The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Rhinoman]

Some of my birds have some bald spots

here's an example. I had the same problem last year with my other birds and it just went away. I've been worried it was mites but was unable to confirm this upon examination.

Today my 4 year old brought in her a basket of eggs, they were covered in little black insect about the size of ground pepper, mites right? I've never seen not one on any of our eggs before.

My son just went to our neighbors house to pick up some wood ash. I'm going to have him clean the coop tomorrow especially paying attention to the nest boxes (plastic) replace all shavings and dip all the chicken in the ash.

I want to start using garlic but I'm unsure of how. Just chop it up and toss it in the feeders? Use it daily?

Should I be worried about infesting the (human) house with the mites? Will the live on people?

 

[SherrieC]

When I want to feed mine garlic I make a mash for them and add freshly crushed garlic to it.

 

[lalaland]

and with the wood ash, you want to really rub the ash into the feathers and down to the skin, especially the vent area, under the wing, and behind the neck. careful of eyes and breathing though

If you have extra wood ash, you can add it to the area where they are dustbathing.

Do you have a rooster? the bare back looks kind of like damage from a rooster mating the hen.

 

[SherrieC]

Well after all of that it seems my broody just broke her broodiness. She stayed out with the others all day today then went in with the others on the roost. I found some eggs for her today as well!

I guess because I put away her eggs that were duds she knew and broke herself today. I'm half relieved and half disappointed as it would've been a good learning experience and the person that got back to me had some interesting breeds.

 

[Rhinoman]

Do you have a rooster? the bare back looks kind of like damage from a rooster mating the hen.

That's what I thought the bare backs were from! OK, just not enough experience here. What do think about the mites? It's weird like I said never saw not one on an egg than one day; bam, crawling all over our eggs?

My (16 y/o) sons going to do the dust bathing this morning and clean out the coop. I told him to put extra ash outside where the take their baths and to leave some in the large 30" dome planter I have for just such a purpose but wasn't using, stupid me. Figure I'll do the ash dip for a few weeks in a row. Also one of the problems my be the broody I mean how many hours a day can one just sit in the nest box! N o reason I can't add just a bit of ash in the nest boxes?

My neighbor has a mountain of wood ash. The heat with one of those outside wood burning stoves.

 

[flagirl]

I have a problem. I believe my hens have stick fleas. I've been looking around the forums, and have a plan to help get rid of them. I would love further advice if anybody has some.

First of all, I have noticed one of my hens shaking her head every now and then over the last couple of days. Today, I was sitting next to my rooster, and noticed black "stuff" all over his comb and wattles. I looked closer, and realized they were bugs. Fortunately, I only have 5 chickens to treat, and have only noticed 2 that seem to have this problem.

My plan is to first bathe them in either Dawn original soap or an anit-bacterial soap. I will follow that up with a neem oil/water mixture. (40:1 from what I've read.) Then I plan to put Vaseline all over the combs and wattles. I will have Sevin Dust as a back up, but I really don't want to use that. I plan to scrub the coop with bleach and drench it in neem oil. Then add DE to the nesting boxes and coat the ground of the coop. My chickens are free range, so as much as I hate to, I am considering sprinkling Sevin dust in the yard.

The sun is going down now, so I will have to start this early in the morning. Please, if anybody has any advice or better ideas - anything that will work without having to use poison of any kind, I would love to hear it. I am only 2 months old to having chickens, and am learning as fast as I can.

I have had stick tight fleas. I live in florida, and apparently it is unique to here, texas and some other southern states. they are really hard to get rid of. Mine got them 2 yrs ago when we had record rains. I put vaseling on the combs and wattles. I did use sevin when I could not get rid of them. I put some seven in the vaseline, shooed them out of the coop and sprayed with sevin. hate to say, it took almost 2 years to get rid of them. don't seem to have them now, but summer rains may bring them again. i had chickens for 5 years and then there they were. don't know anyone else near me who got them. I did the vaseline every week for months, they would seem to clear and then be back again. I remember, I used neem also, before using sevin. really slather the vaseline on thick.
edited to add-at least they are only around the combs and wattles, some a little in the feathers near the comb

 

[Lacy Blues]

No she is definitely broody, she wasn't sick. I realise it's the first broody I have ever had but I have absolutely no doubt. She laid every day until she sat and the week leading up to it she started showing signs as she would stay on the egg for a short while. She has been broody since early May I think it was, she would get up each day and have a stretch, her temperament was more aggressive then normal but she was full of energy and hungry.

She always goes in the nest the minute she can, my first attempt of quickly stopping access was but putting one box over the other and as she managed to move the top box half way off and get in. The next day I put a lid on it and removed them, that's when she got depressed. I had to bring one out because one of the others really needed to lay and before you know it she found her and was in there.

My eggs that were under here aren't developing, I'm trying to find eggs buts it's hard as its winter here.

I'm worried if I kennel her I will lose her.

Well, I was going to ask where you live as I have some acquaintances in Australia. I'm sure I'll never get to meet them but it would be nice. I was going to see if I could help you find some fertile eggs.

Well, if she broke herself of it then she will start eating again and gaining weight.


flagirl,

I quoted your post but it didn't show up.

If you expect all the rains to bring more of those little buggers, maybe you should spray the coop and put a treatment on your birds so they don't get a foothold and you spend another two years trying to beat them?

 

[slordaz]

Don't that just figure sherrie. At least now she will start to recouperate from extended broodiness. I'm starting t get nervous the closer mine get to laying. This is first time I've raised them from chicks lol.

 

[SherrieC]

I live in South Australia in the Adelaide Hills.

I am still keeping a close eye on her, she was sluggish this morning, can they be like that after brooding for so long? I also noticed a watery poo by her and yesterday I noticed a watery poo by a Wyandotte. They were out in the yard yesterday so not sure if it could be something they ate, they seem interested in my diosma and seaside daisies and some other plants they don't have access to in the runs and vegetables gardens.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Was yesterday warm? I know winter is coming on down there but if it's anything like here, there will be an odd day here and there. If it was warm (hot) watery "ejections" are a method of cooling for them.