Funny, the tiny rural town (population less than 200) I live in is Carlton, and always gets confused with Carrollton!
Remember the 'monster' (for us) snowstorms we've gotten in the past few winters? I still didn't do anything any different and my chickens were fine, even in the one where we got almost 10".
If I ever see lice or mites, I'll treat with sevin as I view the DE as preventative only and not nearly strong enough for an infestation.
I get Sweet PDZ at Tractor Supply in the horse section to help keep the stall dry. I'm not really sure what it is, but it definitely helps dry things out. It is a white powdery substance, and I get the 'larger' granulated form, but it still looks very much like powder. The only farm animals I have experience with are chickens, and I get confused about the different types of lime. I know the wrong kind can burn severely. I've only used garden lime to get the hydrangeas to bloom pink instead of blue!
ACV is apple cider vinegar. It only has probiotic value if it has the 'mother'. I get it at the grocery store or Wal-Mart. It is more expensive than the regular pasteurized and filtered ACV, but well worth it. You can stretch it by adding the cheaper ACV when the bottle is about half empty (at least that's what I do). You'll know you've gotten the right ACV if its cloudy instead of clear. The 'mother' will settle on the bottom; shake the bottle and it'll disperse, making it look cloudy. I make sure to shake the bottle before adding to their drinking water. There are a lot of threads on here about ACV if you want to learn more about it. Many people drink it themselves as well as give it to their livestock. Of course there are folks who swear by it and others who think it has zero benefits. I don't think I've found anyone saying it had any negative effects. It does almost eliminate the green algae and slime in the waterers, so if it doesn't hurt them, I'll keep using it for that benefit alone!
Yes, reading the posts on here can make you paranoid! There is such diversity on this site, it can sometimes be hard to 'take what you need' and 'leave the rest', especially if you're brand new to chickens. The more experience you get, the easier it will be to know 'what you need'. Personally, I think you got into chickens at the right time. Summer here is just harder on them. Most 'organisms' (like cocci) seem to flourish in hot damp weather. Mosquitoes are more plentiful, more wild birds around to spread all kinds of stuff. Spring litters of all kinds of predators are getting older and hunting for new food sources. You'll be bunches more able to take all that on after a few months of having your chickens. You'll know what 'normal' behavior looks like and spot early on if someone's just 'not right'.
