂 HUGS
I am getting better, and hopefully we can fix up old Kupa as well. Usually Peacocks who wander at will don’t need to be wormed at all, so it is miserable for him.. c
I can imagine I know how bad I hate being cooped up 😦
When you started the blog about the peacock and its worm problem I thought of Panacure, and dismissed it in my head thinking it is probably called something else over there… and here you end with the very cure I was thinking of… one of the older remedies is tobacco… which is good for any and virtually all worms, though I’m not sure how one would get a peacock to eat it… when in Rhodesia we did all our animals with tobacco, in fact we used to get floor sweepings from tobacco growers and spread it on our lawns… never had an ant or cricket problem, in fact we never had flies or mosquitoes in the house either… but one had the greenest of lawns, so healthy, just it needed to be cut at least twice a week as it grew like the clappers…
I find that tobacco remedy very interesting, maybe I should grow some in the summer! Though it is very hard on the land. They should do a trial to see if people who smoke have less parasites. c
I don’t have any parasites LOL
yeah I know don’t nag me – for all the great shouting I do about eating right, I do smoke. A terrible admission and one I have tried a few times to quit, but I still do it (and enjoy it) even if it does make me ‘one of those people’ that are shunned by most.
Well now you can say you do it for worm control!! Not your usual smokers corner discussion though.. Laugh! c
I’ve smoked all my life… but never eaten the stuff so can’t attest to any possible good might have on my worm status… lol…
I am looking for tobacco seed now, I am going to plant some next year for worming!.. c
I hope Kupa takes his Meds … A bit worried about him !
The tailbone is so silent until it’s not !!!!
Healing for the farmy ….meanwhile I will blissfully smell
The hay …..N
Putting it in his water should mean that he gets some, but the triple action wormer goes onto his feed so i will put it on dog food. He should eat that as they are always stealing the dog food! That is a treat for them.. c
I wish you had a couple weeks to rest and lounge in the sun getting pampered and eating bon-bons. Poor girl. At least you’re managing. Hugs.
Oh pampering.. the best one at that is my daughter and I will see her next year. I have been resting though veronica, you would be pleased with me c
Well done with your sneaky ambush of the Duke. I’ve heard of sheep and poultry being able to use the same worming solution, it’s just the dosage which is radically different. I used the same stuff for my chooks as for the sheep (Ewenice and Ewedora, and their lambs). I hope your tail will soon be up to driving so that you are no longer a prisoner on the Farmy.
I am also a bit of a caver, so staying home is not much of a hardship.. I looked up the dilution but it does not seem like much. and it will freeze solid every night which will render it useless, but I have it all mixed to give him a fresh lot every day for the five days. Some say three some say five. But I will go with five. He is a sick boy.. c
In case I ever decide to buy a pet peacock I’ll be ready with remedies for it, should it fall prey to worms.
It so seldom happens with these free birds, we need to get a second generation started to develop a local immunity.. c
Good morning C: no doubt no doubt the kindle is limited but if you get a kindle reader for your pc then you can put them on your pc and lay there and read till your brain melts from thought 🙂 just a joke 🙂 i am glad you were able to catch Kupa and missy says that the alfalfa is really cheap she wants your time place machine to get some.
mike in wv
imagine a very long clatter box from my place to yours. i will tell John that was cheap. I grumbled at the grower because i usually only pay 3 dollars. but you made plenty of hay for your lot this year? Did you sell some too? c
I thought the hay was fiendishly expensive! We used to pay the equivalent of 25 cents a bale, less if we were there to help with haymaking.
no that 600 bales wont last the year. not very good hay, i will have to buy round bales later this year. M.
Here Lucerne, which I think is the same as Alfalfa, is $13 a bail.
Tall teenagers come in very handy…..
I don, t know much, if anything aboug wormers but I do know that you are doing your very best for Kupa….I hope that his medicine will arrive soon.
take care dear Celi, I would say ‘ don, t over do it ‘ but its a waste of words..so take care instead
I am definitely keeping up with my recovery plan.. so i am pleased.. c
Panacur has always been the go-to non-specific wormer for my dog breeder friends. I hope the drench gets him back on his feet and the triple-action finishes the job and puts some fluff back in his tail feathers.
