Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[galanie]

It is expensive. But a little goes a long way. I got some too and it does make a difference.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

If it's pretty well-ventilated you can either try to tighten the building up a bit or just use more containers of spray than what's called for on the packaging (I think it lists coverage in cubic feet on the package). I used it in the crawl space under a cabin that was just railroad ties stacked one atop the other (VERY well-ventilated) and used about twice as many containers as the packaging called for. It worked perfectly, went from being being a bug oasis to being a bug cemetary in just a couple of hours. You can find the bug bombs (made by Raid, etc) at Walmart and most anyplace that sells bug sprays. Just make sure you air the place out well before putting the chickens back in.

If you plan to use more cans than recommended, be extra sure there is no ignition source like a hot water heater near.

 

[thedragonlady]

If you plan to use more cans than recommended, be extra sure there is no ignition source like a hot water heater near.

I would be worried about toxic fallout from these bombs on the bedding and roosts. Something to think about......

 

[fowlman01]

If you plan to use more cans than recommended, be extra sure there is no ignition source like a hot water heater near.

A friends house burned down when he used these and didn't remember to turn off the pilot lights. As long is there is no ignition source they work.

Walt

 

[galefrances]

Try feeding some Calf Manna to up your protein and vitamins plus minerals. I've fed it for years. A little goes a long way. I add a handful to a pen of 8 birds once a day. See my page for the results. The proof is in the pudding.

I've seen posts about Calf Manna before but completely forgot about this. I've been giving my pullets BOSS, a small handful every other day. I thought this was good to increase their protein. Especially since they're losing feathers. (I'm guessing a juvenille molt) Which do you recommend?

 

[Missa Chickabee]

I'm not sure what's up with your hen. However, when one of my hens starts going into the nesting box and not laying an egg, I get concerned. Most of the hens that have done that here in the past have ended up with an egg broke inside them. I had this happen about a month and a half ago with one of my red sex links. As for the purple comb, my chickens normally get purple-y, blackish combs from lack of nutrition (often happens when the foraging opportunities are not as good). -All just IME

I am glad you brought that up. Not trying to hijack the central discussion at the moment, but I am concerned because I am new at this and don't know how to deal with:

There was egg yolk in one of my girl's poop yesterday when I cleaned up under the roost. I am positive that it was one of my POL Orpies because I just got my first soft shell brown egg this morning (I've had white eggs from the three leg-horns for over a week and their shells have been really strong)

They all seem healthy. What should I do, if anything? ( They have just had a Ivermectin drops...and....poultry dust. Their enemies come in all sizes it seems)

Thanks for your input.

Missa

 

[Beekissed]

When chickens first start laying it seems like their systems sort of sputter a little...you may see soft shells, no shells, small eggs, small eggs without any yolk, etc. This is normal and natural and will clear up in time.

With older chickens going into molt, it can be the same way, so be aware that not every egg mishap or deformity is a cause for concern. If you are following good management practices and if your chickens aren't overly fat, they should be able to lay a normal egg in a normal manner 98% of the time.

Time takes care of a lot of these issues...just watch and wait. I know it's hard for folks who only have a few chickens not to notice every little thing that happens and get alarmed but it's the same as with a larger flock~let nature happen. After keeping chickens for awhile you will get a feel of what is real or Memorex when it comes to things that should worry you.

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
I agree with thedragonlady. My last house had been treated with bug bombs a few days before I moved in. Even though we left all the windows open for several days, the smell of the insecticide lingered for a couple of weeks. Birds are way more sensitive to that sort of thing than humans. Just saying...

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

I've never seen a worm in my chickens poop. I have seen them goble up every cig but tosed on the ground at the shop. Turns out, nicotene ingested is a potent antiparasitic...go figure. Guess they still know what they are doing...either way.

 

[Beekissed]

I've never seen any worms in my chicken's poop in the past 36 years, but no cigs involved. I've shoveled, raked and transported a lot of chicken poop in my day.

It's not that they do not have them, because all mammals have them. It's because they were not in large enough numbers to be evident by visual inspection of the feces.

All studies pretty much agree that healthy animals kept in healthy environments do not get an overload of parasites. Same with humans. If you are seeing worms in the feces, you need to understand that the health of the chicken~or lack thereof~ or the environment is the cause, not because you have not dewormed them enough.

Dosing with meds, ACV, DE or garlic or whatever concoction is not the answer to parasite overload...the answer is to find the primary causative factor and eliminate it.


I can see where folks get confused after reading the information available out there about this subject. It all reads like a USDA handbook on farm techniques and has no truth or practical application in the backyard environment. Words like biosecurity, raising birds on wire, disinfecting all come to fore, along with the proper meds for dosing...all the while claiming that commercial poultry doesn't have these problems but the poor sanitation and hygiene conducted in the backyard flock is the problem to all the parasitical woes.

Yeah...and I've got some wonderful beach front property here in these hills that I'd like to sell you. You can see the ocean from your living room window....