The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You can do it either way. Waiting a few days should be okay, but I personally would start dusting the chicks lightly, or the nest they are sitting in. You can pick off mites but I usually just do the dusting. I dust everything, but I go lightly on chicks, and try not to get any in the eyes, and I brush off excess.

 

[Eckielady]

You can do it either way. Waiting a few days should be okay, but I personally would start dusting the chicks lightly, or the nest they are sitting in. You can pick off mites but I usually just do the dusting. I dust everything, but I go lightly on chicks, and try not to get any in the eyes, and I brush off excess.

The bugs are teeny tiny black ones. You can barely see them unless they move. Like a pin point. I have spread ashes in the coop but I'll try to lightly dust them tomorrow.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The bugs are teeny tiny black ones. You can barely see them unless they move. Like a pin point. I have spread ashes in the coop but I'll try to lightly dust them tomorrow.

Those are mites. I have occasionally gotten some on me after handling my broody hens, buggers are extremely irritating. Since they don't dust bath as much they quickly get out of control. I dust my nestboxes under the bedding when I have broodies now. I'm about to put mine to work in about 2-3 weeks when my hatching eggs arrive. I'm hoping a few more go broody by than. One little bantam isn't going to be enough.

 

[h2oratt]

Oh shoot, I wish I had seen this earlier. I'll grab some tomorrow.

It's been an exciting morning of hatching chicks around here. Found the first one super cold and lifeless. Shoved her in my cleavage and ran her inside where my mom took over. She's now back with mama and doing awesome. Amazing morning. Just found chick number 2 doing well so we'll just see how the day progresses. First time mamas.

Did your mom have better cleavage than you, lol

That's a good save.

 

[Eckielady]

Did your mom have better cleavage than you, lol

That's a good save.

Haha!! I ran back out to make sure there were no more laying around. We didn't want to move her again after that.

 

[Eckielady]

Those are mites. I have occasionally gotten some on me after handling my broody hens, buggers are extremely irritating. Since they don't dust bath as much they quickly get out of control. I dust my nestboxes under the bedding when I have broodies now. I'm about to put mine to work in about 2-3 weeks when my hatching eggs arrive. I'm hoping a few more go broody by than. One little bantam isn't going to be enough.

Arg!! Poor chickens. I was laying in bed last night wondering if the chicks would get a light dusting just from being under their mama since she is covered in ash. The face is just so tricky for me.

 

[JanetMarie]

Arg!! Poor chickens. I was laying in bed last night wondering if the chicks would get a light dusting just from being under their mama since she is covered in ash. The face is just so tricky for me.

They should want to go outside within a few days of hatching. Normally one of the first activities my broody moms have done is take a dust bath. The chicks copy the mom and will also take the dust bath.

Just make sure you have a sandy spot for them all to bathe in and that should take of the mites on their faces also.

I also put a mite repellent on broody moms a couple times before the chicks hatch.

 

[lazy gardener]

Ash is not going to take care of an infestation, and those chicks will quickly be killed by a mite infestation. You really need to use an insecticide on the broodies and their babies.

When I was a young teenager, I had my first flock of birds. One day, I went crying to my dad, telling him that one of my hens was dying. He came out, took one look, and started laughing. After explaining the behavior of a broody hen, he helped me load her up with eggs, but the very first thing he did was give her nest a thorough dusting of insecticide to keep her and babies safe from infestation. She had a successful hatch!

 

[Bantambird]

I like permethrin spray over the dust, I can get it to the skin around the vent much easier than with powder and I can Target where it goes more easily too. Insecticides aren't ideal, but they are better than being covered in blood suckers. Mites suck blood.

 

[armorfirelady]

Well, I desperately need help. So I was finally able to get a closer look at the girls and they are covered in tiny little black bugs. I feel horrible and am not sure what to do. I checked on them a lot while they were sitting on eggs but with the big poofs of hair on top (and they would look down and start cackling when I peeked) I just missed it. Last night I just followed my gut and grabbed them out to give them an ash bath. I figured it was best to do it before babies came. Today we have 4 babies, and two mamas still covered in bugs. The one with the bad eye has TWO bad eyes and my heart breaks for her. Newborn babies, full of bugs and ones vision is impaired. Now babies will have these little bugs to. My plan was to let them be for a day or so because they're stressed and when they bring babies out try to get everyone bathed again? Maybe put nustock on the faces of the 2 mamas? I thought I could make an ash/peat moss bath and set the babies in? Please help!!!

If you have it use wood ash. I've used it in the past when mine had mites(I forgot to fill their dust bath) & dusted them every day for a week at dusk. Now I just make sure to have a full dust bath container for them & they dust themselves