So do I.. he readily came for his feed this morning so far so good..
For ‘fellowship’ reference, there’s an interesting page here about the treatment of gapeworm (Syngamus trachea) http://parasitipedia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2653&Itemid=2942 For those of us whose chicken-keeping operations are visited regularly by pigeons, sparrows (European Finch in the USA?), and a goodly few other wild birds including pheasant and quail, there really is no choice but to ‘worm’ regularly.
Just reading about Ivermectin (having not used it myself) and it seems some breeds of dog, including Collies, are sensitive to it. [See http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ivermectin.html%5D
Hope the ‘bum’ recovers from the shock of catching Kupa.
Oops! Try http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_ivermectin.html
The gape worms are an interesting study, nasty little parasites.. I have kept chickens and fowl since I was about 6, running them for my mother out at the beach, all through different countries and lives, supplying my own eggs most of my life and I have never had to worm, ever, but I have always put cider vinegar, garlic and a little chilli in their water, Plus DE ( the US flocks) in their feed. But old Kupa is wild, not in the run (even the peahens spend a goodly time of the year in the run, with the good water and have not succombed to this worm) and so he has not been forced to drink the good water – so he slipped through.. it is also very rare that a free peafowl needs worming.. thank you for the reference though.. and I do hope I get this in control without losing my bird.. we have a lot of pigeons maybe a wild one brought it in, who knows..c
I have to agree that your alfalfa is cheap compared to what we pay. Wondering what you do with all the bale ties. I always save them “in case” and use some to tie up vegies and for quick fixes. Mostly they end up in the rubbish, but I am curious what you do with them if anything. Joy
What i do with the strings from the hay could fill a post. They are initially knotted and hung, then used for everything and I always have at least one in my pocket, excellent idea for a post! I will show you.. c
\in Normandy, the cows are stupid. Even in fields beside roads, the farmers don’t always bother with gates – they just tie a length of orange baler twine across the gaps and the cows don’t go near it for fear of an electric shock! At our last but one house the farmer down the road used to drive his milkers past our garden from time to time, and having no fence, we used to festoon .baler twine along the plants and shrubs and across the drive
Condition and response – Pavlov 🙂
Good luck with Kupa and his brides.
Changing the subject slightly, I just ate some scrambled guinea fowl eggs – they were very creamy, but otherwise quite chicken egg like. They are small, a bit bigger than quail eggs and have tough shells 😉
I do like quail eggs and have thought of raising some for the eggs, but you have to keep them caged as they have no roosting habit, they just kind of bed down wherever they end up, but guinea fowl eggs, hmm, did you find those in your market? c
Yes, the farmers’ market in Islington 🙂
Oh Islington, (London?) I used to live there.. c
Yes – Chapel Market:
Did you guys see the ghost of me, wafting about in my long green skirt, with my basket. c
Yes but you were a bit faint – the majority of your essence is on the farm 😉
Oh no.. I am losing touch, I must visit again!.. c
though I have to admit being more of a lurker at Angel. The grubby noisy nature of it appealed. I always expected to turn and see a trolley with bloody carcasses swinging from hooks being pushed through it.
Ha ha – Rungis outside Paris is the one to visit for that – they literally have miles of carcasses hanging in enormous cold rooms. It’s reputed to be the largest food market in the world, though it’s more wholesale than retail. I wish I’d taken photographs when I went there!
wow.. i imagine.. c
As we are chatting – I’m going to meet Tanya and Big Man at the South Bank food market in a couple of hours: http://maddogtvdinners.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/southbank-real-food-market/
OH Do give them my love and tell tanya that the arnica arrived and i am making soap with the eucalyptus and lemon oil today! c
I will do – I’ve written down what you said – hopefully I’ll remember the piece of paper in my pocket 😉
wear your pants with the pocket.. c
That helps 😉
Hi Celia – got your message – so glad it finally arrived. A bit late but hey ho. And the soap sounds glorious!
