Nick Thompson Holistic vet

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Gwenoakes
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Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Gwenoakes »

I watched a FB video link with this vet on Thurs evening courtesy of Clare who is on FB.
Has anyone heard/know of him?
Clare got in touch with him when she had a huge problem with Teddy her GS who had loads of allergies and it is he who recommended the vets in Leeds the other year, as he is much further away from us than him.
Not sure if anyone will know this but he was talking about herbs that are good for chickens.
He said that rodents do not like the smell of mint, ironically I have a few weeks ago emptied a tub of mint that had gone mad into the chicken pen and they had great fun scratching around and on it.
Just wondered if anyone else had tried this/knew about it.
It was a really interesting talk which was all about the birds anatomy, diseases and which herbs help what and you could ask questions. I asked about broodiness and he has suggested I email him where he will go more in depth, which I thought was brilliant.
I think the video link was sponsored by VermX and a lot of the herbs in their product was what he was recommending to grow in/around the pen, including hanging lavender in the hen house.
There was lots more and tbh it was fascinating.

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Mo
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Mo »

Mint is the one thing that even hens might be hard put to destroy. I don't have hens now but if I did I would transplant some round the outside of the run.
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Spreckly
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Spreckly »

That is interesting Gwen, not heard of Nick Thompson. We had a Rough Collie with a lot of allergies, spent a fortune on tests (he was insured, thank goodness), which were inconclusive. We were advised to put him on James Wellbeloved, and the dreadful lesions were more or less under control. Shame we did not know about Nick, but it was well over twenty years ago.
Gwenoakes
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Gwenoakes »

Apparently the mint apart from deterring rodents is good for the chickens gut. You can feed it to the chickens if they have squishy poo and look off colour, just chop some up and put in their feed.
It is a bit like horses really, we cut nettles down and when they are dead some of the horses will eat them and some will not. Dandelions are another favourite of Flora's, if she goes in a part of the field with the flowers she spends quite a while eating them, while the other two will not eat the flowers but will eat the leaves. Sticky weed used to be a favourite of Jack the Shire Clare had, but once again the others were not interested and we found out that Jack had ulcers in his stomach, so he possibly liked it for that reason. They do say that horses will eat what they need, so I see no reason why other animals are not as clever to do the same.
Clare tried everything and anything with the RCVS vets and got nowhere with Teddy and his allergies, one visit to Brendon in Leeds and some herbal remedies and he was so much better, it really was quite unbelievable.
When we first saw Brendon he looked at a video of me trying to run Teddy up the driveway, this was to show him just how lame Teddy was, which incidentally was an off shoot of the allergies too, and he said he did not know who to treat, me or Teddy so recommended both me and Teddy to take Lamberts Pure Orac Omega fish capsules and it worked for both of us. He also told me to take Organic Turmeric Curcumin and Organic Black Pepper capsules for arthritis as I myself am allergic to a number of things including anti-inflammatory tablets, so was until speaking to him relying on pain killers alone. It worked, it was not a magical cure, but it certainly eased the pain quite a bit and also the swelling...……..so I like him very much. )t'
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by bikesandbirdsbob »

I was told marigolds was good for chickens as well .
Trouble is they did not know it and refused to eat in their food.
Still got a bag of dried flowers .
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Gwenoakes »

Nick has recommended Puls 200 c mixed with Opium 200 c and to dose twice daily for 10 days. Apparently they come in powder or liquid, so will order that and dose as the white hen who has just stopped being broody 10 days ago and the little speckledy have both gone broody again.
I am in the process of picking Lavender and hanging it in their hut for a calming effect which Nick says may help too.
Have some mint on order and quite a few pots put around the run to prevent rodents hopefully and also will be there to use if any probs.
Will see how we get on.
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wendy
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by wendy »

Keep us updated.
I am all for natural remedies rather than the manufactured rubbish. That you have to have something else, to combat the side effects )t'
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Mo
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Mo »

Opium??? That may be a plant product but that doesn't make it exactly harmless.