Hello, Celi…..I wonder if you could help me learn something today (well, I’m sure you can :-). The main ingredient in the Rooster Booster is hygromicin B. Every place I googled it it is indeed listed as a “wormer”, but hygromicin B is an antibiotic. Not an anti-parsitic. Did you do some research that indicated otherwise? While it could certainly be useful if Kupa has an underlying low-grade infection or something…..I’m just not sure how it could be an anthelmintic? But I’d love to learn about something new that would help my chicken flock. Sending you wishes for a speedy recovery.Jan
The gulp worm is a capillary worm and attacks the respiratory tract hard.. this often results in an infection, as you can imagine. His lack of voice is an indication. This is why my vet advisor chose this particular cocktail for him. I am not an expert when it comes to chemicals, because i have run this place for years without any. I hate the broad spectrum nature of them. So I take advice from the vet. I use the health giving cider vinegar, garlic, chilli and once a week home made yoghurt to get ahead of infestations.. This is the first time in my life I have had a bird with worms but like I said before, he is wild so does not partake of the chicken run goodies. I hate to give him this stuff as it will wipe out the good AND the bad, so there will be a lot of recovery to get this bird back to robust natural health and i may have to continue to catch him and worm for the rest of his life if he survives. I have never had to worm fowl before. It is a nasty cycle I do not want to be in.. Good series of questions there though Jan, hopefully one of the other readers can answer them. But as you can see the whole thing makes me squirm. c
Thank you, Celi….that was very helpful. So I guess the theory is clear up the respiratory infection and the rest will follow. Like you I’m a big fan of the apple cider vinegar, yogurt, etc. But sometimes you just do what you have to do. Good vibes to you and Kupa 🙂
Jan
I tried the apple cider vinegar for a couple of months, but none of my dogs/cats/hens would touch it! maybe I put too much in?
you have to train them to like it, Daisy will try and drink it out of the bottle! start with a tiny dash and build up over time. c
I think Kupa is in very good hands and I feel very optimistic about his recovery! 🙂
Morning Celi, I put ACV and garlic in everyone’s water, but haven’t used chilli. How do you administer this……..whole fresh, mashed, dried, leaves only?
what i do is buy a gallon of the vinegar, take the lid off and pour a wee bit out, then add two cloves of garlic and a dried chili. Replace lid – wait a day. Then I walk about doing the waters carrying my gallon of apple cider vinegar. It lasts a wee while. c
thanks that’s easy. I can do that.
I have to worm medicine to offer, but I shall wave the magic wand of prayer so that Kupa can be well and strutting about once again.
That is a wonderful magic wand, thank you Joss.. c
Glad you got your hay all put away nicely. Seems catching Kupa was too easy, except for the sore tailbone, which means he certainly isn’t pn par. Talking of which, my eldest Hen almost died yesterday from the cold. When I let the other hens out she was huddled up in the nest box, unresponsive and felt cold to touch, and although she had her eyes shut she did move her head when I picked her up. So I spent all day yesterday trying to revive her with hot water bottles and milk and brandy. She is a little bit perkier this morning, but not sure this old girl is going to make it through this winter if the nights keep getting so cold. trouble is she doesn’t huddle with the rest of the girls, likes to be on her own. Sigh, ate it when there is a sick animal in the house!
The old dears just get to that age don’t they. There are a few old girls in my big flock who may succumb this year.. Not cold enough here for the heating lamp yet though.. milk and brandy, that should have warmed her up.. and remember warm the body before putting food in there, they use up too much energy trying to digest the food and undigested food can turn bad. Body then belly.. But you know all that.. c
Sigh,sad to say she has passed. Went out a little while ago to check on her and she was gone. She was still warm from her hot water bottle, but i think it was her time to go none-the-less. Doesn’t stop you thinking about what you did, could of done, should have don though does it? I knew about getting the body temp up before food, and she hadn’t eaten anything since Thursday. I was trying with the milk, brandy and water to keep her hydrated as I know that is another problem when it is cold. Oh well R.I.P Erin (her name)
I am so sorry for your loss Lyn…we do the best we can….and you did! RIP Erin… (((hugs)))
oh poor old you, but you are right.. you did you very best, and this is one of those things.. c