Did you say you are feeding it to hens? I wouldn't eat the eggs.
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Freeranger »

Mint is supposedly good for human digestion - mint tea is recommended for an upset stomach by herbalists. I know a friend once gave her border collie devil's claw root tablets for arthritis and he did really well on them. I guess the other herbs and plants would have a similar effect on some, if not all, other species and were around a long time before the synthetics. It must be important to get the right dose for the type and size of animal?
A farmer once refused to take grass cut from our land because he said it was 'full of weeds' but an organic farmer said they all convey something to the animals health (apart from anything poisonous like ragwort) and is like a human having a varied diet. He told me that some like lambs lettuce and chickweed are natural anthelwhelmics - is that right? - (or anti-worming) and should be in grazing, including chickens', who should also have chickweed. He also mentioned a couple of others that I can't remember (chamomile, maybe but don't take my word for it).
Anyone thinking of trying any of these, please check it out first because I wouldn't rely on my memory.
Gwenoakes
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Gwenoakes »

Well the chickens are still broody despite lavender hanging in their shed and they have now had the recommended doses of the treatment that Nick Thompson said to give.
I have given up and this is after dunking them in water on a regular basis for days at a time and getting earache with their sqwarking (sp) in protest.
I take them off the nest about 4 times a day, make sure they eat something before they go back, taken the bedding out of the nests, so not really very comfortable for them, all to no avail. They are both h*ll bent on sitting tight.
I have one other option and that is to close them in the other side where the new run has been made with just a block building and concrete floor to sit on, but tbh I am not in the right frame of mind to do this yet.
They are not pecking when I take them off the nests anymore, but not sure what that means if anything.
The good thing I have noticed is that the rats are nowhere in sight since I grew and planted several lots of mint, whether that will be short lived or not I do not know.
Any other suggestions would be most welcome, or if anyone wants hens that like to sit for weeks/months let me know. ( Not really as for all the hassle I would not part with them.)
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Mo
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Mo »

Gwenoakes wrote: sqwarking (sp)

Lovely word. That's probably how I'd spell it too.
No suggestion about the hens. The first time I bought 3 hens I was just getting excited that they'd started laying when one went broody, I was slow to realise, didn't want to disturb her when she was laying so didn't take the eggs away, and by the time I twigged she was well set. 10 weeks before she would stay out, then a couple of weeks moulting before she laid again. And at the time I was totting up all she'd cost in setting up, and all she was still costing to feed. Those first eggs are pricey.
The second year I started chucking her out sooner and she was only broody 5 weeks and I don't think she bothered the next year.
How long have yours been at it?
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Gwenoakes
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Gwenoakes »

I got them in the Oct, Mo think it was 2017 and they bliddy started going broody that same winter and have been broody ever since. They are a mixed breed and I was told they were at point of lay when I had them between 16 and 20 weeks old.
The problem is it is like a domino effect when one starts they all seem to follow. At one point I had 4 out of 7 regularly broody. The only ones who have never gone broody are 2 Campines and a little one that looks like a partridge.
The white hen was only off being broody for a couple of weeks before starting again this last time with the grey one.
I asked the person I got them off what to do and she suggested everything I had tried, then said that chickens did not go broody in the colder months...……………….right oh, I must have camels then...……….or some other animal!
I swear down if I ever have chickens again it will be Campines.
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kitla
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by kitla »

I have read alot of advice about breaking broodies by putting them in a baron cage - like a dog crate, with food, water but nothing else. I presume they should go back in the coop at night. This is the advised way to break a broody, I used to try the ice pack wrapped in a towel thing, but it never worked & when one did stop being broody she started again in a couple of weeks! so I gave up & let mine brood. If you want hens that dont do that you're best to get hydrids like warrens - (or ex batts.) not pure breds.
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Gwenoakes
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Gwenoakes »

They have been in a dog cage, Kitla time after time after time with not much success.
I was all set with a list of chickens that were not known to go broody too, then Clare my daughter got involved and we ended up with the mixed breeds that we now have which if I am honest I felt sorry for as they were in a very small area in a garden centre.
I have had ex batts in the past and also others years ago not sure of their pedigree they were handed to me because if I had not taken them they would have been necked just because the owner got bored with them and I am a total soft touch.
I have experienced broody hens before but these are mega broody in comparison to anything I have had before.
If I thought they would survive without me trying to break their broodiness I would not be concerned, but to go 90 days and lose condition as one of them did I felt I had to intervene or she would have died.
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Mo
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Re: Nick Thompson Holistic vet

Post by Mo »

Gwenoakes wrote:I got them in the Oct, Mo think it was 2017 and they bliddy started going broody that same winter and have been broody ever since.

That's ridiculous. I admire your patience.